No, not Mexico. Chicago.
CHICAGO — Daily Mariachi lessons could become a reality for select Chicago public schools due to one man’s push to bring Mexican folk music into the classroom.
As a kid growing up in Brighton Park with non-English speaking parents, investment banker Cesar Maldonado said he had difficulties within the public school system.
“Growing up, I didn’t have my family participate in my school life that much just because of the language barrier. And a program like this allows students with Spanish-speaking families to get better access to the school,” he said.
Last summer, Maldonado, 29, founded the Mariachi Heritage Foundation, a nonprofit with the sole purpose of expanding Mariachi music education in Chicago public schools.
His goal is to target public schools with heavy Hispanic populations — he currently has his sights set on Pilsen’s Benito Juarez and Orozco Academies, Gage Park’s Irene C. Hernandez Middle School in Gage Park and Back of the Yards High School, among others.
HT: DRUDGE