Mariachi Makes 'Kids Feel Like They Belong' At Pleasanton Schools

PLEASANTON, CA — The Pleasanton Unified School District knew it needed to find a way to reach socioeconomically disadvantaged kids, kids learning English and foster children in an effort to close the achievement gap.

Parent and longtime schools volunteer Susana Lopez-Krulevitch had an idea: Mariachi. Not only would the program attract Latino students — some of whom lag behind their peers — but parents would be excited to bring their kids, she said. Plus students who have experience with music courses perform better on tests, research shows.

"It's important for kids to have the opportunity to be exposed to cultural relevant programs ... that they can relate to and see themselves in," said Lopez-Krulevitch, who now works for the district as a parent liaison. "Kids feel like they belong."

The mariachi program is now five years strong, has attracted 170 kids of various ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds, and recently was recognized as one of 57 programs that received a California School Board Association Golden Bell Award for impactful programs. The waitlist is 100 kids long, she said.

Lopez-Krulevitch didn't want it to be a "poor kids" program, she said. She wanted it to be the program that everyone wanted to get into.

The district has strong music programs, but instruments and music lessons are expensive, Lopez-Krulevitch said. She wanted to give an opportunity to kids who couldn't otherwise afford to take classes and garner experience to participate in those programs.

Practice is no joke. Young mariachis districtwide from second to twelfth grade meet once a week on Thursdays to receive 45 minutes of instrumental instruction, 45 minutes of singing instruction and 45 minutes of homework help or enrichment classes on art, coding, robotics and more, Lopez-Krulevitch said.

Summer camp is even more intense, she said. Kids meet three hours per day, practicing their instruments.

"Mariachi connects me to my culture and it's a way to socialize more with friends who like the same things,” Pleasanton Middle School student Emily Ornelas said in a press release about the Golden Bow Award. “When I am at Mariachi I feel like I am with family."

The focus may be on mariachi, but Lopez-Krulevitch said the program is also an opportunity to provide parent education. Presenters discuss taxes, vaping, nutrition and more. Open Heart Kitchen provides a hot meal.

Viviana Suarez-Curoso, program coordinator, said she sends home a weekly newsletter for parents notifying them of any news and upcoming parent classes. Newsletters are translated into Chinese, Korean and Spanish.

"To us, it's like a holistic approach of creating a community to help our kids achieve," Lopez-Krulevitch said.

Read more about the program here.

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