Looking for a fun and educational after-school program for your kids? Where they can learn music, math, history and even another language while interacting on a performance level with other kids? You have found it!

Brazilian Female Tenor Saxophonist, Rita Ferreira, has spent over 2 decades dedicating herself to performing, learning and teaching music especially her native genre of Brazilian jazz. Now she brings her experience, lessons and form of study to her new after-school program, "Ring Around The World".

What she offers:

. Private instruction for alto and tenor saxophone.

. Instruction for Brazilian Jazz Ensemble.

. While this ad is specifically for her younger students; Rita teaches all levels, all ages and all genres.

. Flexible hours.

Requirements:

. All students must be between the ages of 7-17 years of age for the afterschool program.

. Anyone 18 years or older can also have a similar course with Rita.

. All levels, beginner, intermediate and advanced are welcomed.

. Whether you never even heard of a saxophone or you are a young professional musician Rita has something to offer you.

This program offers prospective students the opportunity to learn all the basic things they need in order to have proficiency on their instrument as well as being able to perform with confidence and swing. And for those who know their basics, if you have something you need to work on let her know and she will have a plan of action.

Rita Ferreira, teaches in English, Portuguese, and Spanish. All English speaking students will also, have the opportunity to learn Portuguese during private instruction. If your child has material they need instruction on from a school ensemble or any other type of performance piece this program will also aid your child in preparing for their performance or audition.

PART A: The Basics

. Theory, sight singing, ear training, harmony and knowledge of their instrument.

. Relationship and Connection between Music and Rhythm with Colors, Elements and Feelings.

. How to build a multi-genre repertoire, tone, articulation, breathing, technique, phrasing.

. How to improvise and accompany in any situation.

. Why a metronome is your best friend!

PART B: The World

. Brazilian Jazz Standards (Bossa Nova tunes).

. The groove and feel of samba.

. The history, relevance and contribution of bossa nova and other brazilian influences to music and the world.

. Some basic skills on the Portuguese language.

. The essence of rhythm and time to the groove and swing of a song.

. Brief history of jazz and the mathematics of music theory.

PART C: Playing with others.

In this section of the course students will have, aside from their private instruction, the opportunity to study in an ensemble setting. Where they will be merged into a class with other students, who play saxophone, bass, percussion, drums, keys, vocals etc.

This will give the student a taste of what would be like to perform in a band or an ensemble while teaching them the essentials of playing with others. Part C of the course will tie in with all the other parts as a rehearsal, where the students will be able to apply all that they have learned together. All of the 'ring around the world' students will have a routine course of study to practice at home and plenty of material that will last a lifetime.

Enroll your child today! For rates, deadlines, a copy of Rita's resume and references and any other information/details please contact Rita Ferreira from the following:

ritajazz@yahoo.com

Tel: 347-309-8056

"My good friend Rita Ferreira is a hard working and dedicated saxophonist who is passionate about Jazz and especially Brazilian music, and I always enjoy hearing her express herself!”     Don Braden

"Rita Ferreira’s playing has all the qualities of Brazilian music: Soothing and beautiful ”    Ivo Perelman

“Ferreira’s warm and welcoming tone on the tenor is perfect to play Jobim’s music” Wilbert Sostre, Jazztimes

“She can play!”     Kenny Garret

“I admire people that leave their country and travel abroad to achieve their dreams, and Rita is one of those people,  Her music is excellent”     

Roberto Menescal 

“Rita Ferreira shows her talent on the two genres her saxophone sails smooth: Bossa Nova and Jazz; it’s where  she creates her musical bridge between Brazil and the USA.”      Luís Carlos Mieli

MANAGEMENT:  Nestor Lacoren   Latin Cultural Productions   Tel: 718-271-6794lacoren@aol.com

PRESS:  promohauzny@gmail.com   646-473-0378

RITA FERREIRA started playing the alto sax, switching later to the tenor. Her first lessons, were taught by a local Army musician, friend of the family, then she joined a music school.  At that early phase Rita started listening to all types of music, including Brazilian Popular Music as well as Jazz.  Her first major influences were: The Brazilian saxophonist Vitor Assis Brazil, a tenor player who came to study at Berklee School in Boston and was asked to teach instead.

Her other major influence, was the Brazilian vocalist  Nana Caymmi, of the Caymmi family from Bahia, who is still very influential in Brazil, a very gifted vocalist, interpreter, composer with an incredible range, who released incredible albums, only comparable to  American vocalists of the stature of Nina Simone, Carmen McRae or  Sarah Vaughan.

In Rita’s very own words, her first musical point of departure was when she switched to the tenor saxophone,  what made a considerable difference in her way of thinking musically. Being the instrument that is the closest to the human voice, with his dissonances and tonalities, it enabled her to a whole new world of possibilities of musical interpretation and true musical expression.

She then started playing in festivals along with local musicians and received a lot of attention for the fact that she was a female playing a traditionally male instrument.  In addition, her small stature, next to a tall tenor sax, it commanded a lot of attention.

It was all fine, but it was time again for a new point of departure, this time geographical: Rita moved to Rio de Janeiro to  hopefully study with Vitor Assis Brasil, who unfortunately had passed away, shortly before her arrival.  She joined the ProArte Music School to study under the French saxophonist Idris Bodrioni who had also traveled to Brasil to study with Vitor Assis.  She later studied Composition and Arrangement at Rio’s State University.

This was the place to be, Rio de Janeiro, home of Bossa-Nova, the many new musical discoveries, and the setting, it was the right moment, a new world, a new point of departure: American Jazz, the abundance of music in Rio, which was her musical home for sometime.

Like many other Brazilian musicians, she came to visit the United States and fell in love with the opportunities to play and learn more, to study with top players, and ended up staying, settling down in Washington, DC for awhile, keeping one foot in New York, she has played most of the jazz clubs in both towns, with her own quartet or as a guest with other groups.  

Rita is always on the lookout for new musical experiences, to travel and to discover… Only the future will tell her when her next musical departure will be, for the meantime, she is keeping company with some of her most beloved musical friends: John  Coltrane, Vitor Assis Brasil, Jackie McLean, Joe Henderson, Arrigo Barnabe, Nana Caymmi and Charlie Parker.