The Center for Latin American Studies at Ohio State recently held its first MÁS ALLÁ summer camp for high school students interested in learning about Andean culture, language and music. Music And Spanish in the Andes Language Learning Academy is an immersive summer program that accords students the opportunity to perfect their spoken Spanish, learn to play traditional instruments of the Andes, sing in Spanish, Quechua & Aymara, and gain a unique cultural competency through the music they learn to play.

Gordon Ulmer, a Ph.D. Candidate in Anthropology, and James Leow, a Ph.D. Student in Hispanic Linguistics, served as the instructors of the week-long program, where students worked as a team to master their musical and performing abilities, cumulating in a final public concert. One student commented, “All my experiences with music have always been through structure and with sheet music and precision.  Not only did I learn about different cultures, I learned about the impact o[f] music on them.  Music is about feeling and community. This is more than repeating line after line stuck in a room by yourself trying to perfect a passage or piece. Más Allá taught me the importance of music in culture but also what music should be like in general.  I will apply what I have learned to all my practices and make what I play more about a feeling than individual rules.  Thank you so much.”

Ulmer reflected on the camp, saying, “I think it was apparent to the students that over the week we not only pulled off something musically amazing, but also cultivated a strong sense of community and musicality in the process. I think their successes with the final performance reflects the embodiment of Andean culture around participatory music. This broader learning objective was frequently reinforced throughout the week by numerous activities and multiple university/program interactions with the camp- from the Fulbright teachers workshop in which the high school students taught the teachers, to eating lunch and practicing Spanish with SPPO grad students, to attending my anthropology class/poster sessions and getting their very first college class experience…And while the performance was without a doubt a smashing success and a major focal point, I actually think the most illuminating moment occurred after the performance when the parents approached James and I to tell us how much passion their kids had at the end of each day. Parents described how during rides home, their kids talked their ears off about what they had learned in camp that day, how much they enjoyed themselves, etc.”

If you’re interested in learning more about the MÁS ALLÁ program, please visit https://u.osu.edu/masalla2017/ and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MasAlla2017/. We are immensely proud of the success of our students and instructors and cannot wait to see how they and the program grows in the future!