These Peruvian children are singing two songs on their way home from school. Their village, Izcuchaca, is located an hour out of Cuzco. The titles
of the first song is unknown. With my limited understanding of Spanish I can
pick out these words from it: handsome, water and ham. The second song, which
seems to be called Chanchito “My
Darling”, has these words in it: permission of you mom, hands, “hacer” to
do, rat and ham. I think this song has something to do with the symbol of a pig
being a sign of abundance and happiness. See
this article.
These students are much like any other children, passing the
time by singing their favorite songs. It is unclear if the videographer
solicited the songs or if he simply began recording. Regardless, several of the
children express great enjoyment of singing the song as they walk, even changing
to a different song as they go. Children utilize music in many different ways.
It is a way for them to learn about their world, vocabulary, cultural norms,
etc. It is a way for them to express themselves in a safe way that is both
expressive and consoling. You can often tell what kind of a mood a child is in
by the songs stemming from their subconscious. When my son was young we used to
sing, “Baby Mine” from Disney’s Dumbo, to him as a baby to put him to sleep. He
didn’t like going to bed and so this song became a sad song to him. As a
toddler when we sang this song to him, his face would change from a happy face
to a sad face. Songs can often indicate to a child a particular task or time of
the day. My daughter would sing the “Clean Up” song every time we asked her to
tidy her room.
As children begin to socialize, music plays a role in
alleviating fear of the unknown and engagement with other kids. In many
cultures social dance plays a huge role in socializing children. They work
together to perform a common routine and consequently become more familiar with
one another. The commonality of music can be found on the playground as girls
jump rope and sing to the skips. In the video above it is interesting to note
that the tempo of the songs coincides with the rate in which they are walking. In
preschools, circle games like Ring Around the Rosie help kids engage with one
another. Similar musical games can be found around the world. With music as the
unifying factor, social interaction becomes less anxious and more about the
enjoyment of spending time with friends.
