Mariachi Music Argumentative Essay

Authenticity in music is a very important subject. Authenticity is something well sought after, for it gives the author credit for staying true to tradition and culture. However, with the constant change of culture, keeping authenticity in music becomes more and more challenging. Music composers struggle between keeping up with the times and not deviating too much from what is expected of them. In this paper, I wish to focus on what makes mariachi music in Santa Barbara authentic traditional music. I interviewed Bernardo, a core member of the Mariachi Las Olas de Santa Barbara, and found out that being for the people is the method that Bernardo uses to bring authenticity in his music. First, I plan on discussing background of Bernardo, and then …show more content…
These mainly compose of artists that are only doing it for the money. “I love the music, and as long as you aren’t disrespecting the traje. What I hate is when they perform for money, strip joints; its degrading, and something I will never acknowledge.” (Bernardo 19) On closer inquiry to what he means by the traje, he discloses in detail that the traje is a suit that’s worn when performing mariachi. “When saying making fun of the traje, I mean wiping your ass with it, changing the lyrics, making fun of it; it’s just the way they present themselves… When you get into the traje, you respect it, you don’t get drunk in it, you don’t bring a bad image.”(Bernardo 19) The problem with these mariachi artists is that not only do they not have their heart for the people, but they also make insulting jokes and disrespect the mariachi music that he loves. When he teaches his students about mariachi, he makes sure that they understand the respect given to the traje. But he also tells the kids to smile. Mariachi is supposed to be fun, but when there are people throwing disrespect to his music, he’s completely against