Leonie Haimson is first out with a video of Richard Carranza singing and playing in a mariachi band, as well as a beautiful letter that he wrote to his new colleagues at the Department of Education.
He expresses humility, a love of public education, admiration for the work of those in the trenches. He hits all the right notes. In only a matter of hours, he has made New Yorkers happy and hopeful about the future. Knowing how New Yorkers love to complain, that is quite an accomplishment.
And he plays a good fiddle too!
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I don’t know what the difference is between a fiddle and a violin. But I am pretty sure that those are violins that are used in Mariachi music.
I’ve been listening to Mariachi music since I was young in the early sixties as my dad brought back Mariachi and Ranchera albums from Mexico when he went there for business. Have always loved it!
Here’s a little more:
The first song which most Americans can recognize.
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I still have those albums. Nothing to play them on, though.
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Get a turntable. I love my vinyl.
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Duane, we just danced to to that jarabe tapatío – with egg-shakers – in my PreK Span enrichment classes today! A 4-y.o. called out, ‘I know this, it’s MEXICAN music!’ – she had just seen Disney’s “Coco.”
I have loved this music since summer ’68 at a Span-lang school in Cuernavaca. My friends and I attended the Mariachi mass at the Catedral Sundays. I am fortunate to own the CD “Famous Mexican Songs 1930-1940”, which has early recordings by Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan (incl El Tren, another PreK fave). Now unavailable, but there are several Vargas compilation CD’s online from the ’50’s-’60’s recordings for MP3 or CD.
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Same instrument just different styles of music.
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Not as a rule, but fiddles tend to often be a bit brighter in sound than a classical violin. More treble.
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Not as a rule, but generally; fiddlers tend to prefer a violin with a brighter tone. More treble for that country sound. Classical players often like a rounder, slightly darker tone. If you’re playing in an ensemble, like in this Mariachi tune (I love it, btw…second tune’s really cool too), you’ll often choose a rounder tone so as not to stand out too much…though you can bow closer to the fingerboard on a brighter violin to get a softer tone, too.
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Thanks for the explanation. I’m pretty much dirt stupid when it comes to the ins and outs of music. But I sure do enjoy listening to most kinds of music.
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I studied music at University of Arizona and have visited Mexico many times. I love Mariachi music.
I bought a violin from a former Arizona Junior Fiddler champ. He was so good but wanted to get more seriously into classical and needed the bucks for a rounder tone violin. I ended up selling it to a: country fiddler (waddya know?), who loved it’s bright tone.
BTW: My violin teacher called it a “fiddle”, and he was a child prodigy classical soloist. Very cool, understated guy. He’d do a blindfold test, using his primo violin bow vs a sawed off, VERY heavily rosined broomstick. Very hard to tell the difference. Technique is key.
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Best wishes for success to the new chancellor of the New York City schools. An immense challenge before him!
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I just returned from a weekend of fiddle playing and lectures on fiddle traditions. On was given by a guy from OKlahoma named Brad Leftwich. He related a tale of one fiddler on the Chisom Trail who would be led on a horse around a group of disquieted cattle to settle the herd as they milled about nervously with the night sounds of coyotes and other strange beasts lurking about.
Perhaps this new leadership will do the same. I have this vision of him riding slowly about a herd of eighth graders, playing he fiddle. It could work. Tell this guy there is a lot of good traditional music in New York, both on the city and upstate.
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Well I am psyched. And I do love that song, sung by the new appointee in classic mariachi style. A chancellor who can do that has qualities that merit serious consideration!
The tradition continues & evolves: this is my personal fave version of “El Rey”, by Mexican rock band Maná:
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Oops let’s try that again:
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Oh well darn youtube keeps giving wrong url. If you care search youtube for “Maná El Rey en vivo”… It’s great ;-)!
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Starting pay in Houston is over $10,000 more than teachers in Miami (a city with a much higher cost of living). First year teachers make more money than teachers with over 20 years experience in Miami!!! They also got rid of VAM in Houston but it is still being used in Miami. These facts alone speak show you that New York City teachers dodged a bullet. As for Miami, we’ve got at least another two years of the Carvalho Show. https://kafkateach.wordpress.com/2018/03/04/welcome-to-the-carvalho-show/
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“ Knowing how New Yorkers love to complain, that is quite an accomplishment.”
Now hold on just a MINUTE!
I do NOT love to complain!
Everywhere I go, someone is saying, “You New Yaukuhs love to complain”. From Alaska to Asia to Staten Island it’s always the same thing.
And it gets so tiring having to grin and bear it. A couple of Advil and I feel a little better. Maybe sit down, soak my blistered feet, and have a drink to cool down a bit.
😉
Hope he can walk the talk. Def like what I’m seeing now. Wondering if Bill read your post about the Miami Charter Guy.
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The proof of the pudding…
Let’s wait and see what this fellow does before we fall all over ourselves praising him.
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You are right. Too soon to sing.
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Maybe he should cancel school tomorrow as a show of good thing.
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Bloomberg did that his first year. Forecast of a nasty blizzard. Nothing happened. No snow. No winds. Nothing.
He never forgave us. Don’t think we had more than one or two snow days for the next 11 years.
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Yeah, he was hardcore about snow days.
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NYC teachers, enjoy your commute home this afternoon!
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Shaping up as another day staying late with the kids, waiting for the buses.
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I love mariachi. I also love public education, teachers, and promoting the virtues of getting a good education. My current dilemma is: how do I get educators interested in ideas I might have? I cannot get people to take me seriously. help.please.
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Keep posting here, Jay. Your thoughts and ideas will be listened and responded to.
As far as creating interest that will realistically be implemented: welcome to the club.
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