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Mexico and Colombia: Musical Fusions at UCLA

Mexico and Colombia: Musical Fusions at UCLA



   The UCLA Latin American Institute offered an interactive music workshop showcasing the interconnected musical histories between Mexico and Colombia. This workshop was specialized for K-12 teachers in the Los Angeles area who desired to incorporate Latin American arts into their classrooms. Outreach Coordinator LAI Veronica Zavala designed and organized the Workshop. 

 

This workshop offered a fun, professional development course where teachers were exposed to Latin American cultural histories that they could share with their students. A group of 15 enthusiastic teachers from different schools, backgrounds, and grade levels attended the workshop. The participants had the opportunity to have hands-on experience with the Colombian drums.

 

 

 

Two legendary music instructors led the hands-on workshop: Cesar Castro, a professional musician in the Son Jarocho genre, and Eduardo Martinez, a master artist of musical styles from the Caribbean coast of Colombia, such as cumbia, puya, chalupa, mapalé, tambora, bullerengue, and zambapalo. The instructors lectured and discussed Mexico-Colombia musical fusion, cultures, and migrations.