Genoa eighth grade student Cameron Thomas assists Reggaeton singer Guero Loco with a song about the Spanish alphabet.
Students in Michele Gelzieichter’s Spanish classes at Genoa Middle School were treated to a visit from celebrity Reggaeton singer Guero Loco on Thursday, October 16. (Reggaeton is a genre which has its roots in Latin and Caribbean music.) Loco has been touring the Midwest this fall to bring his positive bilingual music program to youngsters. He told about his journey from struggling with Spanish in high school to training as a Spanish linguist as a U.S. Marine at the Defense Language Institute. His presentation focused on motivating pupils to want to learn another language and to show them why it’s “absolutely critical” to do so in today’s world.
As a commercial artist, Loco won five Chicago Music Awards for Reggaeton and Latin Artist of the Year. He also received an international music award in 2012. As an educational artist, Loco has been invited to speak and perform at various events, in middle schools, high schools and at universities. He graduated from the Defense Language Institute and the Berklee School of Music. He also worked as a middle school teacher in Indiana. Loco and his former Spanish teacher, Professor Tom Alsop, created Bilingual Nation USA, designed to motivate people to learn another language using hip hop, Reggaeton and positivity.
“Guero has a great message to share with young people,” said Gelzleichter. “Life for him has not always been easy, but through hard work and dedication, he has been able to reach his dreams. He relates well to students, not only as a performer, but as a former teacher.”