A Latin musical celebration

Michael Miller

For Monica Leon Fernandez, Latin music is a part of her life. The

third-grader at Wilson Elementary School often sings at home with her

parents, who immigrated to the United States from Mexico. She loves

Selena.

This year at Wilson Monica got acquainted with another part of

her cultural heritage. Last Thursday, she joined 12 classes of

second- and third-graders in presenting the school’s annual Fiesta

Latina, an hour-long extravaganza of Mexican and Latin American folk

music.

“It made me feel like I was back in Mexico,” said Monica, 8, after

the first show on Thursday.

The Fiesta Latina, held twice in the school’s multipurpose room,

marked the third and final concert at Wilson this year. Last

December, the kindergarten and first-grade classes put on a holiday

show, while the fourth and fifth grades put on a spring patriotic

show. The second and third grades capped the school year by

celebrating cultures south of the border, at a school whose students

are predominantly Latino.

“I think it’s a way of supporting their culture,” said third-grade

teacher Carol Redford. “It creates a sense of pride and recognition.”

The Fiesta Latina started four years ago when Orange Coast

College’s dance department put on a grant-funded show at Wilson,

using some students in the production. Although the grant only lasted

one year, the school made it a tradition to honor Latin culture

through music each spring.

Music teacher Ken Boddy organized and hosted the performance, with

the classroom teachers handling costumes. In addition to singing, the

students also played recorders and percussion instruments. “These are

songs that are very accessible to kids at this grade level,” said

principal Candy Sperling. “These are all very traditional songs of

Latin America.”

The 15 tunes in the show captured a world that existed long before

Tejano music diva Selena twirled in music videos. The lyrics, mostly

in Spanish, related ancient tales about fishermen, communal dances

and donkeys. Monica’s favorite number is the Brazilian standard “Mama

Paquita.” “It’s about this lady and a man who told her to buy some

bananas and papayas for her baby, but she doesn’t because she doesn’t

have any money,” Monica said.

Boddy, who has directed the show for the last three years, said

the music was educational for him as well.

“It’s helped me to do my Spanish better,” he noted.

* IN THE CLASSROOM is a weekly feature in which Daily Pilot

education writer Michael Miller visits a campus in the Newport-Mesa

area and writes about his experience.