HOLLAND SAMBA SCHOOL

Become a member

Everyone is welcome at the Holland Samba School and no percussion or prior musical experience is required to play. All the drums and instruments are provided and members learn everything about the rhythms and history of the Brazilian music during our weekly rehearsals.

There are two group levels:

Bateria Bacana

This bateria comprises all the members of the Holland Samba School and rehearses every Wednesday from 7:00-9:00 p.m. at the Michigan Academy of Folk Music located at 451 Columbia Ave. in Holland, MI.

Bateria Especial

This bateria is the performance group of the Holland Samba School and performs for community gigs like Tulip Time, Holland Farmer’s Market, Educational School assemblies and workshops. To play in the Bateria Especial, members need to demonstrate proficiency and knowledge of the following skills:

The basic samba patterns for surdo, caixa, and repinique
Response to the repinique chamada and paradinhas (breaks)
The basic samba reggae patterns for surdo, caixa, repinique, and timbal
The basic maracatu patterns for alfaia, caixa, agbê, and gonguê
Samba step (side to side steps moving in time to the beat)

About the Bateria (The Percussion Section)

The Percussion Section of any Brazilian musical group is called the Bateria. There are many drumming styles throughout Brazil that are specific to cities and regions. The Holland Samba School performs the rhythms and styles of the samba from Rio de Janeiro, samba reggae and samba Afro from Salvador da Bahia, and maracatu from Recife, Pernambuco. Each of these styles uses different types of percussion instruments that include surdos, caixas, repiniques, chocalhos, agogôs, tamborims, timbals, alfaias, and agbê. We also synthesize these rhythms with influences of funk, Afro-Cuban, New Orleans, and popular music.