“Sonidos de mi territorio” sonidos de mi territorio: luthería escolar STEAM para la preservación del patrimonio musical de los Montes de María.

Abstract

This study systematically addresses the erosion of sound identity and the silencing of the musical heritage of Montes de María in the district of Bajo Don Juan (Colosó, Sucre). Historically, the aftermath of the post-conflict period and exogenous cultural standardization have dismantled the networks for transmitting ancestral knowledge, causing a severe disconnection between new generations and their roots. Facing this reality, and moving beyond a mere material deficit of classroom resources, the research focuses on the active recovery of cultural tradition. Through Participatory Action Research (PAR) methodology and an inquiry-based STEAM pedagogical approach, the rural student is conceived as an active researcher capable of transforming their context. An artisanal school lutherie system was implemented with a sample of 14 primary school students. The iterative design process allowed the technical transition from exploratory prototypes (v1) to optimized versions (v2) using everyday local materials such as PET, PVC, and chirilla. This rigorous process achieved a 55% improvement in acoustic quality and an 85% sound stability, parameters that were validated through comparative listening by local tradition-bearers, thus ensuring fidelity for the execution of rhythms such as cumbia, porro, and bullerengue. The findings demonstrate that school lutherie not only fosters the development of scientific and technical competencies but also operates as a profound act of educational sovereignty and symbolic reparation. By building their own expression tools, the community consolidates a technological autonomy that revitalizes living memory and challenges the paradigms of traditional education.