The course will introduce you to a wide variety of rhythms and melodies, looking at performance skills which are general to the music including rubato, approach to pulse, flamboyance and flair, as well as techniques specific to each instrument (strings, piano). Alongside the music we will be discussing the socio-political history of the music and its traditions, including the place of music in society, its relationships with successive waves of immigration to the continent and its current place in society.

We will cover pulse, rhythm, rubato, style, performance, combining ensemble and solo playing, specific rhythms including Joropo, Pasillo, pre-Piazzolla tango, Mambo, Son, Bolero and others, Spanish pronunciation for vocalists, specific techniques for strings and piano.