Meet our teachers

I have been playing music since the age of 12 and studied music in Brazil at Souza Lima University and at the Groove School of Music conservatory. Over the years, I have worked across many styles, from samba and bossa nova to pop and electronic music, mainly as a composer, arranger, and session guitarist for other artists, including collaborations with well-known Brazilian singers.
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I have released one solo album, and my main artistic focus is Brazilian music, especially samba and bossa nova.
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In my classes, I believe that to truly learn music, you must sing everything you play. My teaching approach is centered on understanding the foundations and the sauce of Brazilian rhythms such as samba, bossa nova, baião, and many others—helping students develop groove, musicality, and a deep rhythmic awareness rather than just technique.

Ian is a Brazilian percussionist whose musical identity is rooted in rhythm, community, and movement. For him, music is not something you simply hear, it is something you feel. A universal language that connects cultures, generations, and histories, music acts as a bridge between his roots and the wider world.

His playing carries the energy of the street, the discipline of collective percussion, and the expressive power of groove.

Mario is a guitarist and music educator who understands music as both structure and expression. For him, music is built on mathematics and science, but its true power lies in how organised sound can communicate emotion, meaning, and intention.

His teaching balances clarity, discipline, and enjoyment, helping students not only understand music, but genuinely connect with it.

Heitor is a Brazilian percussionist whose musical journey began inside collective rhythm spaces. He had never played an instrument before entering college, where his first contact with music came through Cherateria, a Bateria Universitária inspired by the percussion sections of Brazilian samba schools.

Through this community-based learning environment, Heitor discovered not only music, but a lifelong connection to rhythm, body, and sound.