We are the music

By sharing his experience and discoveries through a lifelong itinerary of music teaching and research in Central America, the writer/director seeks to challenge the audience with the question: Do you know who you are in music? The goal is to highlight how social structures in the Western music establishment alienates us from our relationship with music. The film was possible with the support of Cátedra Humboldt and IIArte (Universidad de Costa Rica), and the Latin American Studies Program of the University of Toronto (Canada).

  • Guillermo Rosabal-Coto
    Director
  • Guillermo Rosabal-Coto
    Writer
  • Guillermo Rosabal-Coto
    Producer
  • Heriberto Moya Chaves
    Key Cast
    "Don Beto"
  • David Castro Alvarado
    Key Cast
    "El niño"
  • Guillermo Rosabal Coto
    Key Cast
    "El investigador"
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Somos la Música. El Inicio de un Itinerario
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 22 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    November 10, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    2,500 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Costa Rica
  • Country of Filming:
    Costa Rica
  • Language:
    Spanish
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16.9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Closing keynote address: Humboldt Professorship (Univ. of Costa Rica)
    San José
    Costa Rica
    November 18, 2020
    Costa Rican Premiere
  • International Music Education Forum (Univ. of Veracruz)
    Xalapa
    Mexico
    March 26, 2021
    Mexican Premiere
  • Collective Experiences and Debates in Arts Seminar (Univ. de la República)
    Montevideo
    Uruguay
    October 21, 2021
    South American Premiere
  • Keynote address, 12th biennial International Symposium on the Sociology of Music Education
    Hamar
    Norway
    June 22, 2021
    Scandinavian Premiere
  • Closing keynote address: 3rd Chilean Music Education Conference
    Santiago
    Chile
    December 6, 2021
    Chilean Premiere
  • Arts and Creativity Group Seminar (Faculty of Education, Univ. of Cambridge)
    London
    United Kingdom
    January 30, 2023
    European Premiere
Distribution Information
  • Guillermo Rosabal-Coto
    Distributor
    Country: Costa Rica
    Rights: Free TV
Director Biography - Guillermo Rosabal-Coto

Costa Rican born Guillermo Rosabal-Coto is an ethnographer, sociologist and music educator who studies how the Western establishment alienates the relationships that we affirm, explore, and celebrate when engaging with music in our daily life, from a Latin American, decolonial perspective. His latest scholarly work, which informs the short film “We are the music” can be accessed at: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/sociological-thinking-in-music-education-9780197600962?cc=cr&lang=en&

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