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Roosevelt Middle and Hazel Elementary Schools Host “Mexico: Beyond Mariachi”

WEST ORANGE, NJ – Roosevelt Middle and Hazel Elementary Schools hosted the popular New York City-based arts and educational group “Mexico: Beyond Mariachi” on Oct. 1 as part of their Hispanic Heritage Month curriculums.

At Roosevelt, students were welcomed by Assistant Principal Olivia Betances, and language students Ashley Mazariegos Barrera and Nicholas Ward introduced the group in both English and Spanish.

The ensemble, founded in 2005, took students to Mexico on a journey beginning 8000 years ago with its Mesoamerican origins. The group has performed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museo del Barrio, Queens Theater, New Jersey State Museum, and more.

Performances of traditional music and dance performed with authentic instruments, including shells, tortoise shells, and conch shells impressed students. A map of Mexico showed students the different states and centers of culture for various groups. In addition to music and dance, important historical facts were integrated, providing a chronology of the rise of Mayan, Incan, and Aztec cultures, the arrival of Europeans and Africans, and the development of a country that has 32 individual states and 70 different idiomatic languages.

RMS students were able to participate in a traditional dance and ask questions like “what kind of food do they eat in Mexico?” (The answer: maize (corn), vegetables, fruits, and even iguana. One student asked for a “grita,” or catcall. Students at Hazel were invited to play instruments during songs.

The group underscored the importance of its message: that Mexico is more than the stereotypical impressions many people have of Mariachi musicians in big hats or stylized "Folklorico" representations.

“You cannot judge a book by its cover,” it was noted.

“There is much more to Mexican culture than the stereotypes you see on screen. We have traveled all over Mexico – you need to look past what you see and do your research.”

SEE THE PHOTOS FROM MEXICO: BEYOND MARIACHI AT ROOSEVELT MIDDLE AND HAZEL ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS HERE.