Have you heard that St. Anne Parish School in Santa Ana has a Catholic student mariachi group? This student mariachi group has been working hard the past few months to get better and perform at more events. Sister Teresa Lynch, principal of St. Anne Parish School started this mariachi group less than a year ago at her school site. The mariachi group is under the direction of George Ordiano, mariachi instructor.
All summer, the mariachi has performed at various events and even attended a workshop to become better band players. Each event has helped the students build more and more confidence in their skills.
Mariachi Nationals
The students were a part of a workshop at Santa Ana College during the summer with many other mariachi youth groups that culminated in a competition at the Orange County Fairgrounds. The St. Anne students only participated in the workshop, however, and not the competition because they are beginners and Sister Teresa wanted them to get the practice portion of it only. This event was such an amazing experience for the students and they hope to be a part of it next summer also.
Anaheim Garden Walk
During the summer, the students were invited to perform at the Anaheim Garden Walk by, Cecilia M., the organizer of the Prim Rose Market, a pop up market that brings curated vendors together to build a community for small businesses. The students were nervous to perform but their instructor gave them a great pep talk before their performance and reminded them that they are performing for God. He then introduced them to the crowd that they sing liturgical songs.
100th Anniversary of St. Anne Parish
The students performed for the parish that the school is a part of for their 100th anniversary event during the beginning of September. The parishioners that attended enjoyed the performance and gave a loud round of applause and took several pictures of these rising stars. Again, the instructor explained to the crowd that the students sing liturgical songs and that they strengthen their faith by singing about it.
Angels Stadium Mariachi Night
The students also took part in a performance at Angels stadium in September for mariachi night that included performing the national anthem. They were invited to perform with several youth mariachi groups and ballet folklorico dancers inside the Angels stadium right before the start of the baseball game.
The Catholic student mariachi group continues to grow and get better and they are currently looking for more places to perform in their local community. To learn more about the school and get more information, please visit their website.