Mariachi Tuesdays: A series of fundraising events for young mariachi students in Coachella

Mariachi music is no longer reserved for birthday, wedding or graduation parties. For the next few weeks, it's also for Tuesdays in Coachella.

Fernando Gonzalez, a mariachi instructor, and Mayor Steven Hernandez began Mariachi Tuesdays at the Coachella Library gazebo on Nov. 23 as a fundraising effort to buy instruments for local children and teens interested in learning. They plan to be there with a live mariachi every Tuesday, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., for 10 weeks. The goal is to raise $50,000 in that time.

"It's going to be like an old school tardeada, where, if you come, you pay $3, you get a little ribbon and you listen to the mariachi. That's a dollar an hour!" Hernandez said of the fundraiser. A tardeada is Spanish for an afternoon gathering for diversion.

Hernandez said that Gonzalez and a group of his musician friends from the Coachella Valley are playing the events at $500 per Tuesday — a major deal for the cause, when, depending on the size of the ensemble, mariachis tend to charge anywhere from $400 to $2,000 an hour.

Those who attend can make additional donations if they want to request a song or — if they're brave enough — sing a song with the mariachi.

Mariachi Tuesdays also include food, with tacos from Masa Maya, a homemade tortilla business in Coachella that will give part of its proceeds to the fundraiser.

Currently, Gonzalez, who plays the guitarron, is already providing instrumental and vocal lessons for 20 students at the Coachella Valley Apartments. He said the idea of Mariachi Tuesdays is to eventually grow the number of students to 100.

"My whole family are all mariachis. I'm the youngest of six and every one of them are mariachis," Gonzalez said. "That's what I've done all my life and I would like to return the blessing that has been given to me to the students of Coachella."

Gonzalez has played with top mariachis like Sol de Mexico and Mariachi Los Galleros in the past.

Both Gonzalez and Hernandez are of Mexican background and agreed that because mariachi is a big part of the culture, they'd like younger generations to learn about it and appreciate it as they do.

"I was introduced to mariachi music as a young kid," Hernandez said, recalling a time he was fascinated by a violin player in a mariachi ensemble that was playing so hard, "it was like smoke was coming out of it. I just think this is a beautiful genre of music."

Hernandez hopes to join in on the fun of learning how to play mariachi music, having recently bought a violin of his own.

Eliana Perez covers the eastern Coachella Valley. Reach her at eliana.perez@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ElianaPress.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Mariachi Tuesdays: Fundraising events for young mariachi students