Festiba 2006
The College of Arts and Humanities modeled FESTIBA after HESTEC- Hispanic Engineering, Science and Technology (HESTEC) Week. HESTEC is a year-round leadership program that aims at increasing the participation rates of Hispanics in science and engineering fields through leadership workshops, hands-on-competitions, interactive exhibits, and professional development courses for educators. It is anticipated more Hispanics will enter the science and engineering fields as a result of HESTEC. Likewise, it is anticipated FESTIBA will increase youth's interest and appreciation for reading leading to improved success in secondary education and to better preparedness for post-secondary education.
FESTIBA began in 2006 with FESTIBA Musical as a preview of the event which was to take place in 2007. FESTIBA Musical included the Departments of Modern Languages, Mexican American Studies, Latin American Studies, Women's Studies, and the Music Department which collaborated in presenting scholars and musical presentations at UTPA for the purpose of integrating theoretical reflection and musical performance. This event will consist of scholarly seminars, musical presentations, a mariachi workshop, a Middle School and High School mariachi showcase/competition, and a Grand Concert. The Mexican Embassy sent a "Grupo Huasteco" to present traditional and regional music of Mexico. The mariachi competition was judged by members of the world renowned Mariachi International Guadalajara who showcased on the Grand Concert. The winner of the Middle School and High School levels performed on the Grand Concert which also featured the UTPA Folkloric Dance Company, the UTPA Mariachi Femenil and the UTPA Mariachi.
The seminars included the following presenters and scholars:
Elijah Wald
Author Elijah Wald, who has written for various magazines, including the Boston Globe, on folk, roots and international music. He has won several awards, including a Grammy for his liner notes to the Arhoolie Records 40th Anniversary Box; the 2001 Best Performing Arts Book award from the Independent Publishers Association for "Josh White: Society Blues;" and Best Arts Book at the 2002 Latino Book Awards for "Narcocorrido: A Journey into the Music of Drugs, Guns, and Guerrillas." Elijah Wald will provide a seminar sharing his research on the "corrido".
Dr. Yolanda Broyles-Gonzalez
Author from the University of Arizona, Professor and Head of Women's Studies, Dr. Yolanda Broyles-Gonzalez teaches and researches in the areas of Chicana, Native, and Women's Studies. She is the author of El Teatro Campesino: Theater in the Chicano Movement; Lydia Mendoza's Life in Music/La Historia de Lydia Mendoza. Yolanda Broyles-Gonzalez is a recipient of the National Association for Chicana/o Studies' lifetime achievement "Distinguished Scholar Award."
Dr. Jonathan Clark
Ethnomusicologist Dr. Jonathan Clark, an expert on the evolution of the mariachi tradition, will present a lecture on the history of the "Mariachi." Dr. Clark spent almost twelve years in Mexico as a young "gringo" mariachi playing the guitarrón with mariachi masters in Mexico, and the last twenty years of his life recording the history of mariachi by interviewing and transcribing the recordings of the legendary Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán.
Dr. Mark Ramirez
Assistant Professor Dr. Mark Ramirez directs the Percussion Studies at UTPA and will present his research on roots of Latin rhythms. His presentation will analyze rhythmic modalities extracted from the three principal forms of the Rumba: guaguancó, yambú, columbia as a development of the binary rhythmic pattern referred to as the "clave". In addition, he will provide a historical synopsis of the musical tradition of the Rumba.
Ruth Crews
Ruth Crews, Assistant Professor at UTPA, earned her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the University of Texas at Austin, and joined the UTPA music faculty in 1973. Mrs. Crews currently teaches applied voice, teaches vocal technique in classical, belting, and mariachi styles, and has designed a new course entitled "Women Composers". Her article "Producing and Directing the Zarzuela", by her and Dr. Richard Davis has been published in the latest issue of The Journal of Singing.
Dr. Richard Davis
Richard Davis has had a career as a college professor and as a singer. His monograph, A Beginning Singer's Guide, is available from Scarecrow Press. He has developed an online music appreciation course specializing in Music Theatre, and is published in the Choral Journal, The Journal of Singing, and the American Music Teacher. He co-directs the UTPA Opera Workshop with Ruth Crews and collects old cars. Ruth Crews and Richard Davis will present their research on the "Zarzuela" which has a fascinating, if uneven, history, beginning in 17th-century Spain and continuing to 1950. They will summarize that history and present live and recorded examples of the zarzuela's most memorable moments.
Alberto Barrera
Alberto Barrera was trained as an artist and studied under Diego Rivera at the University of Mexico. In Rio Grande City he has been an educator for 48 years as a classroom teacher, counselor, coordinator, Assistant Vice-Principal, and Title VII Bilingual Director. Mr. Barrera started writing children's songs about his barrio, his family, and his hometown for his Spanish speaking students while he was teaching at the Rio Grande City schools. The topics of his songs are mostly about the area sights, his friend's nicknames (apodos), and games he used to play as a child such as "las canicas", "los trompos", "el palito", etc. Mr. Barrera will share his experiences and perform some of his favorite and original "corridos".
FESTIBA 2007 will celebrate the Arts and Humanities, encourage literacy, as well as broaden cultural awareness through books, poetry, drama, lectures, musical concerts, artistic exhibits, and presentations in design, dance, theatre, films, and more! FESTIBA will provide opportunities for university faculty and students to participate in the exchange of arts, research, and ideas and engage the community through hands-on-events, interactive exhibits, historical re-enactments, light show presentations, merging painting with poetry, storytelling, panel discussions, creative writing, movies with commentary, music workshops, competitions and concerts. UTPA campus tours on March 1-3 will also give valuable insights into an artistic, creative, and educational environment. Through FESTIBA, participants will be encouraged to "celebrate and experience arts and ideas" and prepare for studies in the arts and humanities. The book fair will exhibit books by local, national, and international authors and provide an opportunity to meet the authors.
FESTIBA is also designed to support literacy, and promote ongoing relationships with the University students, public school students, parents, teachers, and the community. According to National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) over 40% of U.S. Latino population cannot read the basics, and The Texas Education Agency's statistics show that during the 2003-2004 school year the students in the Region One Education Service Center Area (ESC 1) (encompassing 38 school districts in 7 counties in Deep South Texas) had an attendance rate of 95.7%, but the four-year dropout rate was 8.4%. In an effort to strengthen the culture of higher education, UTPA will enable youth from low-income communities to succeed in middle and high schools and prepare them for a college-level education.
UTPA is committed to education by developing a pipeline of students through programs such as Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (Gear-Up), a national program geared to preparing students for postsecondary education. The University of Texas-Pan American FESTIBA program will collaborate with Gear-Up Grant middle schools to transform low-income Hispanic middle school students into successful readers by providing opportunities for these students to experience "books and arts, and the exchange of ideas" and foster and encourage a love for reading and skills for lifelong learning. FESTIBA will encourage the skills necessary for success, including oral/written communication, critical thinking skills, creativity, and a change in attitude towards literacy. FESTIBA will also provide individuals of all ages and backgrounds the opportunity to celebrate the diversity of our multicultural community.
