McAllen High’s Mariachi Oro setting a gold standard with 8th state title

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McAllen High’s Mariachi Oro has established itself as one of the premier mariachi programs in the state, with their recent 8th Texas Association of Mariachi Educators (TEMA) state championship serving as a testament to the winning culture that was planted over a decade ago.

Coming back to his alma mater in 2007, Mariachi Oro’s Head Director Alex Trevino has helped cultivate the program that has achieved 10 straight University Interscholastic League Mariachi honors in a row and their 8th TEMA state championship in 11 years last week in San Antonio.

“It’s a great feeling because there’s a lot of talent out there,” he said. “It’s always tough because everybody’s just trying to do the best that they can and everybody’s so competitive, so it always feels good when you come out on top … and to be among some of the best programs in the state and in the nation.”

Trevino credits his team of assistant directors, Bernardo Aldava and Neri Fuentes, in helping him formulate the winning recipe.

Fuentes, a Mariachi Oro alumni, said it is interesting to see where the program is now since it was different when he was a student.

“Back in the day (2014-2017), McAllen High wasn’t viewed as highly as it is now,” he said. “Because now it’s like one of the top schools to compete in Mariachi, and it’s an amazing thing to feel just seeing how much it’s grown as a program, how much Mr. Trevino and Aldava have grown this program and it’s amazing to be a part of the moment.”

The Mariachi group’s win wasn’t an easy one, Trevino said, with the group in a rebuilding year with about 70% of the students new to the program.

“It’s been a challenge and a struggle all year,” he said. “But you know, they reach certain milestones throughout the course of the year and those little milestones keep getting them better and better until we reached this point where they were ready to go out there and be contenders.”

Trevino said the group had a gut feeling after their closing set that they knocked it out of the park and were eagerly waiting for results.

Mariachi Oro guitarist and vocalist senior Jeykob Lopez said all the troubles in the rebuilding year made the group come together and build a unique chemistry that separated them from the rest of the competition.

“When they announced us as first place, we were all crying,” Lopez said. “We were happy because that showed that our work this whole year paid off and it was all worth it in the end and we were really grateful to have put in that work in order to be there and get first.”

Sophomore violinist and section leader Caleb Arellano said it was the biggest honor to place first, especially as such a young group going against programs that had more upperclassmen and experience.

“My message to them was to have fun, whether we come out on top or we don’t,” Arellano said. “I made it very clear to not have stress or anxiety while on stage and throughout the morning practice. It was amazing because no one had stress, everybody was laughing … and that’s what I wanted. To make sure we went in there with confidence because it was key.”

The sophomore leader said it was a tough role to take on this year. Always feeling excitement and stress to be able to lead his section, he said he found strength in his other section leaders and directors to lead him in the right way.

Trumpet section leader junior Brandon Chavero admitted he was scared when asked to be a leader at the beginning of the year.

“It was a bit … of responsibility that I didn’t know if I was going to be able to handle,” Chavero said. “And thankfully, I grew through it.”

Chavero is a second generation Mariachi Oro member following his father’s footsteps. He said he grew up on Mariachi music and has a greater appreciation of the Mexican culture because of his dad.

“Mariachi music to me is expression,” Chavero said. “It’s being able to express what you feel and being able to show different colors of the same instrument. It’s very different from classical violin playing and classical trumpet playing. You’re able to go and kind of express a totally different color.”

Trevino said the Mariachi Oro’s success is far from reaching its full potential, with the possibility of a middle school program starting soon and continued support from the district, community and parents.

“It’s one of the most rewarding years to see because it’s been one of those years where it cost us more,” he said. “This cost the kids more to get here. Other years where you have a strong group, it’s easy. It’s like here’s the music and let’s do it and boom. This year, building them up little by little, has been a struggle but we’re thankful for the way things ended up working out.”

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