A couple of years ago, we traveled to Seville, Spain and met Juan Ramírez, a Colombian flamenco guitarist and made the short film Soleá. Music plays an important role in all of our films; it creates an emotional connection and enhances the story. As French poet and novelist Victor Hugo said, “Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.”

Soleá captures a day in the life of Juan Ramirez. Through his eyes, we experience Soleá, the mother of flamenco, and his unusual journey to master his craft. In the film, Ramírez expresses that he intended to live in Seville for one month, but he has been living there for 13 years.

In this lesson, students explore the elements of the cross-cultural art form of flamenco as well as the themes of creative exploration, dedication and commitment, and music history. In a classroom discussion, students explore the following statement from Ramírez: “There are many beautiful things in flamenco. That’s why you will never finish learning.You will always be learning no matter how many years you have been doing it. You may know it, but you will never finish learning.” How might this statement be applied to other things in life?

From our newsletter: Our Executive Director Cleary Vaughan-Lee highlights selected lesson plans each week.