Sentence about the national anthem review

I am an international and my grammar sucks terribly.
could anyone please help me rearrange this sentence below and perhaps make it more concise?
Please.thanks!

"I thought their national anthem portrayed their culture. From my experience of being with Mexican friends in the dorm, I found out that they celebrate special occasions in a very festive way and are upbeat. Their national anthem is also festive starts off with upbeat where u.s anthem sounds softer and more solemn. Here matching the anthem with the way my Mexican friends are festive gave me a big picture of their culture _ festive. "

"I thought their national anthem was a reflection of their culture. Through my experiences with Mexican friends, I've learned that their celebrations are both festive and upbeat, two qualities that also describe the tempo and sounds of their national anthem and directly contrast with the slower, more solemn sounds of the US national anthem. I'm this way, I can match the mood of the Mexican anthem with the festive celebrations of my Mexican friends, giving my insight into how cultural differences can be reflected through music."

The last sentence might not actually be what you are trying to say, but i'm not sure that you can say that my Mexican friends are festive, therefore they have a "festive culture"...

Ha ha, well, you have a cool way with words, anyway! Hey, you should google this: individualism collectivism cultures American Latin Mexican
...and I bet you will find a great article to mention in this essay!!!

I think national anthems and other social practices reflect culture in a meaningful way. From my experience of being with Mexican friends in the dorm, I found out that ...

...occasions in a very festive and upbeat way.

Here Matching the anthem with the way my Mexican friends celebrate together, I gained profound insight into the nature of their culture.