Guitar Teacher & Administrator
Cahuita Music Program, Costa Rica
Randall is an experienced musician and music teacher born in San José, Costa Rica, and a guitar teacher at the Cahuita Music Program since 2022. Randall learned to play percussion and the traverse flute at the Conservatorio Castella elementary school at an early age. And at 9, he began to study guitar with teacher Pablo Ortiz Moestel.
Once he completed his secondary studies, Randall decided to pursue a career in music and studied classical guitar with a specialization in teaching at the School of Music of the National University of Costa Rica (UNA). After living in New York and the city of Limón (CR) for some time, he moved back to Cahuita, where he currently lives.
Randall’s experience as a music educator includes teaching guitar at the elementary and middle school at the Oasis de Esperanza educational center in Miraría, San José. He also taught guitar at the Instituto Cuerdas Fa y Sol in Limón for 8 years.
In his guitar classes at the Cahuita Musical Program, Randall teaches hand technique and the fundamentals of musical reading. He also educates students on the different musical genres, focusing on the forms and harmonies of the Calypso music genre, traditional in Costa Rica.
For Randall, music not only has the power to heal the soul but can also become a powerful tool to preserve the identity of Costa Rica and the Calypso. He highlights how important this music program is for the youth of his community, who often have no way to entertain themselves or learn and are vulnerable to a very touristy location and easy ways to make money. Music is a different and fun path for them. “I have never seen these boys and girls so attentive before,” he says.
In a world where young people are getting used to moving forward without effort, Randall appreciates the perseverance that learning music requires. He likes to remind his students that: “practice makes the master.”
His classical music favorites include Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Vivaldi, Fernando Carulli, Antonio Sagreras and Roberto de la Maza. From the ‘trova’ musical movement, he likes Silvio Rodriguez, Violeta Parra and Facundo Cabral. Randall also enjoys listening to Paco de Lucia, Serranito, Carlos Santana, Jimmy Hendrix, and Pink Floyd.
Administrador y profesor de guitarra
Randall creció en Costa Rica y vivió en Nueva York, antes de regresar a Cahuita, Costa Rica, donde vive actualmente. A temprana edad, aprendió a tocar la percusión y la flauta traversa en la escuela primaria Conservatorio Castella y a los 9 años, comenzó a estudiar guitarra de la mano del maestro Pablo Ortiz Moestel. Una vez finalizados sus estudios secundarios, Randall estudió guitarra clásica con especialización en enseñanza en la Escuela de Música de la Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica (UNA).
Randall fue profesor de música en la primaria y secundaria en el centro educativo Oasis de Esperanza en Miraría, San José. También dio clases de guitarra en el Instituto Cuerdas Fa y Sol en Limón durante 8 años.
En sus clases de guitarra en el Programa Musical Cahuita, Randall explica a los estudiantes la técnica de manos, los fundamentos de la lectura musical y de los diferentes géneros musicales, centrándose en las formas y armonías del Calypso limonense, género musical tradicional de Costa Rica.
Para Randall, la música no solo sana el alma, sino que también puede convertirse en una herramienta potente para preservar la identidad de Costa Rica y el calipso. Y destaca lo importante que es este espacio educativo para los jóvenes de su comunidad, quienes muchas veces no tienen cómo entretenerse y son vulnerables ante un lugar que es muy turístico en el que abundan las formas fáciles de hacer dinero. La música es un camino diferente y divertido para ellos. “Nunca había visto a estos chicos y chicas tan atentos en clase” dice.
