Woodside students get flavor of Latin music Teacher's notebook

Posted: March 9, 2010

Woodside Elementary School fourth-graders were treated to the South American music of the Andes Mountain region Feb. 27, thanks to the school's involvement with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra's Arts in Community Education (ACE) program.

Cuicani, a trio of professional musicians who are deeply committed to their Latin American heritage, raised awareness of Latin Americans and cultures through music and presentation. The presentation included information about the socio-cultural context of songs as well as the demonstration of representative string, wind and percussion instruments from Latin America.

Cuicani's workshop provided students with an exposure to Latin American music and culture that transported listeners from the high mountain regions to the sounds of the rain forest. The presentation exposed students to:

• The richness of regional Latin American cultures and musical traditions

• Pre-Columbian flutes, strings and percussion instruments, such as the quena, quenacho, tarkas, sikus, charango, bombo and chajchajs

• Traditional styles from Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru and northern Argentina that incorporate those musical instruments

• A lively, interactive performance in which they heard how pre-Columbian, European and African musical influences have blended together in different Latin American countries to become what each region can now claim as its own musical style.