*
Music is part of the Brazilian soul! * What could
make for a more perfect setting in which to while away the hours
spending time developing your love & understanding of music?
In Brazil rhythm flows through each and every conversation, ebbing its way down into the
way the people walk, and in the way they live their lives day-by-day. Music in
Brazil is everywhere – it can be found in a complex rhythmic pattern beaten out
by an old man with his fingers on a cafe table, or, rolling down in the
thundering beat of samba echoing from the hills around Rio in the months leading
up to Carnival.
Music is a passport to
happiness for Brazilians, an escape from everyday frustrations and (for most) a
hard and difficult material life. "There's an amazing magical, mystical quality
to Brazilian music. Their music is paradise,"says jazz flutist Herbie Mann.
Click here to read a case study
about Christina Homer during her Percussion course in Foz.
MUSIC IN BRAZIL!
Music is part of the Brazilian soul, and rhythm
is in the way people speak, in the way they walk, and in the way they play
soccer. In Rio de Janeiro, after the national team has won an important
soccer game, fireworks explode in the sky and samba detonates in the
streets.
On sidewalks and in city squares, the celebration begins. Impromptu
percussion sections appear, made up of all types of Brazilians, rich and
poor, black and brown and white. As participants pick up instruments - a
drum, a scraper, a shaker - an intricate, ebullient samba batucada
(percussion jam) builds. Each amateur music-maker kicks in an interlocking
rhythmic part to create a groove that would be the envy of most professional
bands in other parts of the world. The singing and dancing inevitably go on
for hours.
Over the course
of the last five centuries, Portuguese, African, and -to a lesser extent -
Amerindian rhythms, dances, and harmonies have been mixing together,
altering old styles and creating new forms of music.
Most Brazilian
music shares three outstanding qualities:
It has an
intense lyricism tied to its Portuguese heritage that often makes for
beautiful, highly expressive melodies, enhanced by the fact that Portuguese
is one of the most musical tongues on the earth and no small gift to the
ballad singer. Second, a high level of poetry is present in the lyrics of
much Brazilian popular music. And last, vibrant Afro-Brazilian rhythms
energize most Brazilian songs, from samba to baião. By joining
us on this placement, you can be a part of it with this truly magical way of
living through music!
In Brazil you
choose:
Music is a very personal and very individual love. No two people will share
entirely the same taste – and certainly musicians are no different.
Abilities, experience, tastes, preferences range immensely.
This is why you
choose!Whether
you want to be thrown in at the deep end and be immersed in your passion or,
you would rather simply devote a proportion of your time to your music
during the weeks leaving time to also explore other interests. It’s
entirely up to you – we will work as closely to your preferences as we
can to ensure you get the absolute most from your time studying music with
us in Brazil.
Because Music is such an
individual passion most music placements are arranged specifically for the
individual – however, some music course placements do cater for the dynamics
of the group over the individual.
Simply let us
know your choice of instrument/s, musical preferences / tastes / styles,
ability level and experience, and of course the experience that you’re
looking for and we’ll do the rest! Here's a little info about two of
the options for music placements we currently provide:
Estilo Moleque
translates roughly to ‘Boy’s style’ - The band members are actually all
brothers, coming from a long line of established musicians stretching back
over the many generations – including their parents, parents-parents, their
uncles and many more relatives all who follow in the musical tradition.
The group has enjoys a wonderful reputation, which is well-earned. They are
well-known, not only locally in Foz, but across the breadth of the country,
with the group having travelled as far as Rio de Janeiro to perform. Rio is
in fact the groups birth place and spiritual home, with the brothers being
known as being “Cariocas” (the term given to someone born in Rio).
Now though Estilo Moleque have made the town of Foz do Iguaçu,
Brazil, their home and have given you the opportunity of studying with them.
Estilo Moleque
performs "Samba Pagode" which is a style of slow Samba and something
which is very popular in the Foz do Iguaçu and the region. Pagodes
are popular party-style gatherings, such gatherings are exactly where this
type of samba originated from. It’s a place where the young and old hone
their musical skills. The atmosphere is totally casual - often around a
table. Musicians play and take turns, listeners join in singing, people
dance, often without a break until dawn - forgetting their troubles and
celebrating life.
Music with the Beethoven Music School:
The school is
located less than 5 minutes walk from your accommodation. It’s a compact but
warm centre – with a good infrastructure. All instruments are provided by
the school – although it is still recommended where possible to bring your
own instrument for practicing purposes.
The school provided for lessons in the following instruments:
The piano, keyboard, organ, guitar, violin and flute among others.
Please enquire for further details.
Lessons are taught on a one-to-one basis and are able to be
held in either the mornings or the afternoons, thus allowing for your music
lessons to be combined with one or more of the other activities available -
whether its volunteering in the crèche, coaching sports, or, perhaps
learning the language. Lessons usually last for approximately 40 minutes.
Whatever you choose, your music placement will be based in the modern town of Foz do Iguaçu, where you
can enjoy soaking up the sun in the looming shadow of its neighbours,
Argentina and Paraguay - both of which can be found sitting just across the
river from you, along of course with the simply awesome presence and power
of the world’s largest waterfall - the grand Iguaçu Falls.
