Las Tradiciones Musicales welcomes Mariachi Garibaldi for a celebration of Mexico

By Bart Mendoza | Downtown News

Established in 1994 to introduce elementary school students to music and the arts, Classics 4 Kids presents three programs annually at Balboa Theatre, timed to coincide with the yearly school schedule. For 2012, the organization added a fourth concert, called Las Tradiciones Musicales: Music Comes Alive.

On April 22 at 1 p.m., Classics 4 Kids pairs up the organization’s Classics Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Dana Zimbric, with Mariachi Garibaldi, under the direction of Jeff Nevin, for a bilingual celebration of the music and dance of Mexico. Additionally, there will be performances from the Leyenda Dance Company as well as literary interludes read from the children’s book, “The Cazuela that the Farm Maiden Stirred,” by Samantha Vamos. The book’s illustrator, Rafael Lopez, will be on hand to sign copies.

While some may say today’s youth would not take interest in traditional or classical music, for Classics 4 Kids founder Marion Scire, the opposite is true. “If you expose children at a young age and you provide them with an experience that is age appropriate, we can be very successful at building future audiences,” she said.

“What we try to do is select classical repertoire that is not necessarily child oriented, but we present it in such a way that children have something to focus on. We use a visual component, like dancers. When the youngsters can relate, it makes a difference,” Scire said.

Nevin, director of Mariachi Activities at Southwestern College since 1998, also does not find children resistant to more classical sounds. “In my experience when they hear us play, they are very open to it,” Nevin said. “It’s really fun music and they recognize a lot of the songs, in many cases. We do young persons’ concerts all the time, and I‘ve never had an instance where I felt the students weren’t paying attention or weren’t interested in it. They really do respond to it really well.”

Nevin pointed out some schools in San Diego County have Mariachi programs, including over a dozen in Chula Vista’s Sweetwater School District. “It isn’t at all considered old-fashioned by kids,” he said. “The students… listen to the music and say, ‘it’s so exciting. It’s so fun [and] I want to do that too.’”

He considers the mix of classically trained musicians with his folk players to be a perfect match. “A lot of the Mariachi repertoire fits very well with a symphony orchestra,” he said. “It isn’t a hard thing to combine them, but the mix of the different elements from both musical parties is really something special. I don’t know if they’re adding something to us or we’re adding something to them, but it works.”

For his part, Nevin hopes concerts like this will help elevate Mariachi music in people’s minds. “I hope the audience comes away from these concerts with a better appreciation for the artistry of Mariachi,” he said.

After 19 years, Scire said she is as enthused as ever about the Classic 4 Kids program. Plans are under way for their 20th anniversary, next year. Scire said she is happy when she sees the children’s smiling faces at a performance. “When they’ve walked out, we’ve gotten comments from six year olds; things like ‘that was awesome,’ and these are tough kids,” Scire said. “If we can change one life, we’re making a difference.”

Tickets for the Las Tradiciones Musicales performance are $11 for adults and $8 for children, and each adult ticket purchase comes with one free child’s ticket. Balboa Theatre is located at 868 Fourth Ave. For more information and tickets visit classics4kids.com or call 619-231-2311.