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How Cindy Shea Built a Sustainable Music Career Through Innovation, Education, and Resilience
In between leading the Mariachi Divas, founding a record label, teaching music, and playing with iconic Latin and American artists, Cindy Shea’s unstoppable passion for music inspired her to enroll at Berklee Online. With a career that includes two Grammys (and eight nominations) as well as collaborations with Becky G, Chiquis, and La Mafia, Cindy says her greatest accomplishments came with hard-earned lessons.
Breaking Cultural Barriers
Coming from an Italian/Irish background and being raised in the United States, it might seem unusual that Cindy developed a love for Latin sounds such as salsa and mariachi music. However, playing the trumpet from a young age opened doors for her to explore different genres, allowing her to break cultural barriers, and make the music that made her happy. This came with a lot of criticism, but that did not stop her from celebrating mariachi music.
“I had my own ideas and I found that in the mariachi genre, there were a lot of restrictions being a ‘gringa,’ Irish, Italian, white girl,” says Cindy. “People were like, ‘We have to be traditional.’ That wasn’t part of who I was because there were no rules for me. For me, music had no boundaries.”
Cindy Shea and the Mariachi Divas performing “ROSARITO”
Recognizing the murky waters of trying to innovate within traditional Mexican music genres, Cindy’s mission was reassured when she collaborated with acts like Celia Cruz, who was known as the “Queen of Salsa,” and Arturo Sandoval, a Cuban-American jazz musician who offered her a full scholarship to Florida International University. She began studying music education and jazz, but left both degrees unfinished because she was eager to keep making music. As a result, she created Mariachi Divas, an all-female mariachi group that consists of women from different countries gathering together to celebrate this traditional genre.
“Diva is a strong, powerful woman, who has her own ideas, who’s independent, and who goes for it,” says Cindy. “That’s what I thought my group should be about. To have individual women who all contribute something beautiful, because in the ’90s, it was more common to see an all-male group.”
With that mentality, Mariachi Divas achieved milestones from winning Grammys, being designated the Official Mariachi Band of Disneyland Resort, to working with Joan Sebastian, a Mexican singer-songwriter. Through performing on both Mexican and US stages, Cindy expanded her knowledge of Mexican culture and continues to cherish it through music.
Expanding Her Knowledge at Berklee Online
Despite several career successes, Cindy made it one of her priorities to finish her studies and obtain a degree. Berklee Online seemed like the perfect choice for her, since she could take courses from anywhere at any time to fit into her busy schedule. Cindy currently takes courses focused on music production, business, and wellness.
“I made a bucket list of things that I needed to do in my life, and finishing my degree was one of them. I never did finish. So I found the best school to do that at, which was Berklee Online,” says Cindy. “They have amazing instructors who are understanding of people who are already making it in the music business. They’re trying to enhance their careers and are very understanding of scheduling.”
Taking courses like Pro Tools 101 has enhanced her skills in music production, enabling her to excel in her recording sessions with artists and students. Cindy mentions that the Project Management for Musicians course has taught her how to map out projects with the help of spreadsheets to track people’s work and ensure a great outcome.
“I think my biggest thing was not only just succeeding in making people happy, but what was providing work and teaching new generations how to lead,” comments Cindy. “I want my story to be out there because I want to inspire others to know that anything is possible.”
Moving Through Challenges
Before enrolling at Berklee Online, Cindy suffered from a stroke that nearly took her life, leaving her hospitalized for almost a month. This experience highlighted something that she had been taking for granted: her health.
“I woke up a day after and the first thing I thought was, ‘wait a minute, I have a song to record,’” says Cindy. “Instead, I was with my lawyer in the ICU before I could even see my kids, signing off my house, and what I was gonna do with my son, who is underage. I was signing off my life because they said the chances of me making it out of the hospital were very slim. The fact that I survived was a miracle.”
As soon as she was released from the hospital, she went straight to the studio to record a song for the 10th anniversary of the passing of Jenni Rivera, an iconic Mexican-American artist. After surviving a stroke, she wanted to make the most out of her time on Earth by continuing to do what she loved and taking better care of her health.
Mariachi Divas performing “Paloma Blanca” with Chiquis
“I tell a lot of people in workshops, ‘You have to be ahead of the game. You have to work double, triple hard if you want to make it in the music business, you can’t sleep,” says Cindy. “What that did is cause me to almost lose my life because it was a lot of stress. I had a stroke because of high blood pressure caused by stress.”
Another important lesson that Cindy learned while studying project management at Berklee Online is how to delegate. . Now she has been able to teach others administrative and leadership skills so she can divide the work with others, helping her with the workload.
Building a Career Through Trial and Error
Throughout her career, she faced several legal challenges, which pushed her to better understand the business side of the music industry. After a collaborator sued her and claimed production credit for an entire album, she learned the importance of clear studio contracts that define each person’s role from the start. She also defended her work against artists using similar band names, reinforcing the need to trademark her own. These experiences led her to establish her own record label, 7th Avenue, and Shea Luna Music Publishing.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, she decided to return to her original passion, which was teaching. It didn’t take long for her to build her own music school, All Star Academy, and become the musical director of four different middle schools in the town where she lives. Her main goal with her academy and record label is to teach others everything she learned throughout her years in the industry so future generations don’t make the same mistakes.
“I do a recording session with them, so they record like real professionals. They go in with their instruments and they sing. I mix it and send it out to the parents,” says Cindy.
Having her record label enables her to welcome students into the professional world by giving them the opportunity to perform live inside and outside the school environment, such as at Disneyland.
She says pursuing a degree at Berklee Online has helped her become a better teacher, manager, and musician, as well as a vehicle to use all of her accomplishments to achieve a new goal.
“When I finish at Berklee, I’m gonna get on a plane. I’m gonna bring my mariachi with me, and I’m gonna go graduate from Berklee College of Music.”
