Lake View Mariachi Band Gets $1,500 Donation as Contest Season Begins

SAN ANGELO, TX — The El Puente Foundation presented a $1,500 donation to the Lake View High School Mariachi Band Monday afternoon.

Lake View Mariachi Band Director Rosendo Ramos said the money is most welcome as the band comprised mainly of freshmen and sophomores (there is one junior) embark on spring contest season. The big UIL competition will be at South Padre Island this year, he said.

Mariachi bands have gained traction within Texas public schools as a popular UIL contest entry. The bands are entered in traditional UIL music contests as “Mariachi ensembles” and treated much like a horn, woodwind, or string quartet.

Down in the Rio Grande Valley, Ramos said, is where many of the best Mariachi bands are performing and competing.

Ramos said the San Angelo ISD funds the Lake View High program well, but the extra donation from El Puente will help pay for meals on the road. It’s a long drive to South Padre, he said.

El Puente raised the money at an art exhibit held in conjunction with the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts. Some, not all, of the art pieces sold. Appreciative art lovers donated money to the cause at the exhibit as well.

Presenting the check were Mayor Brenda Gunter, Downtown San Angelo, Inc. Executive Director Del Velasquez, along with El Puente members Sara Giddings and Jason Fernandez.

The El Puente Foundation is dedicated to bringing the San Angelo community together through the international and multicultural language of the arts.