For the past 20 years, Peruvian drummer and percussionist Hector Morales has combined national and international performance with his work as a Teaching Artist in the Tri-State area. Mr. Morales is the author of The Afro-Peruvian Percussion Ensemble, an instructional book/DVD published by Sher Music Co., which was nominated in the Best Educational Book of 2014 category by Modern Drummer magazine. He has led professional development workshops at F2F and the N.J. Music Educators State Conference. He has been the recipient of many awards, including the Artist of The Year Award by YANJEP (2014) and the Heritage Fellowship Award from the NJCA (2023). Morales has performed on international stages, such as Lincoln Center, the National Museum of Peru, the Society of Musicians and Composers of Chile, the Festival du Monde Arabe de Montreal, and the Jerusalem Music Festival, among others.
Hector Morales “believes in the transforming, healing, and empowering qualities of music. I experience it in my daily life, when I practice, perform, and teach. I strongly believe everyone should be able to benefit from it as well. In my practice as a teaching artist, I try to provide students with different ways in which they can play and experience music directly, because music itself is the greatest teacher we can have.”
Grade Levels: Kindergarten–12th Students discover the art of drumming! Participants have a blast playing everyday objects like buckets and garbage cans while they develop essential aural musical skills and learn how to read basic musical notation.
Program Type: Workshops / Residencies
Grade Levels: Pre-K–12th Experience and explore different ways in which percussion music can enrich Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) practices in your classroom.
Program Type: Professional Learning
Grade Levels: Kindergarten–5th This program is designed to introduce educators (K-12) to the fascinating history, culture, and rhythmical magic of the cajón (box drum).
Program Type: Professional Learning
Grade Levels: Kindergarten–6th This program is designed for participants to experience the rhythmical magic of the cajón (box drum) and become acquainted with its fascinating history.
Program Type: Workshops / Residencies
Grade Levels: Pre-K–12th In this professional learning workshop educators will enhance their abilities, skills, and repertoire to create culturally inclusive learning environments through the exploration of “percussion of the world”.
Program Type: Professional Learning
“Hector was very professional and well-prepared. His lesson was engaging and provided kids the opportunity to express themselves through music. More importantly, he was a very caring teacher who connected with our scholars and really showed the kids his passion for his craft.”
Pride Academy Charter School
Pride Academy Charter School
“The scholars were completely focused and engaged. It was an active lesson that got them to play learn about music, play an instrument, and let out some energy on the buckets. It was the perfect end of year activity.”
Grover Cleveland Mastery Charter School
Grover Cleveland Mastery Charter School
“Students were captivated by Hector's enthusiasm for music and percussion instruments. Even hesitant students joined in the fun toward the end of each session. Not only were students engaged and had a wonderful experience, but they also learned about the culture of Peru and were inspired to pursue their curiosity for music!”