Claudia Lyra
Founder, creator and educator at BRaPA. |
BRAPA is a small business where the community can find services related to Brazilian culture such as Portuguese lessons that are offered in a daily bases to all ages as well as lectures and workshops about Brazil and its culture, including Capoeira and Rhythms.
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More about Claudia Lyra
Claudia Lyra is the owner, educator and artistic director at BRAPA - Brazilian Portuguese and Arts in San Diego, CA. Originally from São Paulo, Brazil, and growing up in the city of Londrina - PR, Claudia has shared Brazilian culture in the United States since 2003.
With a Bachelor degree in Psychology, a Master's degree in Dual Language Education from SDSU, enrolled in a PhD program since 2021 in Linguistics and a background in Brazilian performing arts, Claudia strongly believes in the connection between the mind, heart, and body in any learning process. One of her best memories in her career was working with a professional team of Portuguese professors at Middlebury University in Vermont in the summer of 2020 and 2021. The immersion program adapted to digital learning and lasted 7 weeks. Claudia taught Portuguese and Culture to “novice” ,“intermediate high” and "advanced" levels, following ACTFl standards. Plus, being the assistant of a Harvard University Portuguese Immersion Program in 2017, she confirmed that education has changed in the last 15 years providing an active method of learning fostering engagement and interest by students at all ages and levels. She has developed arts integration programs in partnership with the San Diego Unified School District and recently started developing Arts Integration curriculum at the Coronado and Del Mar Unified School District. Her teaching philosophy is to create well-being and joyful learning through Brazilian arts. In December 2017 Claudia planned 2 lessons to be available to CA teachers at the CCSESA website (California County Superintendents Educational Services Association Arts Initiative) available for teacher at SD Unified District to use in their daily teachings.
Claudia has also penned a fascinating article for the CWM on the Brazilian berimbau. Read the article and see her video demonstration, here. [link: https://centerforworldmusic.org/2015/06/world-music-instruments-the-berimbau/ ]
Brazilian traditional music, Capoeira, and storytelling are not just highly entertaining, they are powerful tools for teaching. These cultural treasures of Brazil’s open young hearts and minds to the wonderful sounds, emotions, and values of the Brazilian culture through music appreciation and making. Capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance, acrobatics, and music, brings an awareness to the physical possibilities and limitation of the human body in addition to the history of the country. When Claudia moved to USA, in 2003 she already played and taught Capoeira classes. Nowadays, she is an Instructor in the Art-Form part of the Group Capoeira Luanda in San Diego - CA.
Claudia uses Brazilian cultural arts to help students of all ages develop critical thinking skills, plant seeds of self-worth and value, cultivate an appreciation of equality, and promote important social skills to interact successfully with others.
Claudia brings Brazilian cultural arts to audiences in schools and beyond, through her cultural assembly and residency programs called Do RE TREE (former group Nós de Chita) and also part of non-profit organization "Center for World Music" and "Arts Education Connection SD"(former Arts for Learning) program. DO RE TREE offers cultural assemblies, live music performances and workshops focused on traditional Brazilian arts that incorporate key elements of the natural environment which promote awareness of climate change for students kindergarten through 8th grade.
She also collaborated with Climate Change Alliance performing Assembly programs on "helping the planet to stay healthy" and talking to environmentalists about the importance of Arts for the engagement in the learning process of students and visitors in State and National Parks.
About Thiago Winterstein - Summer 2024 Portuguese and Music Teacher for KIDS
Mr. Thiago is a charismatic, family-oriented multi-instrumentalist who performs and teaches in multiple languages and genres. He earned a Guitar Performance degree from Musicians Institute in Hollywood, CA, and studied Brazilian percussion, drum set, cavaquinho, arrangement, and 7-string guitar in São Paulo, Brazil.
Thiago has been performing, teaching, recording, and writing music in styles ranging from Bossa Nova, Nueva Trova, North American and Latin American Folk, reggae, rock, and blues. For years he performed with Chilean singer Angela Roa. He also helped develop a music program in Los Angeles to promote language development, literacy, and movement.
Thiago has been performing, teaching, recording, and writing music in styles ranging from Bossa Nova, Nueva Trova, North American and Latin American Folk, reggae, rock, and blues. For years he performed with Chilean singer Angela Roa. He also helped develop a music program in Los Angeles to promote language development, literacy, and movement.
