In this podcast, the host interviews Laura Sobrino and Griselda Pérez, who are part of an all-female mariachi ensemble. The group is also led and directed by women, with members from various cities across California. The interview focuses on highlighting the different challenges they have encountered. 

Divide students into five groups and assign each group a specific section of the podcast to analyze and summarize the main takeaways. They must write their main takeaways. The episode, titled Línea Abierta: Mariachi Mujer 2000 ( https://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-0275186106a ), was recorded in 2001. Once all groups have completed their section, ask them to present their findings to their classmates. 

Group one: Listen from minute 8:47 to 15:53, where Laura and Griselda discuss which instruments women were allowed to play and how they formed the mariachi ensemble. What challenges did the group face, and how did they resolve them? What key differences set this mariachi ensemble apart from other mariachi groups? 

Group two: Listen from minute 15:53 to 19:00, where Laura Sobrino, an ethnomusicologist, shares how she discovered her love for Mexican music. How did Mexican music help her connect to her identity, culture, and language? What obstacles did she encounter in maintaining her Spanish? 

Group three: Listen from minute 19:00 to 27:28. What does Griselda Pérez, a guitarist and new mother, at the time of the recording, share about her musical journey and what motivated her to join? How does her experience differ from Laura’s? During this segment, Laura also discusses the main changes she has witnessed in her 26 years of experience in mariachi. What are those key differences?

Group four: Listen from minute 27:29 to 34:16. Laura and Griselda further discuss the outcomes and differences of having a female-led mariachi, from its musicians to its directors. What do they say about these differences and their impact? 

Group five: Listen from minute 43:50 to 58:40, where Laura Sobrino shares the history of women in mariachi. Who are the people and mariachi ensembles she mentions? In what years did they perform? What final message do Laura and Griselda share with young women interested in playing in a mariachi?