On May 7, 2024 Collingwood’s grade 5 students joined other Spanish Bilingual schools at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium to present and celebrate the Spanish language, culture and music in our annual presentation of Que Pasa. At Que Pasa, ten Spanish bilingual schools were represented by students, from elementary to high school age, who sang, danced and played in the schools’ bands performing and celebrating various genres of the music of Spain and Latin America. Students performed in front of parents, families, special guests, and for each other.
Collingwood’s grade 5 students presented two pieces: “La Bamba” a combination folk dance and song made popular by Ritchie Valens from Veracruz, Mexico and “Guantanamera” a Cuban folk song arranged by Alejandro Jimenez.
These pieces were chosen so that our students learned about various styles of Latin music of other times and places while learning that the harmonies are similar between the two pieces. In “La Bamba” we featured two students, Evelyn and Simón, in a dance duet.
Watch some of the highlights of this event!