Pictured: Jairo Hernandez, one of the two teachers of Nuestra Musica. Photo courtesy of CreArte Latino Cultural Center.

CreArte Latino Cultural Center is launching Nuestra Música, a Latin music workshop for Latino/Hispanic youth between 9 and 16 years old—with an emphasis on students who come from low-income families. The eight-week pilot program, mainly funded by the Manatee Community Foundation, will be taught in Spanish by two local professional musicians, Jairo Hernandez and Gian Carlos Cepeda Mantilla, and will explore folk music from the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. Participants will learn how to play the basics of one or several instruments of their choice, including percussion (bongo, conga, güira, maracas, marimba and timbal), strings (guitar, banjo, tiples, cuatro) and keyboard, to interpret traditional tunes. The Nuestra Música workshop is for 15 Spanish speakers. Classes begin Wednesday, January 18, 6-8 p.m., and continue through March 8, culminating in a performance open to the public. The cost is $185, and scholarships are available. To register and for more information, visit www.creartelatino.org.

Pictured: Jairo Hernandez, one of the two teachers of Nuestra Musica. Photo courtesy of CreArte Latino Cultural Center.