Classics For Kids Celebrates Spanish and Latin American History Month!
Classics for Kids®, a project of 90.9 WGUC Cincinnati, introduces classical music and its composers to a younger audience through a weekly radio show/podcast, and a free interactive website. The project, now celebrating over 20 years on the air, uses engaging stories to make classical composers and their music come alive for children, parents, and grandparents. The shows are written, hosted, and produced by classical music broadcaster Naomi Lewin.
In a departure from the show’s normal format, featuring one composer each month, the Classics for Kids® programs airing this month celebrate Spanish and Latin American Composers.
Classical Music In Spain
¡Bienvenidos! Listen and explore the music of some of Spain’s most influential composers and players, from King Alfonso X (a.k.a. “Alfonso El Sabio”/Alfonso the Wise) to Francisco Tárrega, known as “the father of classical guitar.” You’ll also learn how the guitarra came to Spain in the first place.
The Spanish Sound
When composers use their country’s folk songs, dances, and rhythms to paint musical pictures of local places and legends, it’s called musical nationalism. Hear how composers like Isaac Albeniz, Enrique Granados, Manuel de Falla and others defined the Spanish sound with spirit, fire, and romance.
Mexican Composers
In the 16th century, “conquistadores” – soldiers from Spain – sailed to Mexico, and took over the country from the Indigenous people who lived there. The Spanish brought their language, their religion, and their music to the place they called “Nueva España,” or New Spain. Mexico became independent from Spain in the 19th century, but the music stayed, combined with African and Indigenous forms, and took on a life of its own.
Latin American Composers
After Christopher Columbus made his first trip across the Atlantic Ocean, Spain and other European countries began to colonize the Americas. Spanish music had a big influence on Latin American music — and so did the music of the enslaved people who were brought over from Africa. Hear how composers and players in Cuba, Venezuela, Argentina, Paraguay and other parts of Latin America married European forms with Indigenous sounds, creating folk music traditions that have become classics in their own right.
Music Based on Hispanic Dance Forms
Dance is very important in Spain, and Spanish dance forms have made their way all over the world. They’ve even turned into music that was never meant for dancing. Listen and move to the irresistible rhythms of the jota, fandango, seguidilla, tango, and other dances in the Spanish tradition.
Classics for Kids® airs on radio stations across the country, and can be downloaded as a podcast. All programs, plus a variety of interactive games, resources for parents, and free lesson plans for teachers are online at classicsforkids.com.
