Dr. Lauryn Salazar is an Associate Professor of Music and Director of the Mariachi Programs at Tarleton State University. Through archival and field-based research, her work focuses on mariachi music in Mexico and the United States and its institutionalization vis-à-vis American academic programs at the primary, secondary, and collegiate levels. Utilizing the frameworks of postcolonial and practice theories, her research explores the ramifications of mariachi’s formalization in terms of pedagogy, performance practice, and meaning.
She is a practicing mariachi musician performing on the mariachi harp, and a member of the all-female, two-time Grammy Award-winning Mariachi Divas de Cindy Shea. She has served as cultural advisor on the Oscar and Golden Globe-winning Disney Pixar film Coco (2017), and as mariachi consultant for the United States Postal Service Mariachi Forever Stamp series (2022).
As a member of the Texas Music Adjudicators Association (TMAA), she has served as a judge for the University Interscholastic League (UIL) mariachi competition since its inception, and as an evaluator for the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) mariachi programs.
Mariachi Divas de Cindy Shea, 2025
Dr. Salazar is a proud member of Mariachi Divas de Cindy Shea — the only all-female mariachi ensemble ever to receive a Grammy Award, honored twice by the Recording Academy. As a mariachi harpist and member of the ensemble, she attended the Grammy Awards for both honors.
The ensemble’s two Grammy wins represent a landmark recognition of women in a historically male-dominated tradition.
As a performer of the Mexican harp, Dr. Salazar has played with ensembles in both Mexico and the United States. A specialist in traditional Mexican musics, she has studied the arpa jalisciense (mariachi harp) and violin (mariachi style), as well as several other regional Mexican instruments. Her Western classical training includes thirty years of piano and twenty years of voice, with additional study in organ, harpsichord, and harp at the college level. While a graduate student at UCLA, she participated in ensembles representing the musics of Mexico (mariachi and son jarocho), Indonesia (Balinese gamelan), and the Arab world (Near East Ensemble).
Mariachi Los Matadores — Texas Tech University School of Music
Currently recruiting students for the Tarleton State Mariachi ensemble. Students interested in performing traditional Mexican music at the university level are encouraged to reach out.
Dr. Salazar has advised on major national and international cultural projects, bringing ethnomusicological expertise to film production, philatelic research, and competitive adjudication.
Dr. Salazar served as a Cultural Advisor on Disney Pixar’s Coco, the Academy Award and Golden Globe-winning animated feature. Her expertise in mariachi music, tradition, and cultural practice informed the film’s authentic representation of Mexican musical heritage.
“Lauryn Salazar” listed under Cultural Advisors in the end credits
Dr. Salazar served as Mariachi Consultant for the United States Postal Service’s Mariachi Forever Stamp series, bringing scholarly expertise to one of the USPS’s most significant cultural commemorative issues.
USPS Mariachi Forever Stamp series, 2022
Judge, UIL Mariachi Competition since its inception; Evaluator, TMEA Mariachi Programs.
Member, Texas Music Adjudicators Association. Available for consultation on mariachi pedagogy, cultural programming, and curriculum development.
For inquiries regarding research collaborations, speaking engagements, cultural consulting, or mariachi education — please reach out directly.
Tarleton State University
Department of Performing Arts
Stephenville, TX
Available upon request. Please reach out via email.
Mariachi Divas de Cindy Shea
Texas Music Adjudicators Association
UIL · TMEA