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POPULAR MUSIC IN THE HISPANIC WORLD
This semester a group of final year Hispanic Studies students at the University of Sheffield have taken part in a unique module run by Dr Peter Watt. ‘Popular Music in the Hispanic World’ has not only taught students about the undeniably strong relationship between music and political movements in South America, but it has also given students the opportunity to do something creative and ‘hands on’ as part of their degree.
Over the course of the semester the students have worked tirelessly to research, record, fund, advertise and produce a ten-track album of Latin and Hispanic Music in under ten weeks. The album, produced by Dr Peter Watt himself, was a collaborative effort with music recorded by many of the students, featuring stunning artwork by some of the class members. As an alternative to performing and recording the album, some students instead chose to record podcasts which address fascinating topics related to Latin music, including ‘Music in the Slave Trade’ and ‘Women in Protest Music’, which will be available to download on the website soon.
The group took the name Buenas Vibras (Spanish for ‘good vibes’) and, performing under the same name, organised a spectacular live concert at Cubana Tapas Bar in the centre of Sheffield for the album launch. In the run-up to the live event students pulled out all the stops; producing a website and arranging an interview on Forge Radio in order to promote their live concert. The evening was a resounding success, great fun for everyone involved and an accomplishment that everyone can feel proud of.
Above: Sheffield's own Lord Mayor Magid Magid with his copy of Buenas Vibras album
The students would like to personally thank James Pearson for his help with putting the album together, Piero Tucci for his incredible saxophone skills, and last but certainly not least, Peter Watt for playing the piano, teaching, recording, organising and generally putting his heart and soul into the module!
BUENAS VIBRAS SHEFFIELD
Artwork: Joseph Mayhew
Buenas Vibras Sheffield is a collaborative music project by final year students studying Spanish at The University Of Sheffield.
Over the course of the semester, as part of our coursework for the 'Popular Music in the Hispanic World' module, we recorded a collaborative album of Latin and Hispanic music, and later put on a local concert, which was a great success. A huge thanks to all those who came along and bought an album.
If you haven't already, buy the digital album now for just £6 and get a free digital album booklet with all of the album info and individual track notes and lyrics.
Image: Mercedes Sosa, Wikipedia