By Clarissa Olson Posted June 4, 2018
On May 31 and June 1, Kantu Inka by Carlos and Julie Lozada Ocampo presented in the auditorium. Their program, Kantu Inka, was designed to teach Peruvian and Latin American culture to students and visitors through music and dance. Their presentation has reached over 30,000 students.
On the first night, the group held a concert in the auditorium for the public. The next day, they spent teaching the students through an involved musical presentation.
Julie started off teaching Spanish. The idea began when she met Carlos and his brother on a vacation to Peru, where the brothers were professional musicians.
“As I faced leaving Peru that summer, I realized that my students would likely never have the chance to travel to Peru nor experience the culture and music,” said Julie Lozada Ocampo on their website. “Carlos and I dreamed up a cultural project where he and his brother would come to the US to teach the instruments, rhythms, dances, history and geography to my classes in Spanish.”
The Ocampos performed with several traditional instruments from the Andean region of Peru. Among the instruments presented were a guitar, quena, bombo, charango and four different sizes of zampoñas. Many students had never seen the instruments before.
“The kids were able to experience that culture, music, and something different than their ordinary United States customs and cultural things that they’re used to,” said Spanish teacher Amie Godinez. “Many kids have never been outside of Nevada. Many kids have never been out of the United States, so to have something that is so unique and different and for them to be able to hear it is a unique opportunity for the kids to have.”
