Mazapan Childhoods
Representations of childhood in the music of the group Mazapán

The option taken by the adult world when conceiving music for children translates into formulas that prioritize repetition and simplification: brief melodies with a minimal amount of material and thematic development; a predominance of melody and accompaniment texture; a rhythmic proposal based on regular beats and rhythms; an absence of contrasts; or consistently evident harmonic developments. In contrast to this, Mazapán emerged in 1980, a Chilean group creating music for children. Their foundational motivation was to conceive a repertoire that would constitute an alternative to that music directed at children: songs from the traditional repertoire and those conceived and disseminated by the radio, television, and record industry, focused more on entertainment than education. Thus began a complex proposal that employed resources and procedures from European early music, the traditional repertoire of different cultures, and popular music.