The Department of Spanish & Portuguese is offering two courses next semester (AU21) that you should look into! See below for more information.

SPAN 7650: Musical Migrations and Latin American Identities

Dr. Michelle Wibbelsman

Autumn 2021 Semester - Wednesdays 2:30-5:15 PM

Caldwell Lab 183 (In-Person Modality)

This course delves into an understanding of Latin American identities from the unique perspective of musical expression, exchange, and migration. This point of entry presents a different vantage point and also alternative methods of analysis for approaching Latin American identities "on the move." In doing so, it elicits a nuanced discussion of theories of migration, globalization, diaspora, transnationalism, locality, displacement, identity, and border studies, and places the insights we gain from these perspectives at the intersection of global and local music making and cultural consumption. The course is organized as a series of short lectures that introduce topics and prompt discussion, class discussion, and student projects and presentations. The course includes 30% content on Brazilian music and identities.

The course will be taught in Spanish or English depending on the makeup of the class. Papers will be accepted in English, Spanish or Portuguese. Students may choose to focus their final course projects on a cultural area of their interest in comparative perspective to Latin America and/or in dialogue with course content.

SPAN/MUS 2208.22/7780.22 Andean Music Ensemble

Dr. Michelle Wibbelsman

Autumn 2021 Semester – Mondays 5:30-7:35 PM

Hughes Hall 109 (In-Person Modality) 

Discover new worlds of experience, language and culture through music! This course is specifically designed to use performance as pedagogy—in this case, music making as an entry point into learning about language and culture. Students learn how to play and perform music from Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Chile and Argentina; sing 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 explore various genres including the Peruvian huayno, the Ecuadorian sanjuanito, Bolivian sikuriadas (panpipes ensemble tunes) and tarkeadas (wooden flute ensemble tunes), and a variety of other Andean genres. We will all have a chance to experience 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).

No auditions and no requirements for prior musical experience or language proficiency. 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, toward the interdisciplinary Minor in Andean and Amazonian Studies, Minor and Major in Spanish, and the Quechua FLAS Fellowship course requirement. *Please be sure to sign up for 1 credit hour.

Learn more about the Andean Music Ensemble at OSU, see videos and listen to our recordings here: https://sppo.osu.edu/undergraduate/andean-music-ensemble.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Dr. Michelle Wibbelsman at wibbelsman.1@osu.edu.