Introducing...
Ocupa La Silla
(Fill The Chair)
Composed by Jorge Vargas
Written for Mariachi Ensemble
Audio Sample
The ninth composition in the Music & Arts Project Imagine series, Ocupa La Silla by Jorge Vargas is an energetic and engaging mariachi piece that serves as an ideal entry point for ensembles looking to explore the style. Written at a lively tempo, the piece captures the rhythmic drive and characteristic groove of traditional mariachi while remaining highly accessible for developing groups. Scored for a flexible ensemble including violins, trumpets and standard mariachi rhythm section (guitar/vihuela and guitarrón), this grade 2 work allows directors to work effectively with smaller or emerging programs without sacrificing authenticity.
Ocupa La Silla is perfect for programs that are new to mariachi or simply want to try the style in a manageable and rewarding way.
Audio Sample
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About the Composer: Jorge Vargas
Jorge L. Vargas is a composer, arranger, clinician and educator. He holds a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Texas at San Antonio and a Master of Education from Lamar University. He currently serves as a music educator at Memorial Junior High in Eagle Pass, Texas, where he directs the Concert Band and the Mariachi Ensemble. Additionally, he instructs the beginner flute, alto saxophone and F horn classes. He is also a member of Mariachi Relámpago, in which he plays trumpet and guitarrón.
Mr. Vargas has composed for various ensembles, including concert band, marching band, string orchestra and mariachi ensemble. His works can be found on numerous state and festival lists. Notably, his music appears on the J.W. Pepper Editors' Choice list and Bandworld Magazine's Top 100, and several of his compositions have been performed at Midwest in Chicago. Mr. Vargas was born in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, and currently resides in Eagle Pass, Texas, with his wife, Adriana, a fifth-grade mathematics teacher.
About Project Imagine
In partnership with the Guitar Center Music Foundation, the Music & Arts Advocacy Project Imagine program provides free access to high-quality commissioned works. The program utilizes diverse composers and consists of several compositions, written at grade levels 2-3 and intended for middle school and high school performances. These original works are inspired by one unifying theme, imagination.
Recent Project Imagine Compositions
Mi Vecino (Band & Orchestra)
Michele Fernández
September 2025 / March 2026
In Your Wildest Dreams (Band & Orchestra)
Tyler S. Grant
September 2024 / January 2025
Courage
JoAnne Harris
February 2024
Song for UhmMa
Dr. Soo Han
September 2023
Awake, My Soul!
Victor C. Johnson
January 2023
Color in the Grey
Kelijah Dunton
August 2022
Project Imagine is an initiative from Music & Arts Advocacy that provides school music programs with free access to high-quality commissioned works. Ocupa La Silla (the composition) will be available to download through Friday, May 22, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET. Requestors should be music educators in schools or institutions with established music programs. Limited to one composition request per music educator. Requestors are expressly prohibited from duplicating, distributing or otherwise transferring the composition to any other school, organization or third party under any circumstances. No Purchase Necessary.