Mariachi returns to SDSU

On Tuesday nights at San Diego State University, the sound of mariachi music fills the music building. The SDSU Mariachi Ensemble brings together students from across campus, from music majors to engineering students.

Originally started in 2012, the ensemble was reestablished in 2024 as a class offering, creating a new opportunity for students to study and rehearse mariachi music. Before the program returned as a class, mariachi existed on campus mostly through student-led clubs. Those groups would form for a semester or two, but often disappeared once students graduated.

Jeff Nevin, an educator, composer, and trumpet player with professional experience in both classical and mariachi music, is directing the reestablished ensemble. 

Nevin, who leads a successful mariachi program at Southwestern College, explained that the idea to restart the program began with a conversation with Kevin Delgado, director of the SDSU School of Music and Dance. Both Nevin and Delgado agreed that this addition was essential for SDSU’s music program.   

The class now meets on Tuesday evenings and has quickly grown in size. This semester, the class was divided into two ensembles: a beginning group and a more advanced group. This change allows students of varying experience levels to participate.

A place of community among people 

Some students join the class to explore mariachi for the first time, while others come with years of performance experience in this music. 

“There are plenty of music majors, but I'd say at least two-thirds of them are not music majors. And those folks, a lot of them have the experience, or at least they've played an instrument, and they just love the music. It’s fun,” Nevin said. 

Students in the ensemble come from different majors across campus, including engineering and public administration.

Kassandra Saucedo, a public administration major, said the return of the program gave her a chance to reconnect with something she hadn’t participated in since high school. 

“I was probably one of the first people to enroll because I was just really excited about it,” Saucedo said. 

Nevin believes mariachi music resonates with people collectively, regardless of their field of study.

“It's true of lots of kinds of music, but for certain folks, this music specifically just really resonates. It's the music that your grandparents listen to. The music that your parents listen to. The music they played at your birthday party. So for them, this music is really special,” Nevin said. 

Opportunities for all students 

For some students, mariachi is a passion that also provides financial support. Nevin explained that there is a high demand for professional mariachi musicians in San Diego. As a result, many students perform at weddings, restaurants, and community events while continuing their education. 

“If you're in college and you want a job working 10, 20 hours on the weekends, and making real money to pay your way through school, there's nothing better than this,” Nevin said.

Nevin has performed with the San Diego Symphony for nearly two decades and also began his journey playing mariachi at a young age.

“I started playing mariachi when I was 15 years old,” Nevin said.

Nevin’s own career blends both classical music and mariachi.

“I'm not Mexican at all. My parents didn't listen to this music at all. But when I started playing as a teenager, it's just fun. It's really great music. It's exciting,” Nevin said. 

Nevin’s experience in both classical and mariachi music continues to influence how he teaches his students today. He encourages them to explore multiple musical styles, comparing it to learning different languages. 

“It’s like, why do you learn to speak Italian? Well, it makes me smart, right? And if I learn three languages, it's better than learning one. So if you can play jazz, mariachi, classical music, choir, and Broadway musicals, that'll make you a better musician than if you just focus on one thing,” Nevin said.

He added that the connection between classical music and mariachi helps students grow as musicians.

“Both trainings reinforce each other, and it's really all part of growing up and becoming a better musician by learning different styles,” Nevin said. 

This can be seen in rehearsals, where students practice singing while playing instruments and explore a wide range of musical styles.

“If you were expecting to see what most mariachis do, I think you'll be surprised that it's actually a very formal rehearsal, just like the symphony orchestra,” Nevin said.

Saucedo explained how the structure of the class has been well-rounded and surprising to what people may assume.

“I think they're more used to seeing it like they just show up to parties and play music. But it's much more than that…we are learning music theory, we are learning different aspects of music that maybe were not expected to learn,” Saucedo said. 

Victor Viberos, who teaches the beginning ensemble as a guest professor, said mariachi has been part of his life for years.

“I actually was born in Mexico. I was born in Tijuana, right across the border,” Viberos said.

Growing up, mariachi music was always around Viberos house. He explained his family regularly listened to classic artists like Vicente Fernández and José Alfredo Jiménez. 

“I always heard mariachi growing up,” Viberos said. “No one in my family was a musician.”

He began performing mariachi in middle school, continued through high school, and later studied music at SDSU. After graduating, he returned to help teach in the program.

Now, mariachi is central to his life. Viberos performs throughout San Diego and leads his own group, Mariachi Nueva Tradición San Diego.

Today, he works with students who are just beginning to explore mariachi music.

“I would say this program is special to the students taking this program mainly because it is open to not just music majors, but the whole university,” Viberos said.

Beyond the rehearsal room 

For many students, the program offers a place to connect with their culture, community, and musical interests all at the same time.

“And this class, what it offers is a safe space. A safe spot for everyone to indulge in the mariachi music,” Viberos said.

For Saucedo, the experience has gone beyond the music classroom and into her academic and career interests. Through the program, she has also become involved in supporting mariachi education and working with her instructor’s nonprofit, the Mariachi Scholarship Foundation, which provides scholarships to high school students pursuing higher education.

“I'm a public administration major. I'm not a music major, but I get to bring these two things that I'm passionate about together,” Saucedo said. “So bringing my knowledge and with public administration, which includes nonprofits, and my love for music and my love for education, all those things that I get to bring together because of mariachi. And I just think that it's really, really great.”  

As the ensemble continues to grow, Nevin hopes that more students across the campus will discover the program. He explained that at a large university like SDSU, many students arrive with musical backgrounds but may not realize there is a place for them in the mariachi group, especially if they are not music majors. 

“There are so many students here who played mariachi in high school,” Nevin said. “We just need to reach out to more of those students that are not in the music department, and just tell them, ‘Hey, we have a new class,’ and I'm sure they're gonna come.”

More about the SDSU Mariachi program is discussed in Cloudcast Media’s podcast “Spotlight on the Community.”