Date of Degree
5-2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Program
Education
Advisor
Dr. Alfredo Ortiz
Advisor
Dr. Jose Moreno
Advisor
Dr. Daniel Rodriguez
Abstract
Mariachi leaders carry far more than instruments. They carry history, community, identity, and the responsibility of sustaining a living tradition within a rapidly changing world. This study explores the experiences of three Mariachi leaders in San Antonio to understand how cultural heritage, leadership development, and entrepreneurial practice unfold within the pressures of the contemporary gig economy.
Guided by a constructivist narrative inquiry approach, the study draws on the view that meaning is created through experience, relationship, and reflection (Clandinin and Connelly, 2000; Polkinghorne, 1995). The narratives reveal leadership as a dynamic process shaped by migration, gender, innovation, and communal responsibility. Participants describe learning to lead not through formal preparation but through the iterative interplay of reflection and action, resonating with Freire’s model of praxis (1970). Their stories also demonstrate how entrepreneurial competencies emerge informally through the demands of sustaining a group in an unpredictable labor environment, reflecting broader research on creative labor and cultural work (Banks and Hesmondhalgh, 2009).
Interpreted through the lenses of Entrepreneurial Orientation (Covin and Slevin, 1989; Lumpkin and Dess, 1996) and Creative Industry Leadership (Walzer, 2020; Toscher, 2019, 2020), the findings show that Mariachi leadership represents a form of cultural entrepreneurship that blends artistic expertise with strategic decision making. Participants describe leadership as an evolving practice shaped by contextual pressures, relational networks, and the ongoing negotiation between tradition and innovation.
This dissertation contributes a culturally grounded perspective on leadership in traditional arts communities, emphasizing how identity, entrepreneurship, and community stewardship are constructed through narrative. The study highlights the need for educational and developmental structures that support the entrepreneurial and managerial realities faced by Mariachi leaders and offers insights relevant to music educators, cultural practitioners, and scholars of creative industries.
Recommended Citation
Villarreal, Baldemar, "Examining the Lives and Experiences of Mariachi Leadership in San Antonio, Texas: A Narrative Ethnographic Inquiry Using a Constructivist Lens" (2026). Theses & Dissertations. 485.
https://athenaeum.uiw.edu/uiw_etds/485
Post-Revisions
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