Mission, vision and values
To offer solutions of artistic, scientific and technical excellence through personalized products and services, with commitment, honesty, passion and creativity; always expanding our horizons through new challenges.
Philosophy of Teaching and Conducting
Music means my life! In my opinion, orchestral practice is by far the phenomenon that demands the highest level of civility mankind could ever reach. In no other activity recurring to human practice can be observed a so high level of simultaneity, complexity, artistic and philosophical transcendental thinking, technological development, neural demand, mechanical coordination, and cooperation towards a unique common goal. This is being human to its fullest. Based on my own experience being on both sides (as orchestra and choir conductor, and choir singer, or also as a teacher and student) I cannot separate the conductor´s praxis from the teacher´s praxis (in Italian, for example, the word Maestro means both teacher and orchestra/choir conductor). Teaching and conducting go beyond making someone learn or play something; to me, teaching and conducting mean building a complex scenario in which my students/musicians and I reach our fullest potential as artists, independent thinkers, and consequently, as human beings.
Some of my students and musicians told me that they will never forget how much I love to conduct and teach music, and also the passion I devote both to research and their education - as part of my efforts to develop independent thinkers and life-long learners. I strongly believe that a fundamental element in my métier both as a professor and as a conductor is keeping students always highly motivated. It means to make them understand that learning and improving are not an ultimate goal to accomplish, but a life-long process. So, fascination for the subject, motivation, and enthusiasm to learn become fundamental ingredients in this pedagogical process.
Like the development process of any other skill, studying music demands so much determination. The students must feel comfortable and highly motivated to quest for technical and theoretical improvement. It also requires so much critical thinking and mechanical repetition until it becomes easier to perform on both their minds and instruments, eventually becoming natural, almost instinctual.
To be an effective instructor, I must understand what knowledge my students already have and attentively observe them to discover their unique cognitive processes and the particular motivations guiding their education and performance. This process is primarily driven by the principle of critical listening, by which we can develop intellectually by comparing multiple perspectives and different approaches to the same subject. Along this process, I keep developing new ways of accomplishing these goals based on how they mentally process new information, and this process has been exciting to me. This is an effective way to keep the technological cycle: by applying existing knowledge and developing new ones. The highly positive effects provided by this strategy are consistently visible through my students’ and musicians’ achievements. One of the most recurrent activities on my métier is preparing applicants for university and postgraduate studies in Brazilian universities and also preparing musicians for recitals, competitions, and performances in general. By applying this pedagogical approach, we (my students, musicians and I, as a team) achieved incredibly positive results, with 100% of my applicant students approved on the entrance examinations at leading Brazilian private and public universities. We also achieved amazing performance results on orchestra entrance examinations, recitals, and concerts.
My main objective as a music teacher and conductor is to encourage and motivate my students and musicians toward a high level of independence, so they will be able to learn to think for themselves and expand their own artistic and personal horizons. I always try to give them the same enthusiasm and encouragement that I received from two of my ex-teachers (and now life-long friends) by creating a comfortable learning environment and providing the tools and strategies they need to always keep learning, both under my tuition and on their own.
I do not believe in authoritarian approaches to education, I do believe that the pedagogical process starts from building a propitious learning environment and a kind of relationship between instructor and learner in which they become able to share knowledge and experience, so they discover, learn, teach and share as a team. This pedagogical approach relates to two Latin proverbs “Docendo discimus” (By teaching we learn) and “Non scholæ sed vitæ discimus” (We do not learn for school, but for life). I am positive that this approach provides quite effective pedagogical tools, and also a way to awaken in them the enthusiasm needed to become life-long learners and reach their fullest potential. Therefore, working on their attitudes and behaviors is to awaken them to life, to prepare and make them aware of their responsibilities as citizens, family members, and principled human beings. These virtues are fundamental elements in social life and must be a starting point for those who endeavor on art and science, whether as professionals or enthusiasts.
This is what I strongly believe thinking, performing, and teaching music are all about. And that´s why music means everything to me!