The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the need for a "History of Mexican Music" course at California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA). The class will include a performance ensemble(lab), curriculum based on the History of Mexican music (lecture) and will be considered an open elective making it accessible to the general student body. This course will give birth to the first ever Mexican "Banda" at CSULA, Banda Aguilas de Los Angeles. This project report will review literature that explains a need for curriculum that focus specifically on Mexican music, how Mexican music influenced the United States, and why "Banda" was chosen as the specific performance ensemble.

The Course of Mexican Music provides students with a cohesive introductory understanding of the scope and influence of Mexican music. The textbook highlights individual musical examples as a means of exploring the processes of selection that led to specific musical styles in different times and places, with a supporting companion website with audio and video tracks helping to reinforce readers' understanding of key concepts. The aim is for students to learn an exemplary body of music as a window for understanding Mexican music, history and culture in a manner that reveals its importance well beyond the borders of that nation.

Document from the year 2004 in the subject Musicology - Miscellaneous, grade: passed, University of Bergen (Grieg Academy - Department of Music), course: Music in World Cultures, language: English, abstract: Concert report on a Spanish percussion group La Banda Del Surdo from 2004. Traditional Mexican music is a regional phenomenon and typical local instruments are characteristic for several ensembles and also important to distinguish the musical sound and the style. There are different groups from different areas. The mariachi ensemble has its roots in Jalisco - a western state of Mexico - and is also centered in the neighbouring states like Colima, Nayarit, Michoacán and Guerrero. The name "mariachi" refers to a Mexican musical group. The repertoire of a mariachi ensemble is known in Mexico as sones which are dances and strophic songs with refrains and a special underlying rhythm that is called "sesquialtera". Virtuoso Mariachi: The topic of this academic book refers to the genre of Mexican mariachi including history, performance and current developments of this traditional music. Jeff Nevin is a first-hand researcher in this field and this is his first scientific paper and the first major book considering technique and style in mariachi music, especially that of the trumpet. He has an educational background both in music theory, composition and in performance as an arranger and classical and mariachi trumpet player as mentioned on the last page of his book.