'Going Varsity in Mariachi' documentary spotlights competitive high school competitions

A new Netflix documentary shares a slice of southern Texas life as a high school mariachi band makes its way to the state championship. “Going Varsity in Mariachi” shows the journey of musicians from the Rio Grande Valley as they compete and connect via the traditional Mexican folk music. Amna Nawaz spoke with co-director Alejandra Vasquez for our arts and culture series, CANVAS.

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Amna Nawaz: Now to the story of a high school team in Southern Texas fighting for a state title. But this battle unfolds on a stage.

A Netflix documentary, “Going Varsity in Mariachi,” follows the journey of teenage musicians in the Rio Grande Valley as they compete in performances of the traditional Mexican folk music.

I recently spoke with one of its co-directors, Alejandra Vasquez, for our arts and culture series, Canvas.

Alejandro, welcome to the “News Hour.” Thank you for joining us.

Alejandra Vasquez, Co-Director, “Going Varsity in Mariachi”: Thank you for having me.

Amna Nawaz: So, oftentimes when people think about Texas and high school competitions, they think about football. But your film reveals this entirely new world of equally competitive mariachi.

Tell me a little bit about what’s going on here. How many schools are we talking about and how intense are these competitions?

Alejandra Vasquez: Yes, in South Texas, like the southernmost tip of Texas, mariachi is as competitive as football, believe it or not. It really is.

There are hundreds of teams all over the state that compete for the state championship. I mean, and some of these teams start as early as fifth grade. So it’s a really competitive, really intense, rich sport, essentially, in South Texas.

Amna Nawaz: And in your documentary, you focus really most of your storytelling on one specific school that is Edinburg North High School. Tell us about the mariachi band there and why you chose to follow this one program.

Alejandra Vasquez: We chose Edinburg North because we wanted to choose a big team, a team from a big school who has won championships before, but we knew it was a little bit of an underdog story.

Welcome to the stage, mariachi aura. They were under-resourced. They weren’t the best of the best, but they were really, really good. And we knew that there would be drama there.

Abel Acuna, Mariachi Director, Edinburg North High School: Everything that happened before today doesn’t matter.

Alejandra Vasquez: And also, we fell in love with the mariachi director, Mr. Acuna.

Abel Acuna: I like your tone. You can play, man.

Alejandra Vasquez: He has like this incredible philosophy where he’s not about just winning trophies. He’s about how mariachi can really help these students, just the way that it helped him and provided for him.

So it was really Mr. Acuna that kind of brought us to Edinburg North.

Amna Nawaz: One of the things you reveal in the film, too, is that this is an expensive competition to take part in, right? There’s instruments and costumes and competition fees. This school, in particular, you point out, is in a low-income district. What does it take for these kids to compete at this level?

Alejandra Vasquez: Because it’s a low-income district and because it’s an underfunded program, they really rely on so many different fund-raisers.

Like, these students are selling Mexican candy throughout the year. They’re selling T-shirts. They’re selling all kinds of stuff to get to the competitions. And, yes, the trajes that they wear, the costumes, they’re super expensive. They’re all made by hand. And so all of this stuff really is expensive, just aside from the instruments and kind of what you expect.

And so it takes a lot for the students to get there. But they’re so dedicated and they try really hard. And every year there’s a new mountain to climb, but they climb it.

Amna Nawaz: For most of them, beyond high school, is there a future in mariachi for them?

Alejandra Vasquez: Yes, there is a future in mariachi.

You can get scholarships in mariachi. You can major in mariachi at a university and actually study and get a mariachi degree. There is a real pathway to studying this music and to continue this music. It’s becoming really institutionalized in a way that I think is surprising to a lot of people, especially people in Mexico, where this kind of pipeline does not exist.

Amna Nawaz: You are able in your film to capture these really poignant moments between some of the team members and Mr. Acuna, who you mentioned.

This band, as you mentioned, is real underdog going into the state competition. And there’s one moment in which their band leader, Mr. Acuna, is talking to them before one practice. Take a listen.

Abel Acuna: I want to talk to you guys about what mariachi means to you guys.

Student: I might get emotional right now, because mariachi makes me feel accepted for who I am. I don’t mean to cry. Sorry.

(Laughter)

(Crosstalk)

Student: It’s just, like, when I’m here, I feel the love.

Amna Nawaz: Alejandra, how often did you hear that sentiment from the students?

Alejandra Vasquez: I mean, most days. Mariachi — the mariachi classroom was a safe space for these students. It was where they really felt accepted and they felt like they could be who they are.

All of these students had totally different associations with this music. Some students were like me. I grew up with this music. I love this music. It reminds me of home. And some students, they were playing mariachi for the first time. They don’t speak Spanish, but they’re feeling connected to it.

And I thought that was really special. And so, yes, I mean, that to me is the heart of the movie. It’s like exactly what we hoped to capture within this film.

Amna Nawaz: You mentioned this takes place in Southern Texas, in the Rio Grande Valley. Oftentimes, when we’re having conversations about this part of the country, we’re talking about things like immigration and border security.

You grew up in Texas. So what did you want people to know about these stories and this particular slice of life in the state that you call home?

Alejandra Vasquez: I wanted people to see a different side of Texas, a different side of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Just like you said, we typically see one very specific side of the border. But it’s a place where culture thrives, where culture is preserved and where it’s being passed on to a new generation. And so I really wanted to show how rich and vibrant this world is, that it’s more than what you typically see in movies or TV or on the news.

Amna Nawaz: That is Alejandra Vasquez, co-director of the documentary “Going Varsity in Mariachi” streaming now on Netflix.

Alejandra, thank you so much. It’s great to speak with you.

Alejandra Vasquez: Thank you.