“What a life changing program this is for the kids of El Tejar!”
-Sam Hendricks, Child Aid

Project Overview

The LI Guatemala program began in February of 2007. The voluntary extra curricular music program meets every school day. There are 15 classes during the 5-day school week and 2-4 classes per day. The music teachers work with 105 preschool students and 55 primary and middle school students. The students are receiving weekly music classes in which they are introduced to rhythm, vocal, music, and movement experience.

The classes include: Choir, Keyboard (I & II), Recorder (I, II, & III including Soprano, Contralto, Tenor, Bass), Mandolin, Marimba (I & II), Orchestra (together as a group), Guitar (I & II), and Percussion.

Students learn how to play the instruments and create informal groups and small bands, including a choral group, marimba band and a marching band. They perform regularly at village concerts and join regional competitions.

Skills that students are developing:

• Comprehension of music theory.
• Learning to play instruments of their choice including: the marimba (Guatemala’s national instrument), recorder, flute, mandolin, guitar, and keyboard.
• Rhythm and movement.
• Vocal training and singing experience.
• Performance experience.
• Strengthened self-esteem and motivation.

Without the assistance of PEG Partners and LEAF International, these children would not have any formal music education and the primary and middle school students would not be experiencing the joys and challenges of making music.

Background of Program

This LI Guatemala music program is at the Cedin school (Child Aid's Montessori Preschool Program) in El Tejar, Guatemala, near Chimaltenango. The school is based on a Montesorri education system that allows students to explore their interests, abilities and aptitudes. Roughly 30% of the students are Mayan and the rest are Ladino.  In 2001, 46 out of 111 children were underweight when they arrived at the beginning of the school year. At the school, they receive two meals a day and after three months the children were able to reach a healthy weight. The school provides education to children who are ages 3 to 10 years old and many of the parents can not afford to pay for school so they donate what they have: beans, rice, paper, etc.

LEAF International and PEG Partners support this program by providing instruments for the band and paying the salaries for the two teachers. The program is also supported by the community: the parents of the students have donated time and materials to build an addition onto the school to create a music classroom.

Featured Student & Teaching Artist

Student: Julia Isabel Mayca Avila, attended CEDIN supported by Child Aid scholarships until tercer basico (8th grade). She has participated extensively in the music program at El Tejar, and now she has decided to be a music teacher once she graduates high school. This music program there was a big inspiration for her. Julia's mom, Magda makes a living selling shaved ice that she makes on a hand-cranked ice shaver during the day and selling tamales and atole (a traditional corn drink) at night. Her dad works at Pan Bimbo (the Guatemalan equivalent to wonder bread). They are hugely appreciative of both the scholarships and music program. It has given this student positive direction and inspiration to do makes her happy!

Instructors: Sara Morales & Estephany Munoz Ajqui (assistant). The instructor and assistant are both trained music teachers (a rarity in Guatemalan schools).  The assistant, a former CEDIN student, recently graduated from San Carlos University with a degree in music instruction.

Reflections

“LEAF has been involved with our program at CEDIN for a couple years now with a children’s music program. They have two teachers and started playing recorders, and then they introduced guitars, then mandolins, and now the national instrument of Guatemala – the marimba. The children have really been able to develop pride in themselves, pride in their culture, pride in their community."
     -Dr. Jon Van Keppel, Guatemala Country Director, Child Aid

Featured Stories

• Five students participated in music competitions this year in the department of Chimaltenango. The three primary students from this group won 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in the competition. The two middle school students won 1st and 2nd place in their age range.

• They are very proud at the school right now because a graduate of the program from last year just won a trophy in a music contest playing the song Luna de Xelaju.

• “LI Guatemala has grown to a total of 15 classes, 5 days weekly due to the tremendous support of the community and the impressive dedication of the students! I was deeply touched by their devotion to learning music and pride in preserving their musical heritage.” -Loraine Martin, LI Guatemala Ambassador

The Community 

Nestled in the rising Chimaltenango highlands an hour from Antigua, EL Tejar is a rural village of 16,000 people, mostly indigenous Mayans whom are Kaqchikel. Opportunity is limited and poverty is a challenge. The children of El Tejar often start working when they are as young as six years old by mixing clay for bricks. El Tejar is known for the production of candles, textiles and musical instruments.  LI buys instruments mostly from local artisans. The local school offers many scholarships to the families so their children can attend school.

Guatemala’s Mayan Culture and Music
Guatemala has a population of almost 6 million. 21 different Mayan language groups still thrive today in the country mostly in the western highlands where the village of El Tejar lies. EL Tejar lies just east of on of the most beautiful volcanic lakes in the world, LAGO de Atitlan. The various Mayan populations scatter through small towns on the edges of volcanoes that surround the lake. There are many other efforts to help sustain the beautiful and magical Mayan culture. For more information see the Popul Vuh, translated as “the Book of Community,” containing the mytho-historical narratives of Mayan culture in Guatemala.

Mayan instruments include mostly drums, mostly of wood and tortoise shell, and maracas. Pre-Hispanic music was mostly instrumental and evidence of ceramic ceremonial flutes and ocarinas and conch trumpet, have been found. There has since been a blending of music between Guatemala and Mexico. And Marimbas are now the national instrument.

Partners

This program is a collaboration between LEAF international and PEG partners. Both believe that music and art programs will make a difference in the lives of youth and help to sustain their cultural traditions. The two organizations are committed to creating and facilitating a music mentor program to empower youth in Guatemala.

• PEG Partners (Proyecto par alas Escuelas Guatemaltecas) was founded by David LaMotte, a Black Mountain, North Carolina native, peace activist and musician. PEG Partners funds projects in Guatemalan schools to improve learning environments for predominantly Mayan children: pegpartners.org and davidlamotte.com

• Child Aid provides each student in this school a scholarship in order to attend the school. Child Aid’s mission is to create opportunity for Latin America’s rural and indigenous poor through childhood literacy and education programs: http://child-aid.org