Art & Culture in Brazil - program full
Come experience the cultural heritage of Brazil and its music during Spring Break 2010.
For information, please contact Ginny Pellam-Montalbano at 443-9417 or gapellam@syr.edu
Application are available online. New students should apply online under the "To Apply" section of our website. For program please select "SU World Partners" and state that you are applying to the Brazil program in the essay section along with answering the essay questions. Students who have previously participated on an SU abroad program should complete a returning SU Abroad applicant application.
Courses
ENC060/ENC660 M003 The Culture and Art of Brazil (1 credit)
Music, Colonial Architecture, Afro-Brazilian studies, and Capoeira: combining lectures, discussions, and readings with a 10 day trip to Brazil, this course will provide students with a unique opportunity to experience the cultural heritage of Brazil. The course will focus on the native music of Brazil of European and African heritage with hands-on experiences with Brazilian instruments – while examining relationships with Brazil’s colonial architecture and history. In Salvador there will be visits to the Pelourinho, numerous colonial churches crafted in gold dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, the percussion school Pracatum, the Afro-Brazilian museum, Mercado Modelo (City Market), and the music groups Olodum and Timbalada headquarters. In Rio de Janeiro there will be visits to the Villa-Lobos Museum, Christ Redeemer statue, Sugarloaf, and the famous Ipanema and Copacabana beaches.
Priority for student selection will be given to students who are taking or have taken: 1) ENC 100/600: Brazilian Music Ensemble; 2) School of Education students 3) any level of Portuguese language or Brazilian and Afro-Brazilian studies; 4) upper division and graduate music students; 5) lower division and non-music students.
Class size will be limited to 20 students.
Faculty
Dr. Elisa Macedo Dekaney is an assistant professor of music education in the Setnor School of Music at Syracuse University. Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Elisa Dekaney earned a bachelor’s degree in piano performance at the Seminário Teológico Batista do Sul do Brasil and a bachelor’s degree in communication from Universidade Federal Fluminense. She continued her studies in the United States, earning a master’s degree in choral conducting from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and a Ph.D. in choral music education from the Florida State University. While at Florida State, Elisa Dekaney co-directed with her husband, Josh Dekaney, the Brazilian Music Ensemble Samba Oba for two years. She has been an active researcher, clinician, and conductor in the United States and Brazil and has appeared as guest conductor in numerous occasions in both countries.
Josh Dekaney received a Master's degree in music performance from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music, a Bachelor's degree in music education from the University of Kentucky and has studied extensively in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In 1994 Dekaney won the Multiple Percussion contest at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Atlanta, Ga. and was a Yamaha Young Performing Artist. He has also taught steel drums and Brazilian music at the Florida State University. Dekaney currently teaches the Brazilian ensemble at Syracuse University and is freelancing throughout central New York playing jazz, Caribbean styles, and shows.
Costs
Tuition for the course will be covered as part of regular spring semester tuition as long as you do not exceed 19 credits. The cost for the travel component of the course will be approximately $2,825 which includes round trip transportation from Syracuse to Brazil, housing, museum entrance fees, and transportation to various sites. It also includes all activities and services for which a separate fee is not charged. A final fee will be sent once all reservations are confirmed.
Application, Selections & Payment Procedures
Students will be expected to submit a special application and a $60 non-refundable application fee to SU Abroad by October 12, 2009. Professors Elisa Dekaney, Josh Dekaney, and an SU Abroad representative will review all applications. Students will be notified of their acceptance by October 26. Upon acceptance, $450 deposit is required to hold your place in the program within 10 days of your notification. Final payment will be due December 11, 2009.