The Canary Islands' Ministry of Education has announced the expansion of the 'A timple in my school' project, which aims to educate primary school students about the timple, a traditional Canarian string instrument. The initiative, coordinated by timplista Germán López, will now include 22 additional educational centres—12 in Gran Canaria and 10 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife—bringing the total number of participating schools to 30.
This expansion follows a successful pilot programme conducted in the previous academic year, which involved ten schools in Gran Canaria. The project combines musical performance with cultural education, offering workshops, concerts, and activities that link music to subjects such as language, geography, history, and art education.
The pilot concluded in June 2026 with a parade on Calle Mayor de Triana in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, featuring around 300 students from the participating schools. The initiative also fosters intergenerational learning through service-learning activities that engage teachers, families, and local musicians.
The new centres in Gran Canaria include the Ciudad del Campo, Saulo Torón, León y Castillo, Chano Sánchez, and Professor Carlos Socas Muñoz schools, among others. In Tenerife, the participating schools are San Andrés, Rafael Gaviño, Rambla de Santa Cruz, and several others, all located within the municipality of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
The project is supported by the Regional Federation of Folklore and Traditions Associations of the Canary Islands and the Santa Cruz de Tenerife City Council, both of which play a role in promoting knowledge of the timple among students.
During a recent parliamentary session, Education Minister Poli Suárez addressed the importance of integrating Canarian content into the educational system. He emphasised that students should learn about the history, culture, and unique aspects of the Canary Islands as part of their everyday education. Current educational curricula incorporate the natural, historical, cultural, and linguistic heritage of the islands across all subjects, from early childhood education through compulsory schooling.
Starting from the 2024/2025 academic year, all non-university educational centres in the Canary Islands will be required to have a coordinator for Education on the Natural, Social, and Cultural Heritage of the Canary Islands. This role will involve promoting projects, coordinating activities, and providing resources for teachers.
These efforts contributed to the Canary Islands receiving the Manuel Bartolomé Cossío Award 2025, recognising their work in preserving and disseminating historical and educational heritage. The award was presented by the Spanish Society for the Study of Historical-Educational Heritage in June 2026.
The Canary Islands' network of school museums, comprising 24 spaces dedicated to preserving and sharing educational and cultural materials, also plays a significant role in enhancing students' understanding of their heritage.
In addition to the timple project, the Ministry of Education is involved in various other initiatives, including Educarnaval, Bridges of Experience, and innovative classrooms for Heritage Education. Teachers also have access to resources such as CanariWiki and the Canarian Content Mediatheque.
