Educational Programs

Minas’ educational programs have reached nearly one million youths in the form of primary and secondary school assemblies, residencies, and college/university teaching and clinics, promoting commonalities between Brazilian and American cultures.

Final presentation of 10-week residency

Minas Troupe

Assembly program and workshop

Samba Drumming with University of Pennsylvania Graduate Students

Now offering virtual concerts and lessons via streaming and video

Brazilian Jazz Ensemble

Native Brazilian Orlando Haddad and Patricia King (performers, recording artists, instrumentalists and vocalists), conduct clinics in university settings for all levels of understanding in Brazilian music. Minas will bring arrangements of Brazilian standards and originals in the styles of samba, choro, Bossa nova, baião, etc. Orlando and Patricia work with students focusing on Brazilian rhythms, and coach singers in Brazilian singing style and Portuguese diction.

Symphony in Bossa

Scored for Big Band and Strings, or Pops Orchestra by the late Bill Zaccagni, Symphony in Bossa incorporates Brazilian standards as well as Minas originals. This extraordinary work has been presented at The University of the Arts (Philadelphia, PA), University of North Carolina Schools of the Arts (Winston-Salem, NC), Moravian College (Bethlehem, PA), Shippensburg University (PA), University of Delaware (DE), and Pennsbury School (PA), Ocean City (NJ) and Reading (PA) Pops Orchestras, and at World Cafe Live (Philadelphia, PA).

Roots of Brazil

Native Brazilian, Orlando Haddad, conducts in-depth workshops, clinics and classes on the music of Brazil. His unique background as a complete musician in all areas of Brazilian music and instrumentation gives him exceptional abilities to bring authentic experiences to educational settings. Orlando’s rich background as a composer, guitarist, vocalist, percussionist, arranger, recording artist, and ensemble director, along with years of educational and professional performance experience, gives him depth and flexibility to address a wide variety of educational needs.

From Samba and other Afro-derived Brazilian music to the sophisticated strains of Bossa Nova, to contemporary 20th-century music, Orlando has a solid footing in many disciplines. He has been responsible for launching programs in Brazilian Samba Percussion for the Graduate School at The University of Pennsylvania as well as Brazilian Percussion and Brazilian Jazz Ensemble courses at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where he taught for ten years. Orlando and Patricia have conducted numerous workshops at a number of university settings. In addition to various educational institutional activities, Orlando created and directed PhilaSamba, the first street samba school in Philadelphia, in 1986, modeled after samba schools in Brazil. PhilaSamba fostered community opportunities bringing people together in the positive and uplifting setting of Brazilian music-making.

Brazilian Guitar

Brazilian guitar has become one of the most revered and loved styles of playing the instrument since João Gilberto created the Bossa Nova rhythm in the late 1950s. Samba and Bossa styles are full of syncopation and rich harmonies. Orlando Haddad grew up in Brazil during the Bossa Nova and Música Popular Brasileira (MPB) eras, and has played the guitar professionally since the age of 12.

Students will learn the Brazilian guitar approach from Orlando, who has studied and performed the music of the masters (Villa-Lobos, Jobim, Baden Powell and Paulinho Nogueira), and transcribed authentic guitar rhythms and chord voicings which define this unique style.

Samba Drumming

Students of all levels are able to participate and immediately grasp the gist and fun of samba music. Minas is able to supply an entire ensemble (up to 30 instruments), as well as handouts of rhythms, transcribed by Orlando.

History of Samba, Bossa Nova and MPB (multimedia)

This multimedia presentation is suitable to both the student or the layman, for the classroom or auditorium. The program covers historical and technical aspects of Samba, Bossa Nova, and MPB, with audio and video examples. Orlando will also perform live examples of Bossa Nova and open the floor for discussion. This program can be enhanced by incorporating audience participation on samba percussion. (Duration 60-90 minutes)

Private Lessons (Virtual via Streaming and Video)

Orlando and Patricia teach privately to those interested in understanding the authentic approach to Brazilian music. Lessons are geared to deepen one’s understanding of composition, rhythm, harmony, vocal techniques, and language (diction) elements that create the aesthetics of Brazilian music. As subtle as Brazilian music sounds, its content is complex and sophisticated — here is an opportunity to sound like a Brazilian!  

Orlando Haddad
– Brazilian Guitar, Percussion, Theory and Composition, Harmony, Portuguese Vocal Diction, Repertoire, focusing on authentic approaches to playing Brazilian standards.  

Patricia King Haddad Traditional and Jazz Piano with approaches to playing Brazilian Standards, Improvisation, Harmony and Theory, Composition, Voice and Portuguese Vocal Diction.

Partial List of Engagements

Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia, PA » Brown University, Providence, RI » University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Winston-Salem, NC » University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
 » Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, PA » University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
 » University of Delaware, Newark, DE » University of Maryland, Salisbury, MD » Moravian College, Bethlehem, PA » Cecil College, Elkton, MD
 » University of Pennsylvania Law School, Philadelphia, PA » Colgate University, Hamilton, NY
 » Shippensburg University, Shippensburg, PA
 » Chestnut Hill College, Philadelphia, PA » Haverford College, Haverford, PA » Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
 » Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA
 » Duke University, Durham, NC » Lebanon Valley College, PA
 » University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
 » Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA » Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA » US Merchant Marine Academy, Long Island, NY » Penn State University, State College, PA » Widener University, Chester, PA » Albright College, Reading, PA » Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA » Stockton College, Stockton, NJ