Read the first post from Brazil.

Berklee's Bruno Raberg (bass) and Jim Odgren (sax) entertain the crowd.

Berklee's Bruno Raberg (bass) and Jim Odgren (sax) entertain the crowd.

We’ve had a full week in São Paulo in conjunction with our partner school Souza Lima. The agenda included clinics from our extraordinary faculty team (Jim Odgren, Bruno Raberg and Matt Glaser), auditions and interviews for admission applicants, visits to local schools and government organizations, interviews for radio and television and a lot of opportunity for all of us to learn more about Brazil and its music.

As I reflect on the week, the word that continuously comes to mind is joy. Every experience, from our interactions with students, teachers, local musicians, and the Brazilian people themselves, is engulfed by a kind of joyous exuberance for life, and especially for music.

We finally head to the airport and just past security, I hear my name called with much enthusiasm and urgency.  I wonder who could possibly know me here—there’s 13 million people in the city and I’m a long way from home. The odds seem slim.

Quickly I realize that it’s a group of students from Souza Lima who I interviewed for admission the day before.  They’re heading to play at a music festival in Argentina… and we’re all on “red-eye” flights. We exchange enthusiastic greetings and wish each other all the best.

My hope is that many of these terrific young people and musicians find their way to Boston in the coming semesters.  We can always use a little more joy.

Finally, on behalf of my travel companions, including the faculty above and Sam Skau (International Programs) and Doug Bennett (Admissions) let me say:

Muito obrigado Souza Zima.  Muito obrigado São Paulo!

Check out more pictures from the trip.

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