Colombia

Students will travel to Cartagena to immerse themselves in the music, rhythms and cultures of this vibrant city and region of Colombia. Through lessons, playing music together with locals, and attending local performances, students will experience Colombian folkloric music traditions  including cumbia and vallenato. Students will be exposed to new musical styles and vocabulary as they grow as musicians and come to understand the rhythms of Colombia within the context of its rich and complex history and culture. 

Engaging with a diversity of artists and musical styles, students will participate in an exchange with young musicians, and work with a professional musician who will spend time in residence at Deerfield before the trip. The trip will culminate with a concert where students will perform and celebrate their time together in Colombia.

This trip provides unique and powerful opportunities to engage in community building and joyful collaboration around musical expression. It will cultivate intellectual humility by revealing to even our most talented musicians the breadth and variety of music theory and performance practice that exists beyond the boundaries of their often western-focused music education.