Los niños mariachis / The Mariachi Kids

Joselito knew he wanted to be a mariachi the first time he heard a group perform the traditional Mexican folk music. He and his sister Lupita wanted to wear the fancy outfits—big hats, colorful bowties and shiny boots—and sing just like them!

Their mother said they were too little; their dad said the hats were too big for them and their grandfather said their voices weren’t strong enough yet. When the boy sang at school, the other kids laughed at him, but his teacher encouraged him to “Keep ...