Cross cultural pedagogy: A Brazilian adventure
Cross cultural pedagogy: A Brazilian adventure
In the College of Creative Arts, connections of all kinds occur on a daily basis. There are the obvious ones, between a student and professor, or between peers in a class. When those connections expand beyond a student’s academic years the bonds that are formed can impact future generations of creative performers around the world.
Professor and violinist Harvey Thurmer returned from an 8-day odyssey of making connections in Brasila, Brazil. It began with a connection to two former students, now married, who live and work in Brazil’s capital city, Brasilia. Luciana Caixeta, Ph.D. met Thurmer when she came to pursue a master’s degree at ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú at the invitation of Ricardo Averbach, D.M.A. in 2005. After one year at ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú, she returned to Brazil and married violinist Ricardo Palmezano. Caixeta returned to finish her master’s and brought her husband with her. Ricardo completed his bachelor’s degree in Violin performance.
They returned to Brazil and performed in a chamber orchestra in San Carlos, Brazil. After five years there, Ricardo returned to pursue his master’s degree in Violin performance. Upon completion of that degree, he was hired in Brasila’s state-supported symphony orchestra, and his wife, Luciana, completed her Ph.D. from the University of Sao Paulo and has been appointed to the faculty at the Escola de Musica, the largest independent music school in Brazil.
A lot can happen in 8 days! Through these former students who are now life-long friends, Thurmer was invited by three different institutions to perform and teach in Brasilia, Brazil. In that time, he presented lectures on the Alexander Technique, how it benefits performers of all kinds, and violin masterclasses at the University of Brasilia, the School of Music—a large state-supported school of music of around 20,000 students and the Suzuki Center of Brasilia. Every lecture and demonstration was translated from Portuguese into English by Caixeta.
Three 2.5-hour lectures and demonstrations were presented at the University, which was attended by faculty and students from the Music School over a two-day period. The overwhelming interest and enthusiasm that these lectures produced was unexpected.
Over 50 people attended the initial lecture on a topic that was new and unexplored in Brazil. After presenting a full-length recital with Professor of Piano Gisele Pires-Mota, another class was presented at the Escola de Musica with over 40 in attendance.
Both at the University and the School of Music, students were guided through the principals of the Alexander Technique that had just been introduced in the lectures. A diverse group of students and one faculty member performed, including pianists, guitarists, violin and cello students, and a singer. Among the attendees of the lectures were members of the local symphony orchestra and professors from the University and School of Music.
On the last night, five young students performed for an audience of parents and teachers for a masterclass given by Thurmer, the youngest of whom was 10 years old.
“I was stunned by the eagerness and interest these students had in each teaching session,” Thurmer said. “Their willingness to experiment and try out new ideas was overwhelming. It was the most rewarding 8 days of teaching I have every experienced. I am so grateful for the support that the College of Creative Arts gives for professors to travel and teach abroad- it is transformative!”