Professor: Michelle Wibbelsman

SPA 2208.22/7780.22 - MUS 2208.22/7780.22
(Crosslisted in SPA and Music; graduate and undergraduate numbers)
THURSDAYS  10:20-12:25  MLK AUDITORIUM  (RM. 101 HALE HALL)

In this one credit hour course (which meets once per week for 2 hrs.) we will learn to play and perform music from Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Chile and Argentina. We will explore various genres including the Peruvian huayno, the Ecuadorian sanjuanito, the Bolivian saya and tinku, plus Bolivian sikuriadas (panpipes ensemble tunes) and tarkeadas (wooden flute ensemble tunes). We will all have a chance to experience playing a variety of instruments including zampoñas or sikuris (Andean panpipes), tarkas (Bolivian festival flutes), quenas/kenas (notched mouthpiece flutes), charangos (Andean syncretic string instruments), guitars, bombo (Andean bass drum), and chakchas (Goat hooves rattles). We will study techniques and methods for playing these instruments; work on singing in Spanish, Quechua and Aymara; explore Andean musical and performance aesthetics; and learn about the cultural background and social significance of the songs.

We will have guest speakers throughout the semester including OSU’s Quechua instructor and various faculty members who work on language, cultural or musical themes related to our repertoire. In this sense this class invites you to engage in discussions about a variety of topics from the unique perspective of music making and introduces you to professors on campus teaching exciting courses that might provide a segue for interests you develop in this ensemble.

There are no auditions and no requirement for prior musical experience for joining the Andean Music Ensemble. Our repertoire changes each semester. You can repeat enrollment in this course up to a maximum of 10 credit hours. This course counts toward the ensemble requirement within certain degree programs in the School of Music, and by petition toward requirements for the interdisciplinary Minor in Andean and Amazonian Studies, Minor and Major in Spanish in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, and the Quechua FLAS Fellowship course requirement.

See videos of Navidad Andina/Christmas in the Andes end-of-semester performance in AU 2015 on the SPPO website or listen to SoundCloud recording.