About Us

Our Mission

MANY is a community-led not-for-profit corporation devoted to preserving the rich heritage of mariachi to youth in New York. It intends to develop the skills in musical training, discipline, creativity and self-esteem while strengthening language, team working skills and a strong sense of identity.

What is the Mariachi Academy of New York?

The Mariachi Academy of New York is a community-based cultural initiative of the Center for Traditional Music & Dance (CTMD). The idea for the Academy came from Queens-based father-son musicians Ramon Ponce Sr. and Jr. of the popular Mariachi Real de Mexico. With outreach support from The Mexican Cultural Institute of New York and the Consulate General of Mexico ( New York), donated classroom space from the Union Settlement Association in East Harlem and the sponsorship of the Mariachi Association of New York, the Mariachi Academy opened its doors in July of 2002. Featuring an exemplary teaching staff of experienced performers, there are 70 students enrolled in the Academy, with a rapidly growing waiting list. Classes meet weekly, after school and on Saturdays. Commitment to the Mariachi Academy has extended from the students to their families and embraces the larger community.

What is Mariachi Music?

The mariachi – a hundred-year tradition – has been widely considered the quintessential Mexican folk-derived musical ensemble. Its components include passionate vocals and full chorus of flowing violins, complemented by the guitar, a high-pitched, round-backed guitar called the vihuela and a deep-voiced bass guitar called the guitarrón. Brilliant trumpets punctuate the emotional harmonic repertoire of classic rancheras and romantic boleros. Featuring stylistic elements from many cultural periods and regions of Mexico, mariachi has pre-Colombian and Spanish roots, and evolved in the central western states of Jalisco and Colima. Today, the mariachi is a powerful symbol of Mexican and Mexican American cultural identity.

Musicians immigrating to Los Angeles in the late ’50s created a U.S. hub for Mexican mariachi activity. Since then, mariachi education programs and festivals have flourished throughout the Southwest and West Coast – and have even influenced traditions back in Mexico. The Mariachi Academy of New York is proud to be the first representative of this tradition on the East Coast!

MANY is Open to All

In providing its service to the community MANY does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, religion, age, national origin, ancestry, creed, pregnancy, marital or parental status, sexual orientation, or physical, mental, emotional or learning disability.