Realising the aspiration of establishing my own recording studio took eight years. Users from the Isla Baja regional occupational centre, situated in Buenavista, have witnessed the transformation of their music classroom into a professional studio, a facility available for all musicians wishing to record their projects there.
This initiative was driven by Rafael Muñoz, the instructor for the music therapy workshop and sound engineer at the Isla Baja studio, who has dedicated 18 years to the centre, initially as a volunteer and subsequently as a music therapist.
Over this period, he has collaborated with the young individuals in the Music Therapy workshop to form a folk group as well as a Brazilian batucada group. A friend suggested he should record them in a studio in a more professional manner. At first, he was hesitant, as taking more than 20 individuals with disabilities to an unsuitable location could induce unnecessary stress. He thought it might be preferable to convert the music classroom into a professional studio instead, which would remain accessible for the entire region and also serve as a source of self-funding for the occupational centre.
This concept started to materialise as Rafa, as everyone refers to him, sought funding, and gradually, contributions began to arrive, primarily from individuals who believed in the initiative, along with public entities offering support and technical assistance from Hugo Westerdahl, who provided guidance on conducting the project “with minimal expenditure and optimal techniques,” he emphasises.
This endeavour culminated last Saturday with the official unveiling to present this asset to the Isla Baja community, which the children will continue to utilise to record and enhance their musical creations, while it remains accessible to the broader society.
The launch was a deeply moving occasion, showcasing the collective effort over these years, assembled “piece by piece” to ensure that the Isla Baja occupational centre is the first in the Canary Islands to enjoy this facility. “It is quite interesting that inclusion is emanating from the perspective of disability towards the rest of society, which is typically the reverse. Now it is those with disabilities who are integrating others, as there is no professional recording studio until Puerto de la Cruz,” he states.
The opportunities that music presents are vast, and Rafael along with his students have adeptly capitalised on them through diversity. They challenge one another in each session, fostering creativity, and they discover by playing various instruments. “They become engaged because they relish being part of something, feeling a sense of belonging through their accomplishments,” Rafa emphasises.
Sessions are held on Mondays and Thursdays, where he works with each individual on a personal level, and once they acquire certain skills and build confidence in collaborating with others, he brings them together.
On a collective level, “they must grasp that the group functions because we are all contributing,” and for this to occur, the commitment each assumes is vital, “because commonly, society does not grant it, nor do they inherently develop it.” To facilitate this understanding, their teacher underscores the repercussions when one of their peers is absent “and the songs don’t resonate as they should,” he explains.
Rafa has also invested significant effort into crafting specific technical adjustments which Omar, the municipality’s blacksmith, implemented to tailor the instruments for users with motor difficulties, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to participate. One innovation includes fitting an electronic cuica (a percussion instrument) to a wheelchair via Bluetooth linked to a speaker, enabling a person with cerebral palsy to trigger sounds using a tablet, thus joining the rest of the batucada.
For the folk group, he devised a small device distinguished by three colours: red, yellow, and green, each representing a different chord. This setup assists those who might be distracted or struggle with concentration, as the transition between colours signals chord changes.
The final aspect of this inclusivity encompasses the social component, enabling participants to showcase their abilities and feel their efforts acknowledged. “This mindset is what I aim for them to adopt: it’s not about what we undertake, but the continuous improvement of our skills because there is a responsibility I want them to carry into other areas of their lives,” emphasises Rafael Muñoz.
