Latin rhythms are vibrant in a lot of the popular music around us. They originate from tradition music and have evolved over the years. In this session, participants will experience how to integrate the rhythmic sounds of Central and South America into the classroom, specifically Cumbia and Reggaeton. The cultural context of these musical genres will be introduced, together with active and fun musical activities such as singing, dancing, playing percussion, using DAW to create Reggaeton beat. Based on the theoretical framework of culturally responsive pedagogy and world music pedagogy, the significance of diversifying the repertoire in the music classroom will be emphasized. By the end of this session, participants will be able to differentiate between the cultural and musical characteristics of the two musical genres of Cumbia and Reggaeton.
Target Audience
all levels
Additional Notes
Clinician Info
Lily Chen-Hafteck
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Lily Chen-Hafteck is currently Professor and Chair of Music Education at UCLA. Originally from Hong Kong, she holds Ph.D. in music education from the University of Reading, U.K. and received postdoctoral research fellowship at the University of Pretoria, South Africa and University of Surrey Roehampton, U.K. She is a Fulbright Scholar, featured in numerous publications, including Oxford Handbook of Music Education, Oxford Handbook of Children’s Musical Cultures and Sage Handbook of School Music Education. She was a keynote speaker at various international conferences in China, Cyprus and the U.K. She presented world music workshops in Thailand, Spain, and locally for the Kodaly Association of Southern California and the Orange Couty chapter of American Orff-Schulwerk Association. She provided leadership for the International Society for Music Education as member of its Board of Directors, Chair of Early Childhood Commission and Music in Schools and Teacher Education Commission. She was the founding CMEA World Music Representative.
Michael Torres
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Michael “Sayuva” Torres is an award-winning Baritone Singer/Songwriter, Recording Artist, Composer and Educator. He enjoys a versatile music career with a true passion for creating and sharing the power of knowledge. He has been a musician for 12 years and specializes in vocal production and music technology. He recently received his B.A. in Music Education at UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music and is working on his Single-subject Teaching Credential in Music at UCLA. He has made major contributions to various groups at UCLA, including the UCLA Chamber Singers and the UCLA African American Music Ensemble. He has performed in notable venues including Royce Hall, Long Beach Terrace Theater, Pacific Opera Project, Pasadena Civic Center, and more. He has collaborated with many student composers and recorded self-produced tracks at the UCLA recording studio. He has also been a music collaborator with R&B/Soul Producers and musicians for over 3 years.