Qué es la música Tejana? (Translation- What is Tejano music?) Dancing to Tejano music in jeans and boots is a sensation that is an amazing experience when you feel the rhythm go throughout the body.

Tejano is a style of music that was created by the people of South Texas in the 1970s. Cities of South Texas or the Valley include, Houston, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Laredo, Harlingen, and Victoria. “I grew up around Tejano Music. I grew up listening [to it], however my family didn’t really listen to it,” senior Daniel Villalva said.

Artists like Selena Quintanilla popularized Tejano music through her various songs such as “Como La Flor”, “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom”, “Amor Prohibido”, and her most popular song, ”Baila Esta Cumbia”. Emilio Navaira actually popularized the mixture of Conjunto and Tejano music for all of South Texas. “I simply became familiar with it because of the area I grew up in. I do remember Selena actually; I know a couple of her songs,” Villalva said.

Tejano music originates from the following genres of musical styles, Rock, Blues, Polka, Conjunto, Mexican Cumbia, and Norteño. “When it came to Tejano music, my parents did not really teach me about it. My parents would only play the music, and I really wasn’t fond of it until now,” Sophomore Vanessa Castillo said.

Along with vocals, the music is played with various instruments such as the accordion, bass guitar, electric guitar, drums, saxophone, synthesizer, keyboards, and piano. “I do remember listening to some of those artists. [The] majority would be Selena, but as a child I would listen to them. Then again, [at the] same time I didn’t know the artist’s name,” sophomore Vanessa Castillo said.

Diversity is the key to long lasting friendship in our current world, “Well we have a diverse community here at Langham Creek High School, and we must embrace everybody. Embrace your culture, embrace where you come from, and when you do; you make friends. You got to make sure those friends last a lifetime,” Villalva said.

Is the style known as Tejano music dead? Who knows? What if we as the next generation of Mexican-Americans are killing the genre of music? What if we are responsible for the end of Tegan Heritage and culture? We mustn’t let it die for as Mexican-Americans, we must rise and save our culture. Without Tejano music does our heritage even exist anymore? La musica Tejana vive siempre. (Translation: Tejano Music Lives forever.)