Studying Music of Latin America: A World Music Curriculum Approach for Presenting Four Representative Styles of Latin American Cultures

Nadiana Betancur-Bedoya, Tennessee State University

Abstract

The project consists mainly on exposing students taking World Music class in high school or college level, to four representative music styles of Latin American culture: cumbia, salsa, tango and bossa nova, through exercises of listening and performance. During a two-week period (six contact hours) with unit plans with different class activities that include: 1) a background approach to each of the styles and then 2) activities where the students get to perform musical pieces. The project aims to connect music students in general with the Latin culture that is prominent in United States society; its traditions, customs, and artistic expressions. The participants in this study, ten music students of World Music class at Tennessee State University, showed great interest in the topics and were receptive in the activities proposed in the lectures. This study in the future can be helpful to design a curriculum that would include Latin American music and it has the potential to become a reference for the teaching of other foreign music.

Subject Area

Music education|Latin American Studies|Curriculum development

Recommended Citation

Nadiana Betancur-Bedoya, "Studying Music of Latin America: A World Music Curriculum Approach for Presenting Four Representative Styles of Latin American Cultures" (2018). ETD Collection for Tennessee State University. Paper AAI10841788.
https://digitalscholarship.tnstate.edu/dissertations/AAI10841788

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