ABOVE: Amos Lucidi, left, talks alongside Son de Cuerdas bandmates Claudia Aizaga and Ada Tzab. Lucidi played the piano, while Aizaga and Tzab played the cello and harp respectively for Fairmont elementary’s music students as part of Minnesota Public Radio’s Class Notes music program on Wednesday at Fairmont Elementary School.

FAIRMONT – Through to a partnership with Minnesota Public Radio’s Class Notes program, Fairmont Elementary School students were able to listen to a mix of Latin American and Hispanic music from trio Son de Cuerdas on Wednesday.

Son de Cuerdas incorporated a diverse array of classical works made accessible for the children, infusing the melodies of Western European, Latin American, and Hispanic composers.

K-2nd grade music teacher Elizabeth Shimon said Fairmont is on a mailing list for the MPR program. It’s something they’ve been involved with for several years, and they have had other musicians in before.

“Every year when they send it out and ask if any of the dates would work, we always sign up for it because it’s such a great opportunity,” she said. “They’re all from foreign countries, or bring in music from around the world.”

Son de Cuerdas utilizes a piano, harp and cello, which Shimon said provides a unique opportunity for students to experience these instruments up close.

“Instruments [teacher] Emily Labes and I don’t touch on the daily,” she said. “They offer students a little glimpse into their life and what their music looks like. We have a lot of multilingual learners here, and they just really feel a wonderful connection. It’s fun to be able to see that.”

Not only are they there to entertain, Shimon said they will be able to apply what Son de Cuerdas performed and taught moving forward in concepts like form and dynamics.

“Just like anything we learn outside of our classroom, any of our continuing ed, or any classes a teacher takes, you take the pieces that are really helpful and valuable and start to integrate them into lessons,” she said. “It’ll be exciting to be able to see what they come up with, and then obviously use it for our grade levels.”

While they do cover Latin American music during the school year, Shimon said having a troupe like Son de Cuerdas in the classroom provides an amazing opportunity for students to expand their horizons and hear outside music sources.

“To be able to see and hear those instruments piques curiosity in the best kinds of ways,” she said. “They also can practice their audience etiquette. As they are sitting and being a great audience, that is something we’re really passionate about in the music department, teaching people how to act at a concert.”

When she told her students about it, Shimon said they got super excited like they always do with something new and different, like seeing a musical produced by the high school.

The importance of opportunities like this is not lost on Shimon, as this is the only exposure some of her students will have to these types of arts.

“Some of our kids, the only opportunity they will ever get is us taking them over to the high school to watch a musical or a little matinee they have been able to provide for us in the last several years,” she said.

This was not the first, and will not be the last, unique opportunity Shimon and Labes will seek to bring to their students.

“Emily and I jump on these opportunities anytime we can get live entertainment,” Shimon said.