User:Abelcuba/sandbox

Camilo Moreira Coro
Camilo Moreira Coro (Havana October 4th, 1988) Cuban composer and guitar player. In one of his compositions won Second Place in one of the most important National Composition Competitions in Cuba (dedicated to Alejandro Garcia Caturla), in which both professional and student composers from all over the country participated.

When Camilo was a small boy he asked for guitar lessons. Although his grandfather was a doctor, who remained in Cuba after the revolution, his mother a neurobiologist and professor and father an engineer, jointly they could barely afford private lessons, because even now, these professionals earn quite a small salary per month. However, they did scrape the money together, because Camilo wanted lessons so intensely.

Beginning in the third grade, the Cuban education system differentiates students and allows the most promising potential musicians into the elementary musical school. When Camilo applied to attend this school, he was rejected, based on the fact that the teachers thought that he was not “focused enough”. (It later became clear that he had ADHD, for which he was treated, which changed his ability to focus in a very dramatic manner). Camilo continued to study guitar independently.

After the ninth grade, students are again directed into different schools. The majority of the places in the High School Conservatory (Intermediate Level) are given to students who have completed the seven years of the elementary musical school. Only a few additional places (3 to 4 at the most) are made available to students who have not attended the elementary musical school. A five day competition is set up, and students from the whole city compete for the spaces. The competition is set up so that only the students who pass Monday’s test are allowed to enter Tuesday’s test, and only Tuesday’s winners can compete on Wednesday, etc. Finally, those remaining on Friday are evaluated, and then about a month later, the students who will be allowed to go to the conservatory are announced.

Camilo decided that he wanted to study and compete for one of these spaces. In order to give himself time for such study, after the ninth grade, he went into a vocational school for waiters. The school for waiters only met in the mornings, which would then give him time to study music all afternoon and evening. Taking this route was a great risk, because if he didn’t get into the music conservatory, essentially he would be doomed to pursuing a career of being a waiter, but he was so committed to pursuing his music that he took the chance.

His music preparation was guided by a professional music teacher, Lourdes Rodríguez Cuervo (Ear Training teacher at the intermediate level) and by Ronald Martin Alonso (Guitar player).

After two years of private lessons to study all the musical subjects, Camilo went into the entrance competition). After a month of anxiety, the results were announced:  he would be admitted not only to study Guitar, but also to simultaneously study Theoretical Subjects.  He finished these two specialties and graduated from the Intermediate Level with special honors.

After graduating from the intermediate level students are qualified to, and most students do, pursue music careers. For those who wish to study at the Higher Institutes of Arts, a similar set of five day examinations is set up as was required at the intermediate level. However, only a few of these applicants are admitted (average 2 or 3 for each specialty). Camilo applied, took the tests, and was admitted to study Composition at the Music Faculty (Conservatory) which he is now attending.