SPOTLIGHT
Musicians Work in Concert through Kentucky-Ecuador Partners
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“I like my students to become good singers, but I want them to have knowledge, so that when they are ready they can become good teachers,” said UK Voice Professor Noemi Lugo. In May 2009, she put this teaching philosophy into practice abroad, spending two weeks with children’s choirs, music students and music educators in Ecuador. The trip was sponsored by a travel grant and a project assistance grant from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State through Partners of the Americas or Compañeros de las Américas. The entity pairs U.S. states with countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, facilitating shared knowledge and resources to improve the lives of people across the hemisphere. Lugo is a member of the local chapter, Kentucky-Ecuador Partners. |
| UK Professor Noemi Lugo conducts the Ambato Children's Choir. The group was joined by a children's choir from Quito and several professional musicians. | |
Currently, the work of Kentucky-Ecuador Partners is focused on four program areas. Agricultural initiatives help increase food production and distribution, promote better farm and marketing operations and conserve natural resources. Rehabilitation projects range from physical and occupational therapy to job programs to technology assistance. The dental health initiative promotes preventative dentistry.
The fourth initiative is culture, which includes promoting an awareness and appreciation of culture from both sides of the partnership through individual participation in projects. Objectives are met in a variety of ways, including interactive workshops that allow for true collaboration among members from both Ecuador and Kentucky. Lugo’s primary objective was to promote cultural exchange with other professional musicians, music students and members of Compañeros de las Américas.
Lugo, who is a native of Caracas, Venezuela, was impressed by the talent of the people she met and their genuine interest in learning. “It’s incredible how they can do so much with so little,” she said. “We take so much for granted here. Their lack of resources makes it very difficult.”
Partners volunteer Rommel Jumbo meticulously organized the trip, which included stops in Ambato, Baños, Quito, Riobamba and Cuenca. With careful scheduling and coordinated media coverage, Lugo was able to interact with hundreds of people in a matter of days.
In Ambato, where many families struggle to pay a $1 weekly fee for music lessons, she worked with a children’s choir. More than 20 children crammed into a small room with only an electronic keyboard, and they eagerly practiced before and after school and on weekends. Their repertoire included a Spanish translation of music from “The Lion King,” which Lugo helped create with their director. Their hard work showed in a concert at the end of the month, where they were accompanied by a string ensemble.
“It was really very moving because you could see everybody coming together,” Lugo said of the final concert. “I am sure that half of the audience had never been inside a theater. There were mothers and grandpas and little brothers and sisters. That was special.”
Armed with research from her UK colleagues, Lugo also gave presentations on Appalachian, Shaker and spiritual music. One of her first lectures was to an audience of mostly non-traditional university students that was scheduled for 8 a.m. on a Sunday morning. Lugo knew the students had regular jobs and family responsibilities, and she suspected the session would be poorly attended. Once again, the citizens displayed their passion for music.
“It was packed,” she said. “There were people lined up who couldn’t get into the hall! And then they asked me if I would stay and do another lecture at 11 a.m.”
Everywhere she went, she found people with incredible talent and an insatiable desire to learn. Often, her appearances were extended by more than an hour to allow time for more questions. Most of the seminars were planned in smaller towns, so she had to turn down many last minute invitations to do additional seminars in Quito. Jumbo came up with a solution.
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“Rommel was able to convince those in Quito to come to Ambato to a lecture on a Tuesday, which never happens. They [took time away from] their jobs and their responsibilities. People were waiting at the door by the time we got to the cultural center,” she said. One of the most eye-opening experiences for Lugo was the time she spent with students from Cuenca State University School of Music where educators are beginning to organize a choral program. |
| People crowded into the available space to hear Lugo's presentation at the University of Manabi in Quito. | |
“I was in some ways surprised because most countries in South American have fabulous choirs, but I’ve found that they are really lacking in a lot of fundamental knowledge,” said Lugo who has taught vocal pedagogy for 18 years. “They don’t have a good sense of vocal health, which is one of my biggest concerns.”
In fact, she met a couple of singers who had done irreparable damage to their vocal chords by working long hours. “If you break a violin, you can buy another one. You ruin your voice and that’s it,” she said.
Lugo is committed to staying in touch with those she met to ensure the momentum is not lost. She is brainstorming with Kentucky-Ecuador Partners Executive Director Kay Roberts to provide the various groups with pianos and implement video conferences that would allow her to reach many people at once.
Since the most basic resources are incredibly scarce, she plans to send copies of textbook she uses to Ecuador and even has someone in mind to help with translating. Gabriela Vayas, a conductor from Baños who speaks English may visit Lugo in the fall to sit in on classes and study curriculum. She will then be able to return and communicate what she has learned to those in Ecuador. Lugo sees this type of information sharing as essential.
“Otherwise it's ‘Pan para hoy, hambre para mañana.’” She said, using a Spanish phrase that loosely translates to ‘Eat today. Go hungry tomorrow.’ “I would like to help them, and at the same time, help other people who can continue doing this job,” she said. “It’s not about me. It’s about trying to help others become self-sufficient.”