things. The possibilities are essentially endless when choosing what is known as a "chord progression" in music. This premise is why it is beneficial to understand the formula of certain Latin American styles, whereas some do not use harmony at all. "Suite Suramericana," being that it is a suite, consists of what is known as several "movements" in music. A movement is a self-contained part of a musical composition or musical form. Each movement represents a specific region within Latin America. Here is an in-depth look into the Suite and its movements — I. Overture: The introduction to an idea within a musical suite. This part of the Suite gives a general outlook on how the overall piece feels musically. II. En Los Llanos: Los Llanos translates to 'The Plains.' This part of the Suite explores regions of Latin America like Western Venezuela and NorthEastern Colombia. III. En Las Montañas: The Andes played a significant role in creating simple melodies and flutes. The Andes culture can be traced back to Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, and all other parts of Latin America with Mountains and grasslands. Las Montañas translates to, 'The Mountains.' IV. En la Selva: 'En La Selva' roughly translates to 'In the Jungle.' Throughout Latin America, there exist many jungles and tropical rainforests. The ambient undertones of tropical weather and vivid nature with plants and animals play a large role in this movement in terms of inspiration. V. En Las Islas: Translating to 'In the Islands,' this movement will explore the more tropical regions of Latin America. Some Islands include the Bahamas, Barbados, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Saint Lucia, Trinidad, and Tobago. However, some of the mainland countries contain small islands that have contributed to this Influence of music. VI. En Un Mundo: The final movement recaptures the entire Suite's essence, emphasizing the modern take on how these geographical locations have influenced this modern-day composition. Creating an authentic modern-day composition like "Suite Suramericana," using composition software and creating soundtracks, is crucial to giving this composition the modern flair it yerns upon existing. "Dorico," a musical composition software that has been used to create this piece, "helps you to write music notation, automatically producing printed results of exceptional quality — and plays it back with breathtaking realism. It is easy enough for anyone to learn, yet it has hundreds of advanced notations, features, options, and sounds to satisfy even the most demanding professionals." (Dorico SE, 1) Therefore software like Dorico will play a role in modernizing composing this musical piece, making the workload slightly less strenuous. In conclusion, this piece aims to highlight the cultural variety that Latin American music has to offer. In creating a piece like "Suite Suramericana," it is always important to be aware of the historical context involved in the Latin subgenres. Considering the aspects of music and its study of theoretical concepts, every note put into a composition has thought put into it. "Suite Suramericana" aims to showcase the capabilities of joining academic and artistic ideas while giving the music of Latin America time to shine. References: Agawu, Kofi. "The African Imagination in Music. New York, NY: Oxford University Press." (2016). Steinberg. "Music Notation Software - Write Scores with Dorico." Steinberg, 2019. https:// new.steinberg.net/dorico/. Scaruffi, Piero. "A Brief Summary of Latin-American Popular Music." A History of Latin- American Popular Music, 2002. https://www.scaruffi.com/history/latin.html. Colón, Dr. Cynthia. "History of Latin Music." The Latino Author, 2019. http:// thelatinoauthor.com/songs/history/. Colón, Dr. Cynthia. "Developing Ideas for Songs." The Latino Author, 2019. http:// thelatinoauthor.com/songs/ideas/. Gomes, Laurentino: “1808” - 2. edição - São Paulo - Editora Planeta do Brasil - 2007.
Racial Discrimination in Music: A Guide to Overcome Trails and Tribulations in the Arts
Raven Blaylock Mentor: Daniel Pardo, Ph.D. Department of Music and Theatre
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