Award Date

5-15-2026

Degree Type

Doctoral Project

Degree Name

Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance

Department

Music

First Committee Member

Alfonse Anderson

Second Committee Member

Monica Williams

Third Committee Member

Anthony Barone

Fourth Committee Member

Linda Lister

Fifth Committee Member

Joe Bynum

Number of Pages

71

Abstract

Mariachi is taught in more than 500 public school programs across the United States, yet current scholarship on the mariachi voice primarily focuses on defining and analyzing performance practice, offering limited guidance for classroom instruction. This study provides a methodology for developing healthy vocal technique in the middle school mariachi classroom. Grounded in established vocal pedagogy and informed by teaching practice, this approach first builds student confidence through participation in group vocal exploration that encourages active vocal participation. Instruction progresses from foundational skill development, including aural skills, breath coordination, and healthy vocal projection, to the application of these skills through a canción ranchera in 3/4 time. Repertoire serves as an extension of this prior development, allowing students to apply vocal technique within a musical context while developing Spanish diction and musical expression. This approach is designed for immediate classroom application, with appendices that include notated exercises and scores, as well as a repertoire list for beginning mariachi students.

Keywords

Canción ranchera; Mariachi education; Mariachi vocal technique; Middle school music education; Music education methodology

Disciplines

Education | Music | Music Performance

File Format

PDF

File Size

1258 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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