DENVER — For Mari Meza-Burgos, mariachi is more than music — it’s a legacy. And she’s helping pass it on.
The professional mariachi and MSU Denver alum is teaching music teachers in Colorado how to authentically incorporate mariachi into their classrooms. The educator training, offered in partnership with MSU Denver and the nonprofit she co-founded — Cuerdas y Canciones: Center for Mariachi Arts and Culture — is laying the foundation for what could soon be a statewide cultural shift.
“We saw the need for teachers and a desire to start mariachi programs,” Meza-Burgos said. “I really felt that mariachi needed to come from an authentic place.”
Meza-Burgos helped start MSU Denver’s student mariachi club in 2012. That club led to a formal class, the formation of a campus ensemble, and now — more than a decade later — a first-of-its-kind degree…