When it comes to high school musicians, you might picture a marching band on a football field, or an orchestra or choir in an auditorium. At Bryan Station High School, there’s a unique type of band tuning up for their first performance of the school year.
“I moved to Kentucky seven years ago,” said Director of Mariachi Escudo Genaro Rascon, who was a mariachi instructor at Berea College. “It’s my understanding that the superintendent (Demetrus) Liggins is from Texas where there’s lots of mariachi instruction, and he’s been pushing for there to be a mariachi program in Fayette County for a long time, but they’ve been unable to find someone to teach it.”
Once Rascon was involved, students were asked about their potential interest.
“I was like, that sounds fun,” said Juan Betancourt, a trumpet player. “I joined, and now I think I’m going to do it all four years.”
Janely Hernandez, a violin player, added, “there was always an interest in it, mostly between the guys, but when the school brought it in, I guess it made people want to do it more.”