Have you been mesmerized by the energy and cohesion of the carnival street percussion groups of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil? Join this weekly Brazilian bateria class to learn the fundamentals of samba percussion technique and repertoire. A bateria is the percussion ensemble driving the groove of the whole samba band.

EducArte at Levine welcomes all levels, from beginners to advanced, semi-professionals, and music teachers. No auditions are required. The bateria class meets for 1.5 hours a week to work on technique and repertoire and to rehearse for group performances. All students will have the opportunity to perform periodically if they choose to.

About our instructors

EducArte’s percussion director and Rio de Janeiro native André Coelho leads the bateria classes. André has played in many carnival groups, such as Carmelitas, Céu na Terra, Cacique de Ramos, Orquestra Voadora, Prata Preta, and Tá Pirando.

Classes are also taught by assistant instructor and Levine faculty member Christopher Payne, a multi-faceted drummer and percussionist who fuses ethnic hand percussion, orchestral percussion, and drum set to create music across a multitude of genres.

Classes are also supported by Hugo Vásquez, a samba percussionist from Santiago, Chile, who has studied and performed with various samba schools in Rio de Janeiro. He has directed the percussion sections of various samba and samba-enredo groups, and served for nearly a decade as the director of the bateria of GRES Alegria de Barcelona (Spain).

Please see our online bateria demonstration videos here.

Registration

Semester tuition ($414 for 20 classes) and drop-in classes ($25/each) are available.

Register now

Questions about payments or registration? Contact Levine Student Services at sservices@levinemusic.org or (202) 686.8000.