MARIACHI HIGH: video clip

MARIACHI HIGH, a national PBS broadcast special, presents a year in the life of top-ranked members of Zapata High School’s championship ensemble Mariachi Halcon in the South Texas border town.   This is an exuberant coming-of-age documentary about the brightest, most driven and talented Mexican American teenagers never seen on screen. At a time when the Latino dropout rate is the highest nationwide, intolerance towards immigrants is growing and public school funding is being cut, “Mariachi High" turns a much-needed affirmative lens on teens who are pursuing excellence through a connection to their cultural heritage.

Beginning with the beguiling awkwardness of high-stakes band auditions, through dramatic competitions like the San Antonio Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza, and through graduation, viewers will see the students moving from school to stage in fierce contests filled with the fire of musical virtuosity and traditional trajes de charro dress. Before the cameras, the students discover their own unique voices and the richness of a heritage they are learning to embrace.  

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(Check your local PBS station for complete schedule details)

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