PODCAST: Conservatory Faculty Carlos Vargas Gives Back on a Community Level

In this episode of Sounds of Berklee, piano instructor Carlos Vargas talks about his passion for community outreach and the variety of projects he is currently working on, including his recent trip to the Dominican Republic. 

May 8, 2018

In parts of the Dominican Republic, many children see too much drug use and criminality and not enough positive models for creation and self-expression, says Carlos Vargas. A piano instructor at Boston Conservatory at Berklee and a Dominican native, Vargas is part of a project that helps them envision a different path for themselves by exploring their capacities through the arts.

“It’s important for them to escape these circumstances and, in a sense, build this sense of self-esteem that they are capable of creating...it’s something that could be crucial in their development and in their journey to create a better life for themselves and their families,” says Vargas (B.M. ’09, M.M. ’11, piano), who recently went back to his home country to work as a visiting artist for the arts program Angeles de la Cultura. The program offers many artistic opportunities in fields such as modern dance, theater and puppeteering, creative literature workshops, painting, and music.

In this episode of Sounds of Berklee, Vargas talks about his passion for community outreach and the variety of projects he is currently working on. He also discusses how he encourages his students to get involved in community projects and perpetuates the idea that the arts are truly for everyone.

Produced by Samantha Burns
Recorded and engineered by Ava Anderson and Edoardo Santini