Toronto Drum Instructor Helio
| Name | Helio C. |
| City | Toronto, ON | Teaching | Drum |
| Working With | Youth, Adults, Groups |
| Levels | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced |
| Hourly Rate | $45 |
Since 2003, Hélio Cunha has maintained an active performing and teaching career, recording and touring with artists of many different backgrounds. Cunha performs in many styles and genres including Brazilian Music, Jazz, Rock, Funk, Pop, Blues and World Music. Recent works by Cunha in Brazil are Eduardo Belloni Quintet, Denis Talasso Produção Musical, Rodrigo Belloni Blues Trio, Eddie Fernan group and Gustavo Spínola. Leading his own group, the Batucatrio, Cunha has performed at festivals in Italy and France.
Music Background & Credentials
Cunha holds a Bachelor of Popular Music and a Master's Degree in Music Performance from the Universidade Estadual de Campinas. Cunha was a member of the research group Percussão Brasileira: histórico, estudo interpretativo e seu repertório (Brazilian Percussion: historical, interpretive study and its repertoire), maintained by Unicamp (Campinas State University) in partnership with CNPQ (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development).
Professional Experience
Over the course of his career, Cunha has played with Vinicius Dorin, Fábio Leal, Marcinho Eiras, Canto do Céu, Chris Duran, Luiz Arcanjo, Nelson Bomilcar, and many others as a freelancer. In addition to many tours and radio appearances, Cunha has had a number of television appearances, including an appearance on Pânico na TV, with Marcinho Eiras and Eduardo Sterblitch at Rede Bandeirantes de Televisão, and Programa do Jô, at Rede Globo de Televisão. In 2015 Cunha recorded the album Ciclo, by the American singer Eddie Fernan. The album was mastered by the renowned engineer Felipe Tichauer, winner of many Grammies, and it is available on major digital platforms worldwide. Also in 2015, Cunha recorded the album Back to the Beginning, by the guitarist Eduardo Belloni. The album featured great names from São Paulo jazz scene and won the award for Best Jazz Album by the Academia, Los Angeles. It also competed in the Fusion Best Performance by Six Strings Theory, two internationally recognized awards. In the same year, Cunha recorded and co-produced the album Mares Rios by Gustavo Spínola. Mares Rios has been mentioned among the best Brazilian albuns of 2016, receiving excellent references from national critics such as Celso Masson from ISTOÉ Magazine and Ryosuke Itoh from Taiyo Records, biggest seal of Latin music in Japan. Teaching drumset and percussion since 2003, in 2015 he has taught a course in the Universidade Estadual de Campinas related to his Master's Thesis. In 2016 Cunha created the project Escola de Batuque, bringing the Brazilian music and culture to public elementary schools in regions of social vulnerability. The project was registered in a short documentary called Escola de Batuque. Cunha won the 2016 and 2017 Cultural Outreach Award, granted by the City Hall of Santa Bárbara d'Oeste, São Paulo, Brazil. In 2017 Cunha published his first book about Brazilian Samba. The book has been received as an innovative method to study the drumset on the Brazilian Music. The Modern Drummer Brasil Magazine published four special articles about Cunha's book.
Teaching & Other Details
I use the methods that are referential for the study of the drums. New Breed (G Chester), Stick Control (G. L. Stone) Syncopation (TEDD REED), among many others. In my experience, each one needs to be watched individually. I really like to understand the goals and the difficulties of each student and keep them motivated.
Availability
Full time
Preferred Teaching Place
At clients home