And Then They Grew Up

I met two little girls about ten years ago. They belong to a friend of mine and they just happened to be the same age as my granddaughters who live in California. The girls spoke very little English and when my
granddaughters met them my granddaughters did not speak Spanish and the four girls communicated with sign language and few words.

One year I attended Bryant Webster Fund Raiser at North High School. I went because my friend invited me to come see her girls perform. I thought I was going to a school show where the children sing out of tune and it would be a typical children's program. Oh, how wrong I was! One child played the guitar and sang while the older one played a violin and both were in a Mariachi band. The whole band and singers sounded professional. How could these kids who never played an instrument become so proficient in a few years, I wondered.


Years went by and the last time I heard the girls play they sounded great and usually at parties they will entertain the guests with their playing and singing. The girls have changed into beautiful young ladies and speak fluent English and Spanish. What an honor to have seen the two girls grow up to be kind, generous, helpful and talented. I give a lot of credit to their mother who had them in different programs as they grew up which included music and squash. At Holy Family High School both girls played soccer. I knew that the girls traveled to Mexico, Washington D.C. and Europe and probably other places that I may not know about. I like that they are religious and have a strong sense of faith.

Tonight I planned to attend the 13th Annual Juvenile Mariachi Group of Bryant Webster school and listen to terrific music by a professional group (Sol de mi Tierra) and the young children. I was disappointed I was unable to go to the extravaganza.

The two girls now help with the new members of the group. Congratulations to the devoted teachers who saw a need to continue the tradition of Mexican music and continue to inspire many young children to play and sing in the Mariachi group.