Office Hours with León F. García Corona
By Deanna Gasparyan
In this ongoing series called “Office Hours,” get to know some of the exceptional scholars and artists who make up USC Thornton’s faculty as they answer questions about themselves.
What does your work focus on?
My work focuses on the intersections between music and issues of class, and issues of social justice and race. I do that by particularly exploring the music of Mexico and the United States—it’s very interesting.
How does musical performance influence your research and teaching style?
Musical performance is central to what I do, because sometimes when I’m explaining musical tradition, it’s always nice to grab my instrument and demonstrate by singing a song. I ask the students to participate in the class, whether it’s clapping a rhythm or singing. Often, if they can sing, I ask them to sing. It’s a good way of internalizing what you’re saying in the lecture. There’s nothing better than to perform and have your students perform when you are teaching music.
What is one thing you hope students will take away from your classes?
Well, I often like to say that I teach tolerance through the creation of music. When I’m teaching, my first of two goals is to inspire. I want to inspire my students’ curiosity, the love of learning. But I also want to make sure that through music they can learn about somebody else’s culture and therefore, hopefully develop empathy. So, what I would like my students to take is to know that music never happens in a void. It’s part of culture, and culture is always changing. And if they are aware of that, then they can hopefully develop a way to see the world and society in different cultures and with critical thinking.
What drew you to teaching at USC Thornton?
Well, USC is known to be leading the change or the changes needed in music. So, when I heard that there was an opportunity or an opening here, I really wanted to come here because very few colleges or universities can do what USC is doing right now. Starting with the current divisions: you can study classical music, you can study popular music, you can do academic research. That’s something that not a lot of schools can offer. But in addition to that, USC is leading the next change that needs to happen in music instruction, music pedagogy, music research, music education. That plus the connections with Los Angeles and the connections with the music industry. So, it is the place to be, for sure.
What is your favorite piece of music and why?
It’s hard to tell because when you’re a musician, you like a lot. But if I must choose one, it would probably be the song “Odiame” by Los Tres Reyes. It’s a song from the trio tradition, which I did my research on. And it’s a Peruvian waltz with a wonderful guitar arrangement. I first heard it when I was very young, and ever since then, I have been transfixed by the virtuosity of Los Tres Reyes, particularly Gilberto Puente, when he played that. That’s if I have to choose one, but there’s so many.
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Featured photo credit: Lev A. García Stallings
