NO MATTER HOW
TIRED THEY WERE,
THEY STILL WERE
HAPPY TO PLAY
MUSIC TOGETHER
FOR AN AUDIENCE
IN REAL LIFE.”
—Christopher Lee,
photographer
THE SHOW GOES ON
Students Jorge
Gutierrez, Montserrat
Olvera, and Tiffany
Rodriguez dole out
face masks and adjust
their outfits as they
ride the bus with other
members of Mariachi
Nuevo Cascabel—the
varsity mariachi band
at Mission’s Sharyland
High School. The group
had gigs at nearby
schools to celebrate
Hispanic Heritage
Month and Mexican
Independence Day. The
tour marked the band’s
first live shows since
the pandemic began,
after a year of virtual
rehearsals. Those per-
formances paid off: In
October, the students
played as the opening
act for Mariachi Vargas
de Tecalitlán, widely
considered the world’s
best mariachi band.SEPT. 16
42