25 Years of Spreading the Love of Music

Schools are out and children all over Belize are finding unique ways to pass their time. Among the variety of summer camps and programs available for students to participate in, Carlos Perrotte’s Music Camp has been a constant source of music education and fun for students for over two decades. In this week’s episode of Belize on Reel, we sat down with the man that has inspired a love for music in children and adults for over twenty-five years.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

For those with a passion for music and the essence of Belizean culture that is expressed through song and sounds, the name Carlos Perrotte is a very familiar one. For the past two decades, the Cuban transplant has spread his love for music through musical projects such as Omolewa Osain.  The name of the album which translates to Powerful Mind, is a unique blend of Jazz, Garifuna music and the West African roots of Cuba. He has also played a hand in the beloved Pan Yaad Festival for several years. However, it is through teaching that Perrotte has always been able to connect with youths and spark a fire for music that would transcend to adulthood.

 

Carlos Perrotte, Music Instructor

“I believe this is the most important thing, to teach children in an early age, like yourself, you can remember your time at Grace Primary. Give me the opportunity to meet them, and feel the love that they give you. Those children they have more love than the rest. It is easy for you to reach them, and then the early age is the most important part of life, for them to get knowledge. I believe you should treat them well from a younger age, then they will grow with a different attitude and with a different approach of life and that’s what I try to do in terms of music.”

 

 

 

Perrotte has been teaching music in Belize for over twenty-five years, but his love for melody began at a much earlier age. It is his belief that children should be given the opportunity to develop a love for music while it can still be nurtured.

 

 

 

 

 

Carlos Perrotte

“I started when I was six years old. Although my mom and my dad were engineers and doctors, I have a uncle who told me don’t worry about that, just play music But, we have a system that allows you to do that. In my country, with all the problems we have, we have a system that makes music education from the beginning, to the end. So I started when I was seven years old and then got my master’s degree in music with no stop. So from the beginning age I fell in love with music, and that’s what I’m doing.”

 

 

 

Perrotte’s students describe his classes as fun and energetic. Six-year-old Elijah Lorenzo tells us that he’s been coming to Perrotte’s class since he was four years old and plans to keep coming back.

 

Britney Gordon

“Are you having fun doing these classes? What do you feel when you play the instruments?”

 

 

 

Elijah Lorenzo, Student

“I feel great, I feel nice.”

 

Britney Gordon

“Do you really like music?”

 

Elijah Lorenzo

“Yea I do really.”

 

Britney Gordon

What do you like about music?”

 

Elijah Lorenzo

I like that it likes to make me dance and sing and do stuff.”

 

 

 

Perrotte’s love for music is also alive inside his home. His daughter, Ala Perrotte, says music has been a part of her life for as far back as she can remember.

 

Alma Perrotte, Perrotte’s Daughter

“I would say from I came out the womb I’ve been learning music because of my dad. And, but playing instruments I’ve, it’s been like, around, I would say fifteen to sixteen years since I’ve been playing music.”

 

Britney Gordon

“What would you say is something admirable about the way your father goes about teaching music?”

 

Alma Perrotte

“I think it’s because of how much love he has for music and he, and how much he wants to give the love that he has. And he wants to teach it to other students, especially young kids, because the young kids are the future of our country. So him spreading his love about music to other students so that they could be also in love with music is what I think lets him go on like that. And that’s why everyone likes the way, the way how he teach.”

 

 

 

Perrotte’s Camp focuses primarily on percussion instruments such as drums and xylophones. Lourdes Mora, a student at this year’s camp, says that her favorite instrument is the steel pan and she enjoys hearing herself improve after every lesson.

 

Lourdes Mora, Student

“I get to learn new stuff and I could remember it in my head, so the next day when I come I could remember it and do better from last year.”

 

Britney Gordon

“What’s your favourite part about making music?”

 

Lourdes Mora

“It’s cause I feel special. And what do you like most about Mister Carlos and his class?”

 

Lourdes Mora

“Because he is fun, about him, he lets us play music and once we ask a question. Like if I ask if I want play the drums, mister Carlos would let me play the drums.”

 

 

 

 

 

Perrotte plans to retire next year, but he does not believe that it will be the end of his time as an instructor. He says that once there is a passion for something, it does not simply go away.

 

Carlos Perrotte

“I say I will retire, but I didn’t say I would stop teaching. Teaching is something that when you passion, it’s hard to give up so easily. But I encourage others to bring up their talent and help others to build up their skill. It doesn’t have to be only me, so what I say, we have more camps now, but I don’t believe they have a camp like this. We focus in percussion instruments. The rest of the camps is a little bit of something. So I hope somebody else, comes on, we have more talent and they can do it too, I hope.”

 

Britney Gordon for News Five.