From not existing two years ago, to now becoming a sensational growing class, the Regional Mexican Music class at PRHS, led by Humberto Cera, is expanding with the growing interest from students. The class began in the 2024-25 school year as a single period class. This 25/26 school year it has grown into a two period class with 59 students enrolled. This class is different from band because students separate themselves into groups of around five students and compose music together.
“I had students that would come in and try to play that kind of music during lunch. So I got them to play for Hispanic Heritage Month one year and I told them, if you guys do this, I’ll make it into a class and then, everybody was on board,” Cera said
Cera was familiar with the passion to represent and play instruments; being first generation, he was raised listening to Hispanic tunes at family functions and family parties.
Over 50% of the PRHS student population identifies themselves as Hispanic; the Regional Mexican Music class is the only elective at PRHS that engages in exploring modern and traditional music genres of music of Mexico through hands-on experiences.
Playing the strings of the guitar, the keys of the accordion, and the singing lyrics of Hispanic beats are just a few of the instruments that the class practices.
Emilind Quintero, a senior at PRHS, explains that the class is educational and feels like her culture is well-represented.
“It’s so much fun, honestly. We come together in so many ways and we learn about our music and the baseline of it,” Quintero said.
This is Quintero’s first year in the class and she’s learned how to play the guitar with the guidance of Cera. As a young child, she took guitar lessons, but didn’t continue to practice.
“I started picking it up again because of the class and Mr. Cera teaches about the strings and where to begin, “ Quintero said.
Quintero hopes to use her new skills to play for a concert or for the school’s Hispanic Heritage event sometime during October. She appreciates Cera’s teachings and advice for playing the guitar.
“A lot of people grab the guitar, it’s our most popular instrument, and we normally do songs like La Chona,” Quintero said.
There have been student band groups at PRHS such as Los Del Robles, however, this new elective at PRHS opens a new outlet of creativity within music, specifically with Hispanic tunes.
Cera and his class hope to play at lunch and play cultural songs because through their lyrics and tunes, they present a musically diverse side to PRHS.
“I think we’re just really appealing to students because we create an environment where students are allowed to express themselves ,” Cera said.
