UNLV's new mariachi minor aims to ease a shortage of mariachi teachers in Clark County School District classrooms

What happened

The University of Nevada Las Vegas now offers a minor in mariachi, making it one of the only universities in the country with that specialization. The Associated Press reported this in a story published by KTNV and the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The minor was created to prepare students to teach mariachi in the Clark County School District.

Axel Rodríguez Olivas, 20, is set to become the first student to graduate with the minor. Describing how he feels while performing, he told the AP, "I think joy is what I feel ultimately."

Why CCSD needs more mariachi teachers

One of the largest programs in the country

According to the AP, the district has one of the largest mariachi programs in the U.S., with about 6,000 students taking part. Jeffrey Williams, director of CCSD's Fine and Performing Arts Department, said the program has grown significantly since it began in 2002.

A gap in the classroom

Williams said that in recent years it has become increasingly difficult to find enough mariachi teachers. The AP noted that Latinos make up more than a third of the city's population and that mariachi is popular enough in schools that there often are not enough teachers to meet demand. More coverage of local classrooms is on our schools page.

How the UNLV minor works

22 credits of repertoire and teaching

Stephen Blanco, who oversees the minor and directs Las Vegas High School's Mariachi Joya, recently launched the 22-credit curriculum. Students learn mariachi repertoire and how to teach the genre. The AP reported that the program joins only a few universities in Texas offering this kind of training.

In one class, students study more than 70 mariachi songs over a semester, Blanco said. They discuss the lyrics and style of each song and what makes it unique, with the goal of being ready to perform the music and pass it on.

A professional stage as well

Blanco and Rodríguez Olivas both perform in the professional group Mariachi Paloma Azteca at birthday parties, weddings and funerals. Blanco described mariachi as a regular part of local entertainment, telling the AP, "If you go out today, there's going to be mariachi somewhere on the Strip."

Mariachi in local schools

Las Vegas High School's Mariachi Joya

Mariachi Joya is the top ensemble in Las Vegas High School's mariachi program, which has about 350 students. The group performed for Joe Biden's presidential inauguration in 2021, and a first-place trophy from the 2026 Mariachi Extravaganza Las Vegas sits in its classroom. Rodríguez Olivas served as the ensemble's student director in high school.

Starting in middle school

Instruction begins well before high school. Ramiro Benavides, who directs a middle school mariachi in the district, teaches students to play their instruments and sing. He also coaches them to bring theatrical and dramatic flair to their performances, the AP reported.

A student who plans to return as a teacher

Rodríguez Olivas played saxophone in a middle school band and grew up watching mariachi performances at school. When his high school offered mariachi, he decided to learn a new instrument. "It connects me to my roots," he said, adding that his family is from Mexico.

He told the AP he plans to return to the Clark County School District to teach mariachi after he graduates. "I want to kind of give back to future generations and give them the same opportunities that I had," he said.

What to watch next

• Rodríguez Olivas is expected to graduate in three years as the first student to complete UNLV's mariachi minor, according to the AP.
• He plans to return to the Clark County School District to teach mariachi after graduating.
• CCSD's fine arts director said finding enough mariachi teachers has become increasingly difficult, and the newly launched minor was created to help fill that gap.