Thatâs the very foundation of Los Alumnos de San Juan, says lead singer Alicia Jaggasar.
The 11-time National Parang Association of T&T (NPATT) best lead vocalist and queen of parang says when you strip away their pretty costumes, airtight harmonies and inventive instrumentation, her iconic band is at its core a charitable movement.
Jaggasar joined the then San Juan Secondary School band in 1987, less than a year after they first came together. Back then she recalls herself a young, dreamy-eyed music-lover obsessed with Latin music.
âI love Latin music, and parang is of course a form of Latin. Our main purpose back then was to go to the old folksâ home not far from the school,â Jaggasar recounted with an audible smile when asked by the Kitcharee on Friday afternoon to relive the bandâs formative years.