EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – Fabens High School Mariachi Los Gatos Salvajes (MLGS) will be competing at the UIL State Mariachi Festival for the second-straight year just 18 months after its inception.
Just over two years ago, students from Los Gatos Salvajes were merely taking guitar classes at Fabens, but with the arrival of Natalie Carrasco the mariachi program director, the program has quickly grown and is making a name for itself.
While MLGS is just one of over a dozen high school mariachi groups in the El Paso region to have qualified for the state competition, their quick success and small-town mantra stand out as the program continues to evolve.
“We are, as our principal says, “small town tough,” said high school senior and MLGS singer and guitarist Rene Montanez. “Now that we have something different, we have a lot of people that want to really get into that part of Fabens, the musical talent. Fabens is full of talent.”
Montanez and Carrasco described a unique musical culture and untapped talent in the town of Fabens, that has been garnering the support and commitment not just from the school, but the community as a whole.
“That’s something that was new to me, too. I did not know, looking as a newcomer in Fabens, I didn’t know what I was going to be faced with. But this town is very musically talented. There’s a lot of hidden talent,” said Carrasco. “I think it’s beautiful. The community has been nothing but supportive of the kids. They love the group. They’re always cheering them on.”
The mariachi program is available for students at Fabens High School and middle school, from 6th grade all the way up to 12th grade.
With the program still in its youth, Carrasco has already incorporated four eighth graders into the MLGS group, exposing them early to UIL state competition and grooming them to continue to strengthen the program in the long run.
The State Mariachi Festival will span over three days beginning on Thursday, February 22.
Carrasco explained that while MLGS made it to the competition in its first year, it was challenging and at times overwhelming for the group. Now that they return for a second year, they hope to build on their experience and their ultimate goal is that eventually the state competition will just become an expected date on their calendar.
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