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This essay presents background information and suggests teaching stragegies to aid community and junior college classroom teachers of history and civilization as they develop and implement educational programs on Latin American music. It is based on the premise that Latin American music can best be understood as a reflection of other historical and cultural themes. Emphasis is placed on the music of Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia. The document is presented in six chapters. Chapter one introduces the document, identifies objectives, and presents information on major influences of Latin America's musical heritage, including indigenous, Iberian, and African. Chapters two, three, and four focus on the music of Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia, respectively. For each country, information is organized around six themes--(1) ethnic variety and fusion, (2) regionalism, (3) cultural imperialism and imitativeness, (4) nationalism, (5) protest and revolution, and (6) urbanization and cultural standardization. Titles and themes of various types of music are interwoven throughout the narrative. A brief introductory section for each of these three chapters relates the folk, popular, and art music traditions of each country to Latin American music at various times throughout history. Chapter five offers additional suggestions on relating music to nationalistic and social action themes in other Latin American nations. Chapter six suggests teaching methods, including playing musical selections in class, asking students to identify various rhythmic and stylistic differences, and directing students to identify traditional motifs while listening to nationalistic music. The document concludes with a bibliography and a discography. (DB)