09/17/2007

Associated Press

Springfield High School wants to strike up a new band. It would feature a guitarron, a vihuela and trumpets played by members in sombreros and "trajes," the ornate costumes of Mexican musicians who play the traditional music.

Supporters are trying to raise $4,000 in small donations for instruments and uniforms.

"There seems to be a lot of interest in this from our students," school band director Chris Holt said.

The plan began last spring when Woodburn High School's mariachi group performed during Springfield High's annual Multicultural Assembly event. Now in its fifth year, the band from the heavily Hispanic school is Oregon's only high school mariachi troupe.

"We are always looking for ways to spread our culture through the school, and when we saw the Woodburn band, everybody loved it and said, `We should do that,' " said Springfield High junior Angie Perez, who hopes to be one of the new band's vocalists.

Holt developed a course curriculum and gained school board approval to begin teaching a mariachi class next January.

The school district is providing $1,000 for the new program.

Heading the fundraising effort is the school's multicultural liaison, Elena Espinoza.

"This is a really positive thing for this school, which has a huge richness in culture," Espinoza said.

Holt said the new band will include both novice and experienced student musicians.

A mariachi band traditionally has several violins, two trumpets, a conventional guitar, a fat, oversized, deep-voiced guitar known as a guitarron, a harp and a round-backed guitar called the vihuela.

The strolling ensembles are popular throughout Mexico and tightly tied to the national identity. The music takes its name from its frequent presence at weddings.

"One of the reasons I wanted to do this was because when the Woodburn group came here, we saw Hispanic and Caucasian students interacting in a positive way," Holt said.

"It wasn't something that just one group was doing. It was students from all different backgrounds playing in their band. That's what we expect will happen here."

Woodburn High band instructor Brian Gingerich said his school's mariachi group has performed throughout Oregon.

"The amount of interest that people have in our band is incredible," Gingerich said. "I get calls all the time for them to play."

He says his band is aware of Springfield's plans.

"They're saying that the kids in Springfield could be better (than the Woodburn group) because they have an orchestra program where they can pull from the violins," said Gingerich, who will meet next week with Holt to discuss Springfield's plan.

Holt has modest goals for the group's first term.

"I'm just hoping to do one concert next spring at the school," Holt said. "But I anticipate that our plate is going to get really full, really quick. And I look forward to that."

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Information from: The Register-Guard, http://www.registerguard.com