Mexico City, Mexico — A Mexican cultural center says it is opening the country's first school dedicated to mariachi music.

Mariachi performing has traditionally been something that is passed down through families. School director Leticia Soto Flores says there is an increasing demand for mariachi instruction.

The Ollin Yoliztli Cultural Center is opening the mariachi school October 8th at the Plaza Garibaldi in downtown Mexico City. The plaza is a traditional site for mariachis.

The school begins accepting applications Monday, September 10th, and will consider 200 applicants for 72 positions in the first class. Tuiton will be the equivalent of $190 a year and it will take three years to graduate.

It will include classes in trumpet, violin, and guitar, along with music theory and the history of mariachi music.