Another great trip led by Dan and Mila! It was great to explore different styles of music other than samba that we dug into on the previous trip in Aug 23. The space for the workshops and ensembles was really nice and a big step up from the previous trip. It was nice to have mornings to relax bit and enjoy Rio. The daily group workshops were interesting and informative and the instructors were all great giving their personal perspectives and interpretations on the different styles of music. I think the workshops could have been just a little longer and links for reference tracks shared in advance. The ensembles were great. Tune selection was really good representing different styles. Every instructor was really great and helpful to me with suggestions on how to play the new styles I didn't have experience with. These sessions could have been 1/2 hour longer. The evening music was not quite as good as last August (which was amazing and also exhausting!). It's always good to see talented musicians perform but for this trip I would prefer to see them play Brazilian music, not American jazz as we got one evening. Even so I got to sit in with some really great players. The Maracatu class was totally fun and a great experience! It would have been good to have our performance nigh later in the week to allow for more practice time. All in all a great trip with many great instructors. I will plan to do it again! Thanks to Dan, Mila and everyone!

This was a truly memorable experience. It was beautifully organized, with lessons, private and in ensemble; workshops with stellar musicians; the opportunity to perform at a gig at a famous club in Rio; dinners; dancing; introduction and invitation to participate in an amazing percussion ensemble; a boat ride around Copacabana bay; a stay at a lovely hotel on Copacabana beach; ground transportation provided to all events; and the opportunity to study and play with a group of wonderful, dedicated musicians. Many thanks to our great tour organizers, Dan Fox and Mila Schiavo, and best wishes to all. Jill Borenstein

A great trip - put together extremely well. The Brazilian Music Experience and Morningside Music Tours combined to create a fantastic musical and cultural experience !!

Awesome authentic Brazilian music experience! Thanks to Dan, Mila and Guilherme for making it come together. Samba school, Roda de Samba, Choro - all amazing and great learning experiences. Great music at the Bottle Bar close to the hotel. If possible would be nice to know in advance who will be there and book the main area so everyone could have a great seat (or just get there earlier). For performance night, would be good to have a roof over the stage to avoid cancellation, although the venue was a beautiful comfortable place with good food and good acoustics! The hotel was perfect for what we were doing. The location was also perfect in my opinion. Perhaps some improvements could be made with daily sessions. Ensemble practices felt a bit rushed. I think a minimum of 2-1/2 hours would be good. Improvements could be made in the setup - sound system etc., possible a little larger space for the size group we had. Would be nice to get a little more one-one instruction on drums, at least 2 lessons would be good (but a lot to fit in). Lots of nit-picking above to help with future planning. Overall a really great trip and no complaints at all!!

This was a wonderful opportunity to immerse myself in Brazilian music, in the company of people who love it as much as I do. Everything was extremely well organised - transport, accommodation, meals and tuition. The music program was very valuable. The organisers were knowledgeable and caring, and were responsive to my particular needs.