Natalia Esquivel
Natalia Esquivel Benítez is a Costa Rican composer, guitarist, singer-songwriter, author, poet, vocalist and academic in musical education.
Career
Esquivel studied musical education at the National University of Costa Rica; further she obtained a master's degree at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania.Esquivel has been actively promoting the development of reading and music for children, alongside the concept of "musicking" set forth by Christopher Small; music is conceived as a process to help build learning and enhance the pupil's abilities, including the development of competencies needed in their life. Her music workshops, supported by religious authorities, have set a local precedent in this regard. Another meaningful influence in her work has been the German Orff Schulwerk.
Esquivel has been an artist-in-residence with Spanish composer of social music Marta Lozano Molano, conducting a musical project for rural areas and communities under social risk; its 17 songs invite to reflect on ecological and social values, based on the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.