PREPARATION FOR TRIBUS FUTURAS' APPEARANCE IN YOUR SCHOOL

Program Description

Tribus Futuras’ programs are not only entertaining but also educational. Because the music they play is ethnic (from the Andes mountains of South America) and some of the instruments date back as far as 1500 b.c., they incorporate cultural, historical and environmental aspects to complement the music and give the students an integrated background of the music and instruments. The program consists of musical pieces intertwined with short narratives, an introduction of the performers and the instruments and audience participation in the form of repeating the names of the Andean instruments, clapping to the rhythm of a musical piece and time for questions and answers.

List of terms:

string instrument
charango - small ten-stringed instrument
cuatro - four-stringed instrument
wind instrument
pan pipes - made of two rows of tubes
zampoñas - name for pan pipes in Spanish
quena - bamboo flute with 7 holes
quenacho - similar to a quena, but longer
percussion instrument
chagchas - rattle made of goats’ nails
chasqui - messenger in quechua, one of the native Andean languages
Andes mountains

Musical pieces:

They play eight full pieces using a variety of instruments and styles.

Llanto de la India - Weeping of the Indian Woman - Traditional
Pájaro Choguí - the name of a bird - Traditional
Culturas Cósmicas - Cosmic Cultures - L. & S. Albán
Entre Amor - Among Love - Traditional
Reflejo de Luna - The Moon’s Reflection - L. & S. Albán
Quitapesares - something that takes away sorrows - Traditional
Cascada - Waterfall - Traditional
Cunumicita - the name of a woman - Traditional

The specific pieces are subject to change.

GUIDELINES FOR FOLLOW-UP DISCUSSION

Q: What seven countries do the Andes mountains go through?
A: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile

Q: What three cultural groups have influenced Andean music?
A: The native people of the Andes, the Spanish and the Africans

Q: Which instrument is made of several tubes that are blown into?
A: Zampoña or pan pipe

Q: What is another name for pan pipes besides zampoñas
A: Sikus, the name in Quechua - one of the native Andean languages

Q: Are all zampoñas the same size?
A: No, they come in different sizes

Q: Do all zampoñas have the same sound?
A: No, the sound changes with the size of the tubes?

Q: Are zampoñas always played the same way – one person playing?
A: No, the instrument can be divided in two and played by two people

Q: What instrument are the quena and quenacho similar to?
A: The recorder

Q: What are zampoñas, quenas and quenachos made of?
A: Bamboo

Q: Which animals’ bones were quenas and quenachos made of?
A: Llama and condor

Q: Which string instrument used to be made out of an armadillo shell?
A: Charango

Q: How is the charango different from a guitar?
A: It’s smaller, has ten strings instead of six, and its back is round

Q: What’s the difference between a traditional & an electric charango?
A: The electric one is modern and it has to be plugged into a sound system to be heard

Q: What are chagchas or uñas made out of?
A: Goats’ nails

Q: What does the name of Luis & Susan’s duo, Tribus Futuras, mean?
A: Future Tribes

GUIDELINES FOR STUDENT FEEDBACK
ENCOURAGE YOUR STUDENTS TO WRITE TO US
USING ONE OF THESE BEGINNINGS

What I liked most about today‘s performance was…

Andean music reminds me of…

The instrument and/or sound I liked the most was…

I liked the traditional charango or the electric charango more than the other because…

What surprises me most about Andean music is…

After today’s program, I may want to play an instrument because…

I learned that Andean music is closely related to the environment because…