In collaboration with a resident artist, Leo Lara, we together designed and fashioned Peruvian whistles called pitos out of clay. We studied the kinds of sounds and music that the pitos produce, and how it fits in with the natural surroundings of the Peruvian people. We then fired and painted our functioning whistles so students could make music of their own.
Younger students focused on a fascinating and distinctive part of the culture in Peru; the use of llamas as pack animals. We learned how llamas are integrated into the culture, and then created our own llama sculptures, complete with a pack to carry a heavy load up any mountainous terrain.
