First Week of Music Class: Arts and Science track!

Hola,

Welcome to the first week of Music class! On Monday class began, but not without a few bumps in the road. When we arrived at the building we discovered that it was in fact being fumigated which changed our plans a bit for the day. But we took it in stride and decided that we should have class at Prof. Sergio Navarette's office. To start to introduce the class we talked about the importance of sound, and the relationship between music and language. Did music come from language, or the other way around?

            On Tuesday we returned to CEDART (Centro de Educación Artística ), and this time our class was a bit bigger. For this class Sergio invited students from the art-based high school to join us. The students created a different dynamic and it was nice to interact with young people from Oaxaca. During this class we played with the idea of how bodies move and the sounds that come from this movement. Interacting in a less serious way made it much easier to break the ice with the new class and friends.

            The next two classes we got our hands on some instruments and were even allowed to play them! We went to a small music room owned by Ignacio, or better known as Nacho, and put the concepts of music that we were learning, into practice. Another large part of our class was discussing the concept of the roots of Oaxacan music, which have African origins. Most of the instruments that we used were in the percussion family, which were great to apply the concepts of the offbeat and 2 vs. 3 beat. It was also interesting to have Nacho explain that much of the rhythm that we have he believes to come from the heartbeat.

            On Friday we traveled to Etla to visit a feria to observe the type of music that would be found there. We arrived early so the festivities were just beginning but we found a trio that was more than happy to play for us. They explained that this feria is not the only place where they play but also at fiestas de quince años, weddings and other community celebrations were events that they frequently were requested. It was great to talk to musicians about the importance of music to the community.

            Our last big day of the week was on Saturday when we traveled to Tlacochahuaya to see and listen to an organ that was specially made for the church there in Oaxaca. It was interesting to see how all the different sounds were made from just 4 octaves of keys. After we listened to Soledad play for us and explain the history of the organ we set out for an adventure on our bikes that we had brought with us, to a nearby town. The road was a bit bumpy and we had to ask for directions more than a few times but we made it and with an appetite. After visiting a beautiful church that was in the town we went to a local comedor and got some food. With our bellies full we returned to Tlacochahuaya on our bikes and headed back home to the city.

Hasta la próxima semana!
Carolina