For many students, mariachi has become more than an activity — it feels like home

TOLLESON, AZ — Big sounds are coming from a small classroom in the Tolleson Elementary School District! Inside, students from third through eighth grade are learning to play the violin, guitar, and trumpet. It's all part of a mariachi program that has grown into one of Arizona’s most celebrated youth ensembles.

“This is Los Tigres de Tolleson Mariachi,” says Dr. Efraín Casillas, the district’s music coordinator and the visionary behind the program.

“There’s kids learning from third grade all the way to eighth grade, learning how to play the violin, the guitar, the trumpet.”

When Dr. Casillas arrived in Tolleson 15 years ago, he asked students what kind of music they loved most. The overwhelming answer was

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