Monday, June 22, 2009

Pilsen's Big Sound, Strong Culture


On a Tuesday afternoon, the blair of trumpets and strumming of guitars flood the halls of Cooper Elementary School in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood. It's time for mariachi class led by Victor and Jose Yahvi Pichardo, a father-son team with a wealth of Mexican music experience (Victor's Band, Los Sones de Mexico, was nominated for a Latin Grammy in 2008). The class is held twice a week and any student is welcome to join. These young students have a deep commitment to the music they play--and whether or not they are of Mexican decent, they are preserving their neighborhood's culture by learning the mariachi tradition. This program is supported by LISC Chicago's Elev8 program. Produced by Tu Multimedia.

1 comment:

Lisa Davis said...

I love the idea of these music classes being open to all. Finally, people who realize that art is for everyone, not just the rich and the snotty :p