Popular tiple construction workshops
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In ancient times, tiples played a crucial role in the religious and secular life of the Puerto Rican jíbaros. Now, the small, fading tiple is reborn in the hands of ordinary folks during community workshop events in Puerto Rico and the United States. |
Instrumentmaker/teacher William Cumpiano, co-founder of the Cuatro Project, demonstrates how to varnish a tiple made during a community workshop event
that took place under a 60-foot tent during the 2008 Chicago Puerto Rican Festival. The event was sponsored by the San Lucas United Church of Christ in the Puerto Rican neighborhood of the great city. Photo by Carlos Flores, PuertoRican Chicago
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Humacao, Puerto Rico 2010: Agapito López Flores Second Unit Public School Every student in a class of three girls and three boys in a novel instrument building class led by technology professor Carlos Rosado completed their own tiple instrument. The class spanned three months, consisting of one hour a day, five days a week. The Cuatro Project served as technical consultant during the development of the curriculum for the class and supplied the materials and fittings. Mr. Rosado has informed us that the class will be repeated during upcoming years and he has received affirmative responses to his request to expand the curriculum to similar schools in adjoining towns and cities.
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2007: YouthBuild Holyoke In YouthBuild programs, young people of low and moderate income between the ages of 16 and 24 years work full time for six to 24 weeks towards their GED or high school diploma, and at the same time they acquire employment skills in the construction trades building low-income housing. The emphasis is on leadership skills and the creation of small communities of youths and grownups committed to their success. In 2007 YouthBuild Holyoke facilitated their carpentry workshops to the Puerto Rican Cuatro Project to teach introductory instrument-making to 7 girls and boys aged 17 to 19. With the supervision of carpintry teacher John Rolinson, the instrument maker and Cuatro Project co-founder William Cumpiano volunteered his time to direct the teaching session. Most of the youths in the class were either dropouts or at risk. Unfortunately the workshop could not be repeated due to the cancellation of its funding.
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Tiple workshops sponsored by Chicago's San Lucas United Church of Christ. The San Lucas United Church of Christ in Chicago was founded in 1976 by 30 Christ-conscious men and women that were born and raised en the Puerto Rican community of Humboldt Park. They were searching for remedies for the harm caused by poverty and deprivation that faced their community. Since then they have maintained a series of support program that includes a great kitchen and dining hall open to all, including the homeless. Guided by the conviction that cultural development is a crucial factor in personal healing and well-being—as well as its ability to install a sense of self-awareness and coherence within a community, the San Lucas partnered with the Puerto Rican Cuatro Project in 2006 to begin an ongoing, annual series of tiple-making workshops at a minimal cost to all the citizens of their region, regardless of age or back-ground. The workshop has been held every June and as ongoing community support allows, intends to offer the workshops every year into the future.
VIDEOS DEL TALLER DE TIPLES DE
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2006 San Lucas Church With the exceptions noted. all the photographs of this section are by Carlos Flores,
2007 San Lucas Church
Taller de tiples de la Iglesia San Lucas,
Taller de tiples de la Iglesia San Lucas,
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