José-Luis Orozco
Encyclopedia
José-Luis Orozco is a bilingual
(Spanish-English) children’s author, educator, and recording artist.
He has written three award winning books, De Colores
and Other Latin American Folk Songs for Children (Dutton 1994), Diez Deditos — Ten Little Fingers (Dutton 1997), and Fiestas (Dutton 2002). Orozco recorded 13 volumes of Lírica Infantil, Latin American Children's Music and his songs have been taught by two generations of teachers. Orozco is a presenter at educational conferences and seminars for teachers, parents, librarians and childcare providers who seek to use music as an important learning tool in multicultural classrooms.
. He is the second of eleven children born to Fernando Orozco and Susana Ramos. His father played the violin and his mother loved to sing. He grew fond of music at a young age, learning many songs from his paternal grandmother. At age 8, José-Luis became a member of the Mexico City Boy's Choir, and traveled the world visiting 32 countries in Europe, the Caribbean, Central and South America. It was from his tour around the world that he gained the cultural knowledge he now shares with children through his books and recordings.
At age 19, José-Luis moved to California. He went to college and earned his Bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley and a Master's degree in Multicultural Education
from the University of San Francisco.
José-Luis Orozco is the father of four and grandfather to two children. He currently lives in Los Angeles, California.
José-Luis Orozco first started performing music for children in 1970. From the beginning of his career, Orozco included bilingual songs in his repertoire, even though many of the children in his audiences did not speak Spanish.
In 1971, Orozco released the first of 13 volumes for children, Lirica Infantil: Latin American Children's Music, on the Bilingual Media Productions label. The album featured classic songs from Mexican, Central, and South American culture, including Guantanamera and Los Pollitos.
During the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Orozco kept up a busy touring schedule, often giving his support to the bilingual education movement in the United States. The Association of Mexican American Educators honored him in 1995.
In 1990, he received the Leadership Award from the California Association for Bilingual Education. In 1994, he produced a bilingual songbook, De Colores, which won an American Library Association
Notable Award and the American Children's Book Award, Commended List. He went on to write two other award winning publications, Diez Deditos — Ten Little Fingers (Dutton 1997), and Fiestas (Dutton 2002). CDs of De Colores, Diez Deditos and Fiestas, present a bilingual collection of songs, rhymes, tongue twisters, lullabies, games and holiday celebrations gathered from Spanish-speaking countries.
In 2003, José-Luis released a video and DVD entitled Cantamos y Aprendemos con José-Luis Orozco — Singing and Learning with José-Luis Orozco, filled with live action, animation, and Latino flavor that motivates children to learn about the Spanish language and the rich tradition of Latin American children's music.
In 2005, Orozco wrote Rin, Rin, Rin...Do, Re, Mi, a lyrical bilingual children's book illustrated by Caldecott Medal
winner, David Díaz. This publication shows how everyday family activities such as cooking, singing, reading and storytelling foster essential early literacy skills such as letter recognition and language development. Rin, Rin, Rin...Do, Re, Mi is the first book in a series set for publication and distribution by Scholastic's Latino initiative Lee y Serás (Read and You Will Be), which was created to improve the reading and literacy development of Latino children.
In 2003 and again in 2005, José-Luis Orozco was invited to participate in the National Book Festival organized by the Library of Congress and hosted by First Lady, Laura Bush. During the festivities in 2003, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus
in Washington, D.C. honored Mr. Orozco.
José-Luis Orozco continues to perform for children throughout the country and world at concert halls, libraries, bookstores and schools.
Multilingualism
Multilingualism is the act of using, or promoting the use of, multiple languages, either by an individual speaker or by a community of speakers. Multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. Multilingualism is becoming a social phenomenon governed by the needs of...
(Spanish-English) children’s author, educator, and recording artist.
He has written three award winning books, De Colores
De Colores
"De Colores" is a traditional folk song that is well known throughout the Spanish-speaking world. The song was brought to the Americas from Spain during the 16th century. In modern times, the song frequently appears in collections of children's songs...
and Other Latin American Folk Songs for Children (Dutton 1994), Diez Deditos — Ten Little Fingers (Dutton 1997), and Fiestas (Dutton 2002). Orozco recorded 13 volumes of Lírica Infantil, Latin American Children's Music and his songs have been taught by two generations of teachers. Orozco is a presenter at educational conferences and seminars for teachers, parents, librarians and childcare providers who seek to use music as an important learning tool in multicultural classrooms.
