Contact:
Kevin Thays, WSMA communications director, thaysk@wsmamusic.org
Alyssa Beno, PBS Wisconsin publicist, alyssa.beno@pbswisconsin.org

PBS Wisconsin Education adds Mariachi musicians to education collection

(November 21, 2024) — PBS Wisconsin Education and Wisconsin School Music Association (WSMA) have expanded their Re/sound: Songs of Wisconsin classroom media collection to include Mariachi Monarcas de Milwaukee.

Re/sound: Songs of Wisconsin is a multimedia resource designed to help general music educators and learners in grades 4-8 explore the connections between music, culture and emotion. The collection features culture-bearers of music from Wisconsin, as they share a composition and discuss their musicianship, culture and identity. It includes video interviews and performances; audio tracks; and educator engagement guides featuring learning outcomes, strategies, assessments and aligned standards.

Mariachi Monarcas de Milwaukee is a group of young musicians who add their flair to traditional mariachi songs that evoke emotions and pride in Mexican culture, and connect people across time and place.

In their interview video, Francisco Hernandez, the director, vocalist and vihuela player; and Marianna Tellez, a violinist and vocalist in Mariachi Monarcas, share the origins of mariachi, instruments that make up the group, traditional attire and the sense of identity that comes with being part of the group.

“The artistry of mariachi, from musicians’ self-expression and meticulous attire to the incredible talent that evokes emotions in audiences, is an incredible experience,” said Ryan Hendricks, PBS Wisconsin Education Executive Producer.

For the performance video, Mariachi Monarcas de Milwaukee chose the traditional Mexican folk song, “El Son de la Negra,” a well-known piece that serves as the ultimate test for mariachi musicians.

Re/sound: Songs of Wisconsin features several culture-bearers of music, including Carnatic musician Lavanyaa Surendar of Brookfield; bluegrass/Americana band Black River Revue; Latinx musicians Richard Hildner Armacanqui and Juan Tomás Martínez of Madison; First-Nations musician Wade Fernandez from Keshena on the Menominee Reservation; Hmong singer Maa Vue of Wausau; and the Black American string duo, SistaStrings – Chauntee Ross and Monique Ross from Milwaukee.

Re/sound: Songs of Wisconsin is available for free online access at pbswisconsineducation.org/resound.

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Funding for Re/sound: Songs of Wisconsin is provided by the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation, the Focus Fund for Education and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.

PBS Wisconsin is a service of the Educational Communications Board and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

PBS Wisconsin is a place to grow through learning on WHA-TV, Madison; WPNE-TV, Green Bay; WHRM-TV, Wausau; WLEF-TV, Park Falls; WHLA-TV, La Crosse; and WHWC-TV, Menomonie-Eau Claire.

Founded in 1932, Wisconsin School Music Association (WSMA) is a non-profit service organization with more than 1,000 member public and private schools. Students from member schools are eligible to participate in WSMA programs, such as District and State Music Festivals, Concert Festivals, State Honors Music Project, State Marching Band Championships and Student Composition Project. WSMA is governed by a board of directors made up of superintendents, principals and other officers from all over the state. WSMA believes music is a basic human need and that all children have the right to experience all that music offers them.