The President of the Cabildo, Carlos Alonso, attends the rehearsal of a show in which 150 youths take part

The President of the Cabildo de Tenerife, Carlos Alonso, believes that the initiative Musical.IES “is one of the major projects of the Tenerife 2030 strategy”. Alonso expressed this opinion during his visit to Auditorio de Tenerife yesterday, [Tuesday, 20]. He saw one of the first joint rehearsals of 150 young people who take part in this year’s Musical.IES., whose show, Versus, will be on stage on 8 April for the general public.  On 9 April, there will be two morning sessions for school children.

Carlos Alonso, who congratulated the youngsters on their work, pointed out that “Musical.IES develops the creative potential in the young, helps them to work as a team, and makes them more outgoing; these elements turn it into one of the most powerful tools of Tenerife 2030”. For his part, the Island Director for Culture and Education, José Luis Rivero, asked the members of this year’s show to “enjoy the moments of good vibes you’ll get; it’s hard work but it’ll help you to prepare for real life”.  “At times, life can be hard, difficult, and unfair, but only those who speak out can change things and can be listened”, Rivero added.

The visit of the Cabildo representatives coincides with the first week of joint work of all the participants, who come from the following secondary schools: IES Alcalde Bernabé, Chapatal, Teobaldo Power, Viera y Clavijo, Los Naranjeros, Tacoronte Óscar Domínguez, San Nicolás, María Pérez Trujillo, La Laboral y Los Cristianos.

Musical.IES is a project for young people in Secondary Schools, Pre-University studies and Professional Training, and it aims to train them in music by means of singing, performing, and dancing workshops. Through this pedagogic-artistic project, not only the inborn artistic qualities of participants are discovered but also team work, self-esteem, effort, sense of responsibility, and creativity are boosted; these values increase their ability to become part of the professional world in the future.

This year’s musical, Versus, aims to be a door to a near future of change and justice. The project’s director, Melodie Pérez, explains that “in this new world, we’ll go against the tide of history manuals and instead of focusing on great events, we’ll take a close look into individuals who live at the deepest end of a social change”. So, Versus is a journey across the struggles and motivations of these individuals who, as Pérez says, “in an irreverent gesture of love and tolerance, will take the hand of perfect strangers to, like sparks, be part of the fire of rebellion”.