Victor Villegas

Musician
Salem OR
Fellowship: 2022
DroneSinger.com

“Every child is born with an intrinsic sense of wonder and inherent capabilities, primed for learning.”

Victor has been playing and composing music since kindergarten. His first instrument was a Mexican marching drum. Now he is a multi-instrumentalist and bilingual singer/songwriter who is passionate about education.

Known as the DroneSinger, he combines music, puppetry, storytelling, and technology to engage youth in science, engineering, art, and math. This includes founding and running a mariachi STEAM camp. His latest children’s album is entitled Mariachi on Mars.

What led you to become a teaching artist?
I have been inspired by many amazing artists, and I felt an obligation to pay it forward. I also found that the arts are a great way to reach youth who might not naturally gravitate towards STEM subjects, capturing their interest in creative and culturally relatable ways that I can then leverage.

Teaching philosophy:
Every child has music and rhythm within, and everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy music and also create it. It is my goal to nurture their curiosity.

We learn together. I act as a facilitator, filling in the blanks and working towards a collective understanding.

Learning should be both personal and communal. Youth need to see others from their communities and backgrounds. It is difficult to Be and Achieve what one does not See.

Describe a good teaching day:
Any day I get the chance to interact with youth in being creative. I especially enjoy when they are in The Flow, and learning without even realizing it — learning by osmosis.