Today we’d like to introduce you to Daisy Zambrano.
Hi Daisy, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I was born and raised in Houston, Texas, and have lived here all my life. My parents, like many others, migrated to the United States from Mexico in search of a better life. Together they had me and my four other sisters: Vanessa, Nallely, Giselle, and Camila. We are a musical band now, which also includes my parents. We perform locally in all types of events: quinceañeras, weddings, festivals, and more.
My musical background was thanks to my dad, who was also inspired by his father, a lifelong mariachi. When I was younger, my childhood consisted of listening to lullabies my dad made for my sisters and I. On the weekends, we would go watch him
play with his band at different types of events. As a result, my love for music began at an early age. I was involved in music programs since elementary. I joined mariachi, choir, orchestra, chamber, and even ballet folklorico. I then attended the Highschool for the Performing and Visual Arts here in Houston, where I was exposed to the world of fine arts. I studied mariachi there, and that exposure helped me make my decision to choose music as my career. I then went on to study classical violin at the University of St. Thomas and earned my degree in May 2022. I am currently continuing my grandfather’s legacy, and I am a mariachi director at Sam Houston Math Science and Technology Center High School. Aside from teaching mariachi, I also have an accordion academy where I teach students of all ages to play. On the weekends, I alternate between performing with a professional mariachi and my family’s band.
Over the years, I have discovered that performing and sharing music by teaching are my passion. I love being able to help my students not only grow musically but also as a person. Music has a unique power of connecting people from all ages, ethnicities, and beliefs. Every day I am more surprised of the impact it has had in my life. However, my accomplishments would not have been possible without the support of my parents, who have never missed a performance and have given everything possible to make sure I am happy; my sisters who support my crazy ideas; my boyfriend, that is always there to give me the emotional support I need; my friends that still invite me to their gatherings even though they know I will most likely be gigging; and the strangers who root for me and believe in me through social media!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
When living a fast-paced life and having concerts, recitals, lessons, performances, and gigs every weekend, it gets difficult to just stop and think. There is always some type of pressure from either rehearsals, deadlines, self-doubt, need for constant creativity, and burnout. I often miss out on family events, friends’ gatherings, and other social settings because my days are always filled with music-related events. I have never questioned if this is all worth it because I am truly passionate about music, but I cannot deny it is difficult to find a healthy balance.
I started my career at an early age. I was probably about 9 years old when I had my first paid performance. I am now 23, and since I can remember, I have not stopped constantly performing. I often get the question, “how do you not get tired?” and the answer is simple: I love what I do. I am fortunate enough that I get to spend time with my family at practices and performances and that my boyfriend is also a musician who plays in the same mariachi group I am in. Like this, I am able to be around those that I love, doing what I love.
Thankfully, my life has been filled with supportive people along the way. I have surrounded myself with musicians who have the same thoughts and values as me. I have never been a competitive person, and I believe that is why I have had a fairly smooth road. I believe that music is meant to be shared and used to be able to connect with others. Music is medicine for the soul, and it has always been my safe place.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am part of a family band which includes my parents and four sisters. My dad plays the electric bass, my mom plays the güiro, one of my sisters plays the bajoquinto, the other plays the drums, the other the saxophone and the youngest plays the congas. I sing and play the accordion. We play Mexican norteño music and perform consistently throughout the year at weddings, quinceaneras, festivals, and our own local concerts. Our next upcoming public performance will be at the Houston Rodeo on March 12th at the Stars Over Texas Stage!
I am also part of Mariachi Imperial de America in which I play violin, accordion, and sing. I have been a part of this mariachi for five years now. We perform at interesting events such as art shows, galas, festivals, and we also accompany artists. I will be competing with them at the Mariachi Invitational on March 11th at the Arena Theatre. The top two mariachi group finalists will be able to perform and compete inside the NRG stadium before the main artist performs on Go Tejano Day.
In 2018, I started my own accordion academy: Daisy’s Accordion Lessons. I currently have students from the range of ages 9 to 45 learning accordion. I decided to start this project to continue inspiring others. When I was younger, I always wanted an accordion teacher; however, I could not find one in Houston. There were a lot of accordionists, but none were really interested in teaching. I then took the initiative and learned through YouTube, watching others play, and applied music theory I learned in school to the accordion. In addition, norteño music is a heavily male-dominated genre so I believed it would be unique to be not only a female accordionist in a female-dominated band but also a female accordion teacher. We actually just had our annual accordion recital on February 26th in which I have all my students invite their family and friends to come watch them perform the songs they have been working on, accompanied by a live band.
Lastly, I just started my teaching job this past August as the head mariachi director at Sam Houston Math and Technology Center High School. This program is one of the largest here in Houston with about 100 students enrolled in the class. These students are divided into beginner, intermediate, and advanced mariachi groups. We are always busy with performances for the school, district events, festivals, and preparing music for our concerts and competitions. We are currently preparing for a mariachi competition in Robstown, Texas in April.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Everything I do, I do with a pure intention. If there is one virtue I have, it is being genuine. I believe that my friends gravitate towards me when they need advice because what I tell them truly comes from my heart. I am also a person who can recognize my mistakes and acknowledge when I am wrong. That is an important aspect not only in music but in life. I like to be flexible and have an open mind in order to be in harmony with everyone.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daisy.zambrano/?hl=en
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@daisyzambrano1079
Image Credits
Philip Emerson
Carolina Yanez
Veronica Ramos
