Musical Heritage revival Event at Kean University

By Rosney Herrera | Published by October 20, 2021

“Music is the medicine of the soul”, was the description on the 4th episode of the Hispanic Heritage Month 2021. The Latin American culture is usually incorporated in a ceremony, whether small or big. The music of Hispanics is laden with history, passion, legend, oppression, country, love, and many other themes.

Music was the focus of the 4th episode of the Hispanic Heritage Month 2021, held at the Latin Patio at the Miron Student Center (MSC) Patio, on September 21, 2021, at 6 p.m. Sponsored by Kean PULSE, the event featured performances of certain popular, longstanding genres of traditional Hispanic music, including Latin Pop, Salsa, and Bachata.

The Latin Pop performance was first on the list, and it involved several students (some not Hispanic) giving a thrilling performance adorning the Puerto Rican flag. The students performed a set laden with Spanish and English songs, skillfully showing how thorough Latin music has been taking center stage globally.

Latin Pop is always changing, borrowing everything from Espanol to rock to Salsa. As noted by the director of the Latin Pop performances, some of the most popular Latin Pop records have remained steadfast through natural disasters, famine, war, and military dictatorships and are still felt today even in the face of passing trends.

The Salsa performance came second. This is one of the most popular and best-known genres of Hispanic music. The Salsa performances were breathtaking, and it was amazing to watch as the young men and women moved gracefully with the music like their bodies had not a single bone. That was the beauty of it: the dancers and the singers doing their thing as if they could read each other’s minds as they performed.

The Salsa performance was closed with a touch of Cuban contemporary Salsa, known as timba. The music involves a fast tempo and a robust Afro-Cuban effect whose work usually takes a more traditional rhumba structure. It started slowly but later picked the typical Salsa rhythm having a call-response vocal.

For this final event, the Bachata, the performers staged a great performance of Borracho de Amor,” Calderon’s first song, produced in 1962. They blended aspects of son with bolero, the Pan-Latin American style, and its jocular singing traditions. The performance was so good the audience asked the students to do it again. However, rather than the traditional maracas and nylon-stringed Spanish guitars, the students used guitars and electric steel strings common with bands like Aventura and Monchy Alexandra.

The music was brought to a close with the performance of Merengue, another music genre believed to have originated from the Dominican Republic and whose history goes as far back as the 19th Century. While this was not part of the program, it was “one of the liveliest performances of the day,” said Ms. Ethel Eady Thomas, ESL professor.

The 4th edition of the Hispanic Heritage Month 2021 could not end without games. The attendees were treated to an assortment of fun games.

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