We were very happy to hear about a 19-year-old volunteer from Germany who was coming to Latin America and wanted to take the opportunity to get to know our work at Clave de Sur and join us as an instructor, as it was the first time since the pandemic began that we had been able to welcome any visitors, let alone visitors from overseas. After a few months had passed and he was already in Ecuador, we were contacted by Joshua Schneider from Kulmbach, Germany, who had come to get to know all the wonders of Ecuador, including us!😊

Joshua volunteered with us from June 14 to July 23, 2021, and although he plays trombone, we were able to organize a schedule for him that also benefited our trumpet students and included him giving some English and German classes. We tried to make his short stay in Guasmo Sur as worthwhile as possible, by inviting participants from other Mi Cometa programs such as CASF and Code 29 to benefit from his courses.

As far as musical instruction is concerned, for the students of Clave de Sur and residents of the community, Joshua gave music theory classes, led practice sessions on breathing exercises, buzzing and flexibility to improve the tuning skills and fingering speed of our trombone and trumpet students.

Joshua also taught English and German language courses to beginner and intermediate groups of students from our organization’s scholarship program, as well as English language preparation sessions for the instructors of the scholarship program.

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Saturday, July 17, marked the culmination of our pilot dance course, which had been resumed following the re-opening of our facilities for on-site classes. The pilot course began on April 19 with the participation of some of the students who had joined us in previous years and who even continued to do so during the virtual classes that our instructor Ariana Yaucán continued giving during the lockdown.

In order to adhere to social distancing regulations and other necessary measures for the safety of our girls, the groups did not exceed six students per class, and they and their guardians had to remember to wear their masks and keep a safe distance from one another within our facilities.

The courses went smoothly, and included girls aged between 2 and 13. Before the end of the course, we wanted to give all of the participants a little gift by organizing a mini-photo session with them in their dance uniforms. The photos were then emailed to each child’s guardian and those who wanted to also received printed copies of the five photos.

To the photoshoot, we had the collaboration of Álvaro Paja, a colleague of the Mi Cometa’s movement organization.

During the closing recital, two students also participated who had continued with their training online – Lola and Suany prepared their own choreography for the recital and also received their end-of-course certificates. (You can watch their presentation on YouTube).As the other participants were still unable to perform with an audience present, all of their presentations were also filmed and will be published gradually on our social media channels.

We would like to thank you all very much for your continued trust in our institution. We are very happy to have all of you with us again at Clave de Sur!

Here are some photos of the dance classes and closing recital in our Facebook album:

This year has been very difficult and painful for many of us. But slowly we are recovering and getting back to things that benefit us, as music and the music school Clave de Sur where we can share and enjoy it together, do. Despite the loss of our school coordinator, we regrouped, and we are planning a new beginning, whilst the pandemic keeps us worried.

In September we reopened our doors to new students, implementing a hygiene concept. Due to the lack of teachers, who we usually consist of foreign volunteers, we could only offer a limited number of lessons. Nevertheless, we managed to complete the trimester culminating with Christmas concerts. It is now, that we realize the great necessity of a steady local team, supporting us and covering the demand of music

lessons.

For the first time Clave de Sur has launched a campaign to collect funds. Until now we have always relied on little to no money and were thus dependent on the help of foreign volunteers to cover the music lessons and to attend most of the people coming to Clave de Sur. This campaign is furthermore an opportunity for us to receive a more direct and continuous support for our activities.

Concerning Clave de Sur we find ourselves in a process of simultaneous rebirth and growth. We face the challenges brought upon us by these desperate times. At a time like this, when we need strength, we don’t want to silence our notes and harmonies. It is the music that has helped many of us to overcome the last 15 years.

If you have stuck with us until this point of the article, you must have some sympathy for us. Help us to share the link to the campaign on social media and with all your contacts. The more people we reach and the more donations we get, the better! 

The Clave de Sur team organized a concert in gratitude and diffusion for the campaign carried out by Musiker ohne Grenzen Guayaquil, this day themes that are well known by our dear volunteers were presented, to share even from afar a little of the heat of Guasmo ( literally) ?, you can enjoy this concert live on our YouTube channel. Thanks for staying with us! ?