This is a free educational competition open to UK schools, colleges and universities. The project is about engaging students to compose and submit their own songs for ‘Fidel’ – a musical about Fidel Castro and the Cuban revolution. We have outlined the plot and a brief for each song, and you can choose which songs you would like to work on. Each institution can submit their best 3 songs (see our competition tab for details). Deadline for submission is 6th November 2015 for the autumn term and 21st July 2015 for the summer term. Schools/colleges can have joint projects between music and other departments (e.g. English, history, politics, Spanish) for the lyrics. Early registration recommended – see log-in.
Fidel Castro is one of the world’s longest standing leaders and led the Cuban Socialist revolution in the 1950s alongside Che Guevara and then led Cuba from 1959 to 2006, when he retired due to ill health. The story of the revolutionary war, and the subsequent hostile relationship with the US and events such as the Bay of Pigs invasion and Cuban Missile crisis in the 1960s mean that this is an exciting tale. Educationally the story of Fidel Castro and Cuba has a lot to teach us, from their vibrant music, dance and culture, to their historical and political role as a small island caught up in Cold War politics, as well as the ethical dilemmas of leadership.
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