However, if
you're particularly interested in a music placement in Rio de Janeiro,
please
let us know and we can give you more information about the kinds of
things we can arrange here.
SOME
VOLUNTEER FEEDBACK...
Below is a letter from Jessica
Aslan, who took part in the percussion placement in Foz with
Estilo Moleque. She's writing
to Ana, our Foz Organiser, after leaving her placement:
Hi Ana I'm
fine!! how are you? it is good to hear from you, how is Foz? I
imagine that it is a lot hotter there then here now, I'd much
rather be there! I didn't get your last email, sorry, my
computer puts a lot of my proper emails into the trash which is
annoying to say the least. Have you any news from Foz? I am
still in contact with Sally, Sophie and the boys which is nice,
have you any new volunteers out there now? I will definitely be
coming back to Brazil at some point, I loved Rio and will
definitely be back for more! I will write the feedback on this
email, i hope that is ok:
The percussion
placement that I had in Brazil taught me so much about Brazilian
percussion and also improved my musicality generally. The level at which
I studied was just right for me, and I know that Marquinos would have
adapted to make the lessons easier or harder had my level of
musicianship been different.
I would recommend
this placement to beginners and professionals alike, I think that one
would be hard pressed to find such an expert musician dedicating so much
time to teaching in England. The language barrier was not a problem at
all, even though I didn't speak a word of Portuguese, it was really easy
for Marquinos to convey to me how I needed to improve and what I needed to
do to learn the technique of Samba drumming. I learnt the percussion on
a range of instruments, though mainly concentrating on the congas and
the pandeiro. These are particularly tricky instruments to learn, and
the lessons were extremely thorough. I feel that I came away from Brazil
a confident conga player, and have took years longer to get up to an
equivalent standard with one lesson a week on the violin when I was
younger.
For a professional
percussionist I think that they would benefit a lot from these lessons.
There are several reasons for this, starting with the range of
instruments available to be learnt to the totally different rhythmic
systems used. As a classically trained musician I feel like I have
learned a totally new musical language, as well as ways in which to play
hand hit percussion, which is a lot more technically challenging then
one would think. Of course if the percussionist is a professional samba
musician at the top of his game they may not benefit from the lessons,
but I know a lot of professional percussionists who I have now begun
teaching samba percussion classes myself and who are also learning
totally new things to them.
Overall I would
whole heartedly recommend these lessons, and feel that they have changed
my perspective on the different ways in which rhythm can be used in many
different genres of music.
If you need any
other info just ask. good to hear from you Ana, send my love to
everyone in sunny Foz!!
Take care,
Jess
Support and guidance from Travellers
You'll receive
lots of care and assistance from our very
friendly and helpful UK staff,
from the first stage of applying all the way through to the end of your
placement. We are also available 24 hours a day for any urgent matter
during your time on our placement.
Travellers
will send you our extremely comprehensive information pack with details on
everything - ranging from where to go on your weekend travels to what to
pack and extensive safety tips. We will also provide you with a selection of
manuals that will be very useful on your project.
In Brazil you
will have the support of our Brazil Manager who will be on call 24/7 from
meeting you at the airport and will be around frequently to ensure you are
settled and happy on your placement. You will also find that the teachers at
the schools and institutes where you work will be very happy to help you
throughout your placement.
If you
speak some Portuguese (or even Spanish), you will find it very beneficial on
this project. But don't be put off if languages aren't your thing! You're
sure to pick up some of the basic words whilst you are there, and will find
other ways to converse without language becoming a barrier. Don't forget
that we can also arrange some Portuguese Lessons for you during your
programme in either Rio or Foz, if you would like.
TRAVEL:
You have the option to arrange your
own flights or we can assist you with your flight arrangements. If you would
like us to do this for you, we will liaise with you regarding available flights
and dates to suit you. All arrangements for your flight bookings/payments will
be fulfilled by Murray Rogers Travel Ltd., ATOL No. 6856. (Read more about Murray Rogers Travel Ltd.)
Where
possible, we arrange for two or more people to travel on the same flight and we
will let you have the names and telephone numbers of other volunteers on your
flight, so that you can chat to each other or even meet up before leaving for
your placement.
For Foz, you'll more than likely fly into
Sao Paulo, as this is the nearest international airport. From
there you can either fly to Foz do Iguaçu
or you have the option to take a comfortable bus/coach ride instead. The trip
takes about 12 - 14 hours and is an excellent way to see some of the country.
For Rio, you'll fly
into the international airport.
When you arrive, you'll be welcomed by
our local Organiser and introduced to the people you'll be living and working
with.
You'll fly into
Rio de Janeiro where you'll be met by our local Organiser and
introduced to the people you'll be living and working with.
VISAS:. All requirements regarding visas will
be arranged by our office and the process of obtaining a visa will be made very easy for you.
To see what support we provide in our countries,
please read Support
and Backup
We can also arrange your flight
dates to give you additional time at the end of your project for travelling
around and sightseeing - this is a fascinating and wondrous country!
PRICES:
To see the Prices of this project and all
our other projects in Brazil, please
click here
Prices
include
Accommodation and
breakfast while on your project,
2 T-shirts, if required
for your project
All support and backup
during your programme
Meeting you at the
nearest airport, where appropriate, but exclude international travel.
.
+44 01903 502595