Personal life
José-Luis Orozco was born in Mexico CityMexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
. He is the second of eleven children born to Fernando Orozco and Susana Ramos. His father played the violin and his mother loved to sing. He grew fond of music at a young age, learning many songs from his paternal grandmother. At age 8, José-Luis became a member of the Mexico City Boy's Choir, and traveled the world visiting 32 countries in Europe, the Caribbean, Central and South America. It was from his tour around the world that he gained the cultural knowledge he now shares with children through his books and recordings.
At age 19, José-Luis moved to California. He went to college and earned his Bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley and a Master's degree in Multicultural Education
Multicultural Education
Multicultural education is a set of strategies and materials in U.S. education that were developed to assist teachers to promote democracy while responding to the many issues created by rapidly changing demographics of their students. Multicultural education means to ensure the highest levels of...
from the University of San Francisco.
José-Luis Orozco is the father of four and grandfather to two children. He currently lives in Los Angeles, California.
Career
At age 8, José-Luis became a member of the Mexico City Boy's Choir, and traveled the world visiting 32 countries in Europe, the Caribbean, Central and South America. It was from his tour around the world that he gained the cultural knowledge he now shares with children through his books and recordings.José-Luis Orozco first started performing music for children in 1970. From the beginning of his career, Orozco included bilingual songs in his repertoire, even though many of the children in his audiences did not speak Spanish.
In 1971, Orozco released the first of 13 volumes for children, Lirica Infantil: Latin American Children's Music, on the Bilingual Media Productions label. The album featured classic songs from Mexican, Central, and South American culture, including Guantanamera and Los Pollitos.
During the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Orozco kept up a busy touring schedule, often giving his support to the bilingual education movement in the United States. The Association of Mexican American Educators honored him in 1995.
In 1990, he received the Leadership Award from the California Association for Bilingual Education. In 1994, he produced a bilingual songbook, De Colores, which won an American Library Association
American Library Association
The American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
Notable Award and the American Children's Book Award, Commended List. He went on to write two other award winning publications, Diez Deditos — Ten Little Fingers (Dutton 1997), and Fiestas (Dutton 2002). CDs of De Colores, Diez Deditos and Fiestas, present a bilingual collection of songs, rhymes, tongue twisters, lullabies, games and holiday celebrations gathered from Spanish-speaking countries.
In 2003, José-Luis released a video and DVD entitled Cantamos y Aprendemos con José-Luis Orozco — Singing and Learning with José-Luis Orozco, filled with live action, animation, and Latino flavor that motivates children to learn about the Spanish language and the rich tradition of Latin American children's music.
In 2005, Orozco wrote Rin, Rin, Rin...Do, Re, Mi, a lyrical bilingual children's book illustrated by Caldecott Medal
Caldecott Medal
The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children , a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children published that year. The award was named in honor of nineteenth-century English...
winner, David Díaz. This publication shows how everyday family activities such as cooking, singing, reading and storytelling foster essential early literacy skills such as letter recognition and language development. Rin, Rin, Rin...Do, Re, Mi is the first book in a series set for publication and distribution by Scholastic's Latino initiative Lee y Serás (Read and You Will Be), which was created to improve the reading and literacy development of Latino children.
In 2003 and again in 2005, José-Luis Orozco was invited to participate in the National Book Festival organized by the Library of Congress and hosted by First Lady, Laura Bush. During the festivities in 2003, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus
Congressional Hispanic Caucus
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus comprises 21 Democratic members of the United States Congress most of whom are of Hispanic origin. The Caucus is dedicated to voicing and advancing, through the legislative process, issues affecting Hispanics and Latinos in the United States and Puerto Rico...
in Washington, D.C. honored Mr. Orozco.
José-Luis Orozco continues to perform for children throughout the country and world at concert halls, libraries, bookstores and schools.
Founding member
- National Hispanic University, Oakland, CA (Vice-Chancellor 1980-1985)
- BAHIA, Berkeley, CA
- Centro Vida, Berkeley, CA
- Adelante, Berkeley, CA