Last Saturday, February the 22nd, took place the Harvest Festival, a cultural activity where a good bit of the San Marcos La Laguna’s community and the tourist’s population gather to enjoy a journey packed with music, culture, and fun times. Our staff had the chore of welcoming all the attendants and receiving the donations at […]
“There is no complete spiritual life without music, for the human soul has regions which can be illuminated only by music.” Zoltan Kondaly.
In 1951, Zoltán Kodaly (Kecskemét, 1882 – Budapest, 1967), Hungarian researcher and musical composer who introduced Hungarian schools to the music lessons period ampliation into a complete hour daily. Results were amazing, having an overall performance increase compared with the rest of the region’s schools; a remarkable point is that in order to dedicate a complete hour to music the rest of the lessons had their period’s time shortened.
Music influences in a great way the sensitivity development, creativity, discipline, and the human’s social behavior; These can be seen holistically reflected on the self’s development.
In Escuela Caracol, music is a basic tool used to holistically nurture our Caracolitos and Caracolitas. It begins during the first septennium (ages 0 – 7) with singing until reaching the melodic instruments such as the flute or the guitar during the second septennium (ages 7-14).
Students show such happiness every time they master any task related to this subject, such as tuning the guitar or interpreting a whole song, beyond that, its wonderful to see the way they share their achievements instead of falling into competitive or comparative conducts.
Once you know this, it’s no hard to understand why Escuela Caracol is the place where children are happy.
Become part of our community and help us continue nurturing Mayan children from the western region of Lake Atitlán; share our posts and newsletter with your friends and family, speak about Escuela Caracol with your workmates, sponsor a student, or make a one-time donation.
Click the link to donate https://escuelacaracol.org/make-a-one-time-donation/
The Escuela Caracol has in its academic program classes in Spanish, English and Kaqchikel, the local Mayan language.
The videos we share below are two beautiful songs in Kaqchikel, where the teacher Diego guides the children of second and third grade.
The first song is a show of gratitude to the Creator of All Life while the second is a celebration of joy of living in such a beautiful place like San Marcos La Laguna.
You can find more videos on our YouTube channel!
For the Waldorf student, music, dance, and theater, writing, literature, legends and myths are not simply subjects to be read about, ingested and tested. They are experienced. Through these experiences, Waldorf students cultivate a lifelong love of learning as well as the intellectual, emotional, physical and spiritual capacities to be individuals certain of their paths and to be of service to the world.
Developed by Rudolf Steiner in 1919, Waldorf Education is based on a profound understanding of human development that addresses the needs of the growing child. Waldorf teachers strive to transform education into an art that educates the whole child—the heart and the hands, as well as the head.
When you enter a Waldorf school, the first thing you may notice is the care given to the building. The walls are usually painted in lively colors and are adorned with student artwork. Evidence of student activity is everywhere to be found and every desk holds a uniquely created main lesson book.
Another first impression may be the enthusiasm and commitment of the teachers you meet. These teachers are interested in the students as individuals. They are interested in the questions:
Teachers in Waldorf schools are dedicated to generating an inner enthusiasm for learning within every child. They achieve this in a variety of ways. Even seemingly dry and academic subjects are presented in a pictorial and dynamic manner. This eliminates the need for competitive testing, academic placement, and behavioristic rewards to motivate learning. It allows motivation to arise from within and helps engender the capacity for joyful lifelong learning.
The Waldorf curriculum is broad and comprehensive, structured to respond to the three developmental phases of childhood: from birth to approximately 6 or 7 years, from 7 to 14 years and from 14 to 18 years. Rudolf Steiner stressed to teachers that the best way to provide meaningful support for the child is to comprehend these phases fully and to bring “age appropriate” content to the children that nourishes healthy growth.
“When children relate what they learn to their own experience, they are interested and alive, and what they learn becomes their own. Waldorf schools are designed to foster this kind of learning.”
—Henry Barnes, a longtime Waldorf teacher and the former Chairman of the Board of AWSNA
