2007 Calendar

In 2003, Rhythm in the Barrios started in the school “Quinta Los Chavalos,” with a group of 15 kids who received piano classes once a week. Little by little, the number of children interested in music classes grew. Thanks to donations of other instruments like flutes and guitars, we brought our courses to more schools.

For the first couple of years, I gave almost all of the classes myself, although I could sometimes count on the help of some other volunteers. Although their contributions were always very valuable, they usually could not stay in Granada for very long due to various reasons, and so our work lacked continuity.

In order to bring lasting music classes to more schools, we decided it would be better to work with local musicians, rather than international volunteers who come and go. But there was a problem: we had to pay the Nicaraguan teachers, and we had no money for them.

So we came up with the idea of making a calendar to raise money.

Sales of the 2007 calendar were a complete success. We sold more than 600 of them, earning close to $6000!! With the money, besides buying instruments and other materials for classes, we were able to hire five local teachers: two pianists, one flautist, one guitarist, and a trumpet player. All of them were very young, knew how to play an instrument, and after they received training, they started to give music lessons.

With their help, more than twice as many kids are getting music lessons in 2007 than were in 2006. That’s more than 400 students in seven different schools.

In other words, the calendar was a triple success. First, it allowed us to give exciting jobs to five young Nicaraguans. Second, we are now bringing quality music lessons to more schools. Third, the calendars, which we sent all over the world, have given us lots of publicity. That has lead to more donations and volunteers, who, while we prefer the base of our team to be made of locals, are still more than welcome!

For all of this, we thank all of you who bought a calendar, or helped to sell them. We would especially like to thank the non-profit organization MSAC (Music Schools Association of Catalonia) for their invaluable collaboration. With a huge effort, MSAC purchased 75 calendars to give to all of its associated schools, and this brought us notable financial help and lots of publicity.

We hope we can continue to count on everyone’s support in the future.

Introducing the Schools

Rhythm in the Barrios teaches in seven schools where more than 400 students receive music lessons.


QUINTA LOS CHAVALOS and ESCUELITA YO PUEDO are located in the neighborhoods El Miralago and En Enredo, respectively. These are two of Granada’s poorest and most conflicted areas, where drugs, violence, and youth gangs are very common.

Building New Hope opened these two centers where the kids can go to spend free time, get food, improve hygiene, and participate in various activities. Music, like reading, art, and computer courses, helps to keep the kids off the streets.

We give the music lessons individually or in small groups in which the kids learn to play instruments like piano, guitar, and flute. In order to show their work and to share music with their families and communities, the kids have given concerts in their own and other schools, as well as in restaurants, Granada’s Central Park, and even on a local radio station.


LA INMACULADA, ELBA ZAMORA, ÁNGELA MORALES, ELENA ARELLANO and LA EPIFANÍA are five public schools which rely on the Nicaraguan government for funding.

All of these five schools are located in Granada’s outskirts in communities where the people must fight to survive: La Prusia, El Pochote, El Mamón, Las Camelias, and El Hormigón. In areas as remote as these, the government has forgotten its schools. As a result, they have practically no teachers nor materials to work with; the classrooms are overcrowded, and many instructors have no choice but to teach many different levels of students all at once, in the same classroom.


Music isn’t mandatory in the Nicaraguan education system, but a complementary subject called “Practical Orientation Class” does exist. Its content varies depending on the different resources of each center, and it usually consists of art, dance, sports, music, computer, and gardening activities, among other things. In schools located in Granada’s poorest neighborhoods, like the ones we work in, Practical Orientation Class is nothing more than a reinforcement of the principal subjects of reading and math; the schools’ lack of human and material resources prevents them from offering any of the enriching subjects mentioned above.

Our mission is to provide the schools with the necessary resources for music classes, because we believe that a well-rounded education is important for every child’s development.


We work in these schools giving flute, guitar, piano, and trumpet lessons, as well as a course called “Introduction to Music.” This is a group activity for the youngest children, with songs, auditions, and games.

To give the classes, we bring musical instruments, other necessary materials, previously trained local professors, and international volunteers to the schools. We all want to give the most disadvantaged kids an opportunity to experience, learn from, and enjoy the extraordinary world of music.

The Project

Plagued for decades by wars and natural disasters, Nicaragua is the second poorest country in Latin America. Seventy percent of the population lives below the poverty line, without access to the basic necessities, such as clean water, that human beings need to live decently. Nicaragua’s population is very young - almost half of all Nicaraguans are less than 14 years old - so young boys and girls suffer the most drastic effects of this extreme poverty.

Building New Hope (http://www.buildingnewhope.org/) is an organization which works primarily in Granada, in southwest Nicaragua. Building New Hope strives to offer educational opportunities to the youth of Granada who most need them.

Through various projects, we carry out Rhythm in the Barrios’ mission to bring music to the poorest of the city’s neighborhoods. We hope to spark kids’ interest in music by giving free lessons to those who would never otherwise have this opportunity.

So why music? Isn’t it more important to study reading, math, and history? Rhythm in the Barrios sees music as an excellent complement to a child’s education. Art in general promotes critical thinking, emotions, and self-esteem, things which are often overlooked in education systems as deficient as Nicaragua’s. Music is also a great way to improve social skills and to keep at-risk children off the streets by offering them an alternative to gangs, violence, crime, and drugs.

This project started in 2003 in one barrio with a group of 15 students. Today, we are working in seven schools, teaching more than 400 students piano, guitar, flute, trumpet, vocal, and group music courses. The youngest students sing songs, play games, and have auditions in our introductory music class. Well-qualified Nicaraguan musicians and international volunteers teach all the classes.

No degrees or prior experience are necessary to volunteer in our program, though they are recommended. We do not charge a program fee. We ask for a commitment of at least one month, an adequate level of Spanish, and elementary musical knowledge that will allow you to teach students at varying levels. Depending on what instrument you play, your Spanish proficiency, the time you can commit to volunteering, and our needs at the time, you may work either as a teacher or a teacher’s aide in some of the schools.

Unfortunately, in Nicaragua, there is not a lot of support for the arts, and it is practically impossible for us to obtain government aid. This makes volunteers’ participation in our program, as well as monetary and material donations (such as musical instruments), crucial for us to reach our goal.

We put monetary donations towards paying the salaries of local music teachers, and buying the instruments and materials necessary for our classes.

We are financing our 2007 project by selling Rhythm in the Barrios calendars, through personal donations, and through a subvention by Project Ahimsa, an American foundation dedicated to helping music education programs in developing countries. Project Ahimsa doesn’t donate two years in a row to the same program, so we are searching for new ways to fund our 2008 initiatives.

Welcome!

Welcome to the Rhythm in the Barrios blog!

We created this blog to show the world the work that we are doing in Nicaragua.

Anyone who would like to participate can find general information here about our project. Those who are already familiar with us can keep up with our news and accomplishments.

From this breathtaking country of Nicaragua, we thank all our friends who have believed in Rhythm in the Barrios and who, in one way or another, have helped to keep it going the past several years.

We hope you enjoy our blog. Keep in touch!