“Hey, Our Program Is Legitimate”: A Phenomenology of Mariachi Educators’ Experiences in Public Schools

The purpose of this phenomenological inquiry was to examine the lived experiences of public school mariachi teachers. Research questions included: (1) How did mariachi educators describe their lived experiences in public P–12 settings? and (2) What contextual factors influenced their lived experiences in schools? Participants were six educators in five different states who had more than 5 years of teaching experience. Findings included participants searching for mariachi education outside music teacher education programs, establishing and growing school mariachi programs, and navigating tensions related to institutionalization, including assimilation to school music norms such as competition and notation-based instruction. Implications include the need for postsecondary institutions to partner with local professionals and community members to provide mariachi education to music teachers. In addition, we suggest that a decrease in the standardization of music teacher education programs according to the cultural variation of local communities could mitigate some institutional barriers to creating culturally sustaining musical experiences for P–12 students.