PASCO, Wash. – A retired Tri-Cities educator brings multi-culturalism and joy to the often euro-centric music education canon.

Heidi Nelson, Viva La Musica’s creator, has a longstanding passion for teaching history through music.

After many years of teaching in Pasco, Nelson decided to switch things up by incorporating a hip-hop course, which led to an interesting question from her students.

“…I had several kids say, ‘what about the history from the music from Mexico?’ or ‘what about the history from Cuba?’ And I had to honestly say I didn’t know that much about that history… The excitement of learning just rubs off on the kids. That’s everything,” Nelson said.

The class teaches music outside of the most often used means of instruction, that is, European choral/classical music.

Much o

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