To the rhythm of Sandra

Pulse

Máximo has a good heart, he does not judge and when he arrives at his favorite place, the garden, he is kind to everyone. For Máximo—or Max as he is known—it is no secret that he loves to be the center of attention, he does not like to be ignored. Whether in exchange for caresses, pampering or massages, he is always behind Sandra Gómez to receive some recognition. But not everything is perfect for him, if there is something that torments him it is percussion music; Even when her owner is ready to rehearse, she always interrupts, she says, “she takes away my sheet music, knocks down my drumsticks, puts her paws on my legs, immobilizes me!” And although a couple of months ago he completely destroyed some castanets, he is deeply loved, because he has unconditionally accompanied Sandra through the good and not so good times.

Dogs like music, but the type of music makes a difference. They prefer slower rhythms, simple patterns and lower frequencies; On the contrary, fast rhythms and higher frequencies alter your canine nervous system; That's why Sandra is thinking about performing a marimba song dedicated to Max, because this instrument has a lower tonality than the other percussion instruments.

If one day he stopped loving music, walking dogs would be his perfect vocation; For now, percussion is the way he releases extreme emotions. “Personally, I feel identified with the characteristics of percussion. For example, when you interact with others and you feel impetuous because of an argument, you have to be flexible to change your mind and not lose control, because if I let myself be carried away by my impulses, everything could go wrong," and the same thing happens in the music in Carmina Burana there is a blow of glockenspiel* that accompanies the wind instruments, I must think to their rhythm; When I exert force I have to fall softer to join in harmony. That's how it happens in life itself when we interact, it's not bad to put myself in the other person's shoes," says the percussionist.

Intensity in two revolutions

For sixteen years she has been a percussionist with the Medellín Philharmonic Orchestra, but her life in music began at the age of three when her parents enrolled her in the Diego Echavarría Musical Institute and in the conservatory of the University of Antioquia, where she learned body expression and What she remembers most: “relating everyday objects to memorize the rhythmic figures of music,” she says. First it was the violin, but it was very difficult for him to read sheet music; then the piano, but he was never passionate about it, and he even practiced dancing.

First revolution. “I wanted a much more active, energetic art form!” That's how he discovered drums at the age of nine at school.

With rhythm and melody in his heart, he graduated from high school, but decided to study industrial engineering. “Without realizing it, I discovered that mathematics and music go hand in hand, both are universal and abstract languages that require learning to be able to decipher them. They both seek beauty. For example, percussion requires a metronome to indicate the correct tempo and uses numbers to divide rhythmic measures.”

Second revolution. "I needed to vent! I cut off my engineering studies because my spirit and mind were in percussion, so I ended up studying a degree in music at EAFIT University. I was happy".

Variations
Three words that define you
“Hope, encouragement and perseverance”

Which is your favorite place?
“The garden where I walk Max and my study cubicle because I find myself.”

What percentage of your life have you dedicated to music?
“A 65% of my life I have spent playing and rehearsing.”

What is the concert you remember most?
"The Turangalila Symphony by Oliver Messiaen. For me it is the most musically complex work, a miracle that happened in Medellín!”

What is the best thing about Sandra?
“Sincerity, I am direct, blunt, I get to the point!”

*The glockenspiel (from German Glocken, "bells", and Spiel, "play", "play") is an idiophone percussion instrument, which consists of a set of tuned metal plates. Also known as a bell set, metal harmonica or lyre, if it has its frame this way