Violeta Hemsy de Gainza facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Violeta Hemsy de Gainza
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Hemsy de Gainza in 2015
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| Born | 25 January 1929 Tucumán Province, Argentina
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| Died | 7 July 2023 (aged 94) Buenos Aires, Argentina
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| Awards | Konex Award (1989) |
Violeta Hemsy de Gainza (born January 25, 1929 – died July 7, 2023) was an amazing Argentine pianist and a teacher who specialized in music. She believed that learning music was a basic human right for everyone. Violeta focused a lot on teaching music to children. She also taught about improvisation (making up music on the spot) and music therapy (using music to help people feel better).
Violeta wrote many books about music education. These books were so good that they were translated into lots of different languages! She also worked with big international groups. From 1985 to 1990, she was on the board of the International Society for Music Education. Later, she became the president of the Latin American Forum of Musical Education, leading it from 1995 to 2005.
Early Life and Learning
Violeta Hemsy de Gainza was born in Tucumán Province, Argentina, on January 25, 1929. Her parents were immigrants from Turkey. Her mother loved to sing French songs to her. When Violeta was just six years old, she started going to the Academy of Fine Arts. Her first instrument was the piano.
Before focusing on music, Violeta first studied chemistry. She finished her chemistry degree in 1950. She even worked with Walter Seelmann-Eggebert, who helped start Argentina's nuclear program.
But music became more and more important to her. In 1951, she won a special scholarship. This allowed her to go to the Teacher's College at Columbia University in New York City to improve her music skills. She then finished her music studies at the National University of Tucumán in Argentina. She focused on piano and earned her music degree in 1956. Later, in 1976, she traveled to Paris to study with Gerda Alexander. Gerda Alexander created a special way of moving and feeling called "eutony".
Music Career and Teaching
Violeta Hemsy de Gainza had a very busy and important career in music. From 1974 to 1986, she was the Director of the Music Therapy Commission for the International Society for Music Education (ISME).
She taught at many universities and conservatories. She was a professor of music teaching methods and improvisation at the University of La Plata. She also taught at the National Conservatory of Music Carlos López Buchardo starting in 1983. She was even an honorary professor at the Metropolitan University of Educational Sciences in Chile.
Violeta was a leader in many music organizations. She was on the board of the International Society for Music Education from 1986 to 1990. She also helped start the Argentine Association of Music Therapy and was its president from 1987 to 1993. From 1995 to 2005, she was the president of the Latin American Forum of Musical Education (FLADEM). She was also part of the UNESCO World Council for the Arts in Spain.
Many universities and governments invited her to be a judge, teacher, or speaker. These included groups like the Organization of American States and governments from France, Germany, and Spain.
Her Books and Ideas
Violeta wrote about 40 books and publications. These books were translated into many languages, like English, French, German, and Portuguese. Her writings covered many topics. She wrote about general music pedagogy (how to teach music), teaching piano and guitar, and leading children's singing groups. She also wrote a lot about improvisation and music therapy. Her books are often used as references in research papers.
She wrote a special songbook called Tucumán canta. This book celebrated the musical traditions of her home, Tucumán Province. The city of San Miguel de Tucumán honored this book on International Women's Day in 2019. Violeta also helped start the university choir in Tucumán.
She once said about teaching:
It is an aptitude and an attitude. Many people ask me if I compose; if I wanted to, I would. My tendency to express my creativity is pedagogy. I know that I teach in a way that doesn't go unnoticed and my students learn quickly. I pass on all my knowledge to them in a very natural way. I am still teaching. I don't want to spend my age doing nothing, I teach, I rest and I continue to learn.
Violeta taught many generations of students. Some of her students became very famous musicians, like Andrés Calamaro and Fito Páez. She famously said, "Learning music is a human right. You don't need it to live, but life is not the same without it."
Violeta also worked in publishing. She directed a music collection for a publishing house. She also edited magazines for music therapy groups.
In 1987, she received the Gold Medal from Peña El Cardón in Tucumán. In 1989, she won the Konex Award for classical music.
Even in her last years, when her health was not good and she became blind, she kept playing the piano and teaching. Violeta Hemsy de Gainza passed away in Buenos Aires on July 7, 2023, at the age of 94.
Works
Here are some of the books Violeta Hemsy de Gainza wrote:
- Fundamentos, materiales y técnicas de la educación musical (1984)
- La iniciación musical del niño (1984)
- Método para piano (1984)
- Música para niños compuesta por niños (1984)
- A jugar y cantar con el piano (1993)
- La educación musical frente al futuro (1993)
- La improvisación musical (1993)
- El cantar tiene sentido (1994)
- Aproximación a la eutonía, conversaciones con Gerda Alexander (1997)
- Claudio Gabis: sur, blues y educación musical (2000)
- En música in dependencia educación y crisis social (2007)
- Conversaciones con Gerda Alexander (2007)
See also
In Spanish: Violeta Hemsy de Gainza para niños
