Selena Medley

• Selena Medley, Mariachi Divas de Cindy Shea,
• Instrumentation: Vocals (maybe 4 or 5?), vihuela, trumpets, moroccos, violins, flute, guitarrones (traditional mariachi band instruments).
• Texture: I would say that this medley has a fairly thick texture. There seem to be numerous people playing each instrument, which makes the sound richer and feel thicker, and certainly makes the piece feel fuller. Furthermore, the fact that there are numerous singers also adds to the texture, because while one singer is singing a solo, the others can sing back-up.
• Range: The range is not particularly wide in this piece, and remains pretty moderate throughout.
• Tempo: Even though this is a medley, a type of song where the tempo often fluctuates, the tempo remains constant throughout. This can especially be observed by the vihuelas and guitarrones.
• Meter: I would say that the piece is in a 4 beat meter.
• Volume: The volume too remains fairly constant throughout. Each tribute in the medley has a climax, where the singer and instruments often raise the volume, but besides this, the volume remains moderate to loud the whole time. This is in keeping with the feel of a mariachi band. Mariachi bands are traditionally lively and fun, and help to maintain these feelings for their audience by playing loudly.
• Selena Quintanilla-Perez: Better known as simply "Selena," this singer was dubbed "the next Gloria Estefan" in the 90s. She was a very talented young singer from Texas who won numerous awards and was extremely popular in Spanish speaking countries, as well as in the US. She released her first record at the age of twelve. Selena's singing career began within her family, where she sang in the family band. Her family was very involved in her career and even though her father pulled her out of school before she reached high school, Selena still received a high school diploma from continuing her education on the road. Selena was murdered at age 23 by the president of her fan club.
• It is not a wonder that this mariachi band would feel that Selena was deserving of a medley. She accomplished more than a lifetime's worth of work in her short 23 years, creating some of the most popular Tejano songs. Not only did she perform in Spanish, but also in English. Furthermore, she completed her own education and went around texas, advocating the importance of education to young children. Selena was a positive influence on her fans, and an extremely talented singer who left an everlasting mark on Tejano music.