A Window to the Music Traditions of the Andes Mountains Lecture

This pedagogical lecture will consist of a visual review of the history of native Andean Music from Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador, accompanied by a live demonstration of a wide variety of Andean percussion, wind, and string instruments. Students are encouraged to play and render musical notes and participate in the question-answer session. The slide presentation will cover the history, geography, musical traditions, and daily activities of the Andean people. A projection screen is needed for setup.

This program can also be extended by adding the "interactive instrument-making workshop" segment. In the workshop, participants will have the opportunity to build a pentatonic panpipe called palla and learn how to play simple Andean melodies. Participants do not need to know how to read music. Each session is to have 25 students max. Music teachers are encouraged to use music scores (provided by the artist), which facilitate the teaching and learning of additional simple Andean melodies which could be used to perform in an assembly-environment. The material fee is $8 per panpipe kit for each participant. The program duration is 2 hours, including the instrument-making segment. For Grades 3 and up!

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  Pepe Santana is an Ecuadorian-born musician based in New York City. He has lived in the United States for 38 years sharing the musical traditions of the Andes Mountains, which is his lifelong passion. Pepe plays over two dozen Andean wind and string instruments. In his commitment to sharing the vibrant traditions of the Andes, Pepe has performed in significant venues such as the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Alice Tully Hall, and Carnegie Hall, among many others. His emphasis on age-old sounds and rhythms has defined him as a true spokesman of traditional Andean Music. Pepe has participated in major folk festivals in the United States and Canada. He frequently lectures at museums, music schools, and folk societies throughout the country and abroad.

  Pepe Santana