Angel Garcia practices with his classmates in the McKay High School orchestra room before their performance at the all-day mariachi festival. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter)
Buses packed with students and their instruments pulled into McKay High School early Saturday morning for an all-day mariachi festival.
Mariachi music filled the campus beginning at 8:30 a.m. with a performance from Houck Middle School students. About a dozen elementary, middle and high schools from Corvallis, Woodburn, Springfield and across Salem played throughout the day, ending at 7 p.m.
Participating schools rotated between performances in the McKay cafeteria, before heading to clinics in the auditorium where they got feedback from two expert mariachi musicians from Las Vegas. Salem’s Folklórico Dance Group gave a performance at noon.
Cindy Flores directs McKay students from the audience. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter)
Cindy Flores, a first-year music teacher, organized the festival. She teaches some 90 McKay students and about 45 students between Waldo and Stephens middle schools in the Música de Mexico program.
The McKay group is divided in two since there aren’t enough instruments to loan to all 90 students at one time. Flores wants to keep growing the program and raise its funding for more instruments through concert ticket sales, donations and grants.
Several students from Waldo, Houck and Stevens middle schools gather in the hallway ahead of a combined performance. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter)Sombreros sit on a table in the McKay cafeteria. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter)Dozens of mariachi students from a few schools do a combined performance. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter)A McKay student strums his guitar during their clinic in the auditorium. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter)Audience members clap for young mariachi performers. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter)Two Waldo Middle School students talk before their performance. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter)Ballet Folklórico dancers perform at McKay. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter)Mikela Valenzuela, a string teacher at Neil Armstrong Middle School in Forest Grove sits with her class ahead of their clinic. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter)Erik Ramirez, a full time mariachi teacher in Las Vegas and one of the festival experts, gives feedback to Neil Armstrong Middle School students. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter)McKay students laugh amongst each other between songs during their performance. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter)A Neil Armstrong Middle School student faces the crowd ahead of a performance. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter)Anthony Cetina, a freshman at McKay, plays his accordion in the stairwell. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter)Ballet Folklórico dancers walk into McKay ahead of their performance at noon. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter)Cindy Flores watches her students perform. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter)Mario Leal, an 8th grader at Waldo Middle School plays guitar in the McKay orchestra room. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter)Erik Ramirez and Yvette Sital, mariachi experts from Las Vegas, take notes while young musicians play. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter)McKay students prepare for their performance. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter)A McKay student tunes her instrument. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter)Jaden, a 7th grader at Neil Armstrong Middle School, sits with his guitarrón ahead of his class’ clinic. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter)A Ballet Folklórico dancer performs at McKay. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter)McKay students pause their playing to listen to their music teacher. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter)
Correction: This article originally listed mariachi teacher Cindy Flores’ first name incorrectly. Salem Reporter apologies for the error.
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Hailey Cook joined Salem Reporter in 2025, following the completion of an internship through the University of Oregon’s Charles Snowden Program for Excellence in Journalism. She works as a reporter and photojournalist, with a focus on business and entertainment, among other topics.
3 Comments
Hailey Cook Thanks for another wonderful Article! What a treat for students to have this rich cultural experience throughout the school day!
LOOKING FURTHER, “El Grito” is found in the Mariachi – it means, using the Voice to Yell, Shout, or Cry! As we are focusing 2026 Innovations for Literacy Improvements — Using mariachi as traditional cultural music and lyrics to help develop and improve student literacy! ~ Aneesah
Yes, mariachi music heavily features lyrics and is a vocal-centric, traditional Mexican folk genre, with most songs (canciones) featuring singers. The lyrics typically tell passionate, emotional stories covering themes of love, patriotism, rural life, and, history, as described in this blog post.
Key details about mariachi lyrics:
Vocal-Centric: While instrumentals exist, the core of the genre revolves around a distinctive singing style, where performers often specialize in genres like rancheras and boleros.
Passionate Expression: The lyrics are accompanied by emotional, powerful vocal performances.
Gritos: In addition to lyrics, mariachi performances include gritos, which are high-pitched shouts or cries used for emotional expression.
Cultural Content: Lyrics often explore themes of, longing for home and pride in Mexican culture, as noted by researchers at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
This video explains the cultural significance of the ‘grito’ in mariachi music:
Wonderful article and congratulations to the students of McKay High for their hard work! As a former native of San Antonio, it is so exciting to see the talent and efforts of this rich cultural brought to life by these young people. Stay strong!
Nice work on the mariachi photos Haley. I know how much work you put in on these and it paid off.
Hailey Cook Thanks for another wonderful Article! What a treat for students to have this rich cultural experience throughout the school day!
LOOKING FURTHER, “El Grito” is found in the Mariachi – it means, using the Voice to Yell, Shout, or Cry! As we are focusing 2026 Innovations for Literacy Improvements — Using mariachi as traditional cultural music and lyrics to help develop and improve student literacy! ~ Aneesah
Yes, mariachi music heavily features lyrics and is a vocal-centric, traditional Mexican folk genre, with most songs (canciones) featuring singers. The lyrics typically tell passionate, emotional stories covering themes of love, patriotism, rural life, and, history, as described in this blog post.
Key details about mariachi lyrics:
Vocal-Centric: While instrumentals exist, the core of the genre revolves around a distinctive singing style, where performers often specialize in genres like rancheras and boleros.
Passionate Expression: The lyrics are accompanied by emotional, powerful vocal performances.
Gritos: In addition to lyrics, mariachi performances include gritos, which are high-pitched shouts or cries used for emotional expression.
Cultural Content: Lyrics often explore themes of, longing for home and pride in Mexican culture, as noted by researchers at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
This video explains the cultural significance of the ‘grito’ in mariachi music:
Wonderful article and congratulations to the students of McKay High for their hard work! As a former native of San Antonio, it is so exciting to see the talent and efforts of this rich cultural brought to life by these young people. Stay strong!
Nice work on the mariachi photos Haley. I know how much work you put in on these and it paid off.