 |
| Master musician Jesús Avila Rodríguez and his apprentice Daisy Guzmán show off her new violin (photo courtesy of Douglas Smith) |
In California, mariachi music is especially loved by those of Mexican descent who see it as an important link to their homeland and to their children's understanding of their cultural roots. In the 1960s, Jesus Avila Rodriguez and his brothers were taught traditional mariachi songs by their father when the family arrived in Porterville from Jalisco, Mexico. Over the years he has developed a repertoire of 300 songs and performed as a professional, touring the western states. Daisy Guzmán, a 12-year-old who was born in Mexico, has studied with Rodriguez for two years and shows promise both as a violinist and as a vocalist. They will focus on technical skills of violin in the mariachi style and building her repertoire of mariachi music.
top
