The sounds of Latin America filled the gymnasium of Seaside High School on as the band, Grupo Condor, taught students about the instruments and music of Mexico, Cuba and the Andes Mountains of South America.

Led by Gerardo Calderon and Nelda Reyes, the hour-long morning assembly May 2 began with music from the Andes Mountains. The duo showcased the various flutes of the region Ika, Malta and Zanka each named after different familial roles.

Music from Cuba and Mexico brought students to their feet.

Please, please feel free to dance, Calderon said. This might be your first and last chance.

The opportunity led to dozens of students dancing through the gym at one point a long conga line formed.

Most of the music were playing has a dance to it, Calderon said.

During a question-and-answer session, a student asked Calderon which instrument was the oldest one he played. Calderon pulled out a small, string instrument called a Charango that uses an armadillo shell as a sound box.

He told the students that the indigenous people of Central and South America did not have stringed instruments until European explorers began arriving.

Sheila Roley, Seasides principal, said she thought the experience was valuable for the students.

I think this was a wonderful opportunity for our students to get a broader view of the world and of the cultures of fellow students, said Roley.

Grupo Condor also performed for students at Broadway Middle School.

English language development teacher Dorota Haber-Lehigh was responsible for bringing the group to Seaside.

Haber-Lehigh met Gerardo Calderon after a performance at La Luna Nueva, an artist festival hosted by Portlands Miracle Theatre. Afterward, she asked if he performed in schools. Calderon said yes.

A grant from the Clatsop Cultural Coalition paid the full $490 cost at the high school. The parent teacher organization at Broadway Middle School funded that schools assembly.

Haber-Lehigh said she thought the opportunity allowed students to experience outside cultures and see role models from outside the mainstream.

We have a growing Hispanic population, and I believe instead of looking at a deficit model, seeing what these students lack and how can we incorporate them faster into American culture, I think we first have to recognize their culture, value it, celebrate it, Haber-Lehigh said. I think that will help them become more successful members of society in general and then our population at Seaside High School.

Calderon, who was born and raised in Mexico, founded Portland-based Grupo Condor in 1993 with the idea of promoting Latin American music. Together with Reyes, who is Calderons wife, and another musician who was sick and unable to attend the performances in Seaside Calderon and the group regularly perform throughout the region.

For years, Calderon said, the group toured throughout the country. He said that became tiring, so Grupo Condor shifted its focus.

I decided to move the group to the educational side of the music, Calderon said. Thats when we started playing more in schools, libraries, museums than public performances. And its rewarding.

Grupo Condor also teaches master classes for educators.

One of the things I tell people is that in Latin America most of the people grew up with dance and music parties here, parties there, Calderon said.

Early on, his brothers had a band, which Calderon said encouraged him to get into music. After a stint in music school, he said he became fascinated with the music of Latin American culture. He has since learned to play many instruments though he said the guitar is his main instrument.

Calderon said he and Reyes have a couple of other groups that perform in educational settings. He is also working with a group of musicians performing a fusion of Latin American and flamenco music.

Performing with the different groups and learning new instruments comes naturally, Calderon said.

Being in the culture where you have music, dance, you learn all this stuff, Calderon said. You bring it everywhere you go.

To find out more about Grupo Condor, visit the groups website at http://www.Grupo-Condor.com