The transforming power of music | Eder Kinappe and Weslei Felix Ajarda | TEDxLaçador

Eder Kinappe is a double bass teacher at the Pablo Komlós Conservatoire at the Porto Alegre Symphonic Orchestra, the OSPA.

Weslei Ajarda began learning the double bass at the Music School of OSPA, under the guidance of Eder Kinappe in 2013. In 2015, he participated in the 5th SESC Music Festival, performing at a Master Class with the renowned Italian double bassist Giuseppe Etorre. He won the first Internal Competition of OSPA. In 2014, he began to play in the OSPA Youth Orchestra, first chair in the double bass section.

Together, they talk about the transforming power of music and the achievements of the young 17-year-old Weslei. Growing up he was fascinated with the church musicians and at home played on pots and pans. Loving the lower sounds, he used slats from a fence to create a musical instrument. When he began at the OSPA School, he was not familiar with classical music nor the instrument, but he liked the double bass and dedicated himself to it. His teacher tells that when Weslei was given a double bass, he was able to practice at home and achieve excellence. Always next to Eder, his teacher, the young boy with a grown up talent tells, "I came from the slums and even with the prejudice towards poor people, music is part of my life and opened me up to the world."

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx

Weslei Ajarda: Today, I am here
to tell you a little about my story,

starting when I was
about three or four years old,

when my mom took me to church
and I was fascinated,

because there, I saw music, musicians
playing right in front of me.

My eyes sparkled and I knew that there was
something different there for me.

It was phenomenal,
but I didn't know what it was.

Like any other kid,

I played games, I played ball,

I had fun with so many other games,

but I knew that I was very strongly
drawn to something else,

in a different way
than the games attracted me.

Soon after, when I was seven,

I got to know more about it,

when my friend

taught me a few notes on the guitar

and I started to practice,
enjoying it, all excited.

At this point, we wanted to play
the game of making music,

but we didn't have any instruments,

so we made our drum sets
from pots and pans and so forth.

I was dazzled by the low pitches,
so I made a bass guitar from my fence.

I took a slat from the fence,
some nylon strings,

I went around the house destroying it.

That was what I enjoyed.

Eder Kinappe: Some pagode, too?

WA: There was pagode on Sundays,

the family used to get together.

Every Sunday was exciting,
"Today we have pagode, right?"

(Laughter)

I would go to the samba circle,
I was fascinated by it.

When the musicians stopped,
laid down the pandeiro, I would go tap it.

My family all knew about it;

my aunt Carmen Lúcia,
whom I thank until this day,

saw a little notice on a newspaper,

in 2013, from the Music School of OSPA,
the symphonic orchestra of Porto Alegre.

At that moment, she said,
"Weslei, you like music so much,

you are so attracted to it,

I have a newspaper clipping
about the Music School of OSPA.

Registration is open
for low-income students

who want to learn music."

I said, "Awesome!",
I already liked the bass.

I went there, I registered,
but thinking that it was bass guitar.

(Laughter)

When I got to my first lesson,

I lay my eyes on this six-feet-tall
instrument, taller than me.

I was still little at that time.

(Laughter)

It was taller than me, it was huge,

and I freaked out!

EK: That's when I met Weslei,

at the reopening
of the Music School of OSPA,

which had been closed
for a long time, unfortunately.

We basically had to start from scratch.

The management adopted the criteria
that low-income kids

would be favored for acceptance.

This is how Weslei began in the school.

Already in his first months of school,
I could see that he had the gift

well above the average,
something that deserved attention.

At this time, a TV station and a newspaper

came to the Music School to do a story

about its reopening.

The segment also had the purpose

of trying to get people
to donate instruments,

to help low-income students.

They asked me if I had any student
that fit this profile,

who was of low-income
and had potential talent.

I referred Weslei.

The report was done, very well produced

and brought the results that we expected,

because he was given
a double bass, which is here.

WA: That first TV report shook up my life,

because I had no idea what it was
like to have cameras shooting me.

But I enjoyed it.

(Laughter)

My story was shared with other people,

they got to know me personally,

as in those moments
you really reveal your feelings.

At that time, music was blossoming in me,

and I knew that this was what I wanted.

A journalist from Rio de Janeiro
really liked my story

and decided to give me an instrument.

He contacted us,
asking the best way to do it,

and I accepted it with my open arms.

(Laughter)

(Applause)

EK: This was decisive for him,

because since he had the double bass
to practice at home,

he was able to practice the method
that I had developed for my students,

which consists of practicing the bass
four to six hours every day,

so you can reach the level of excellence
that the career demands.

He embraced the idea, loved it,
and promptly engaged.

And soon Weslei was participating
in important events.

After two years learning the instrument

he attended the 5th Sesc
Music Festival, in Pelotas,

where he met one of the world's
greatest names in double bass,

the Italian Giuseppe Ettorre.

He also attended this year's Festival

and met professor Alberto Bocini,

a great double bassist,

one of the most important in the world.

In the second semester of last year,
the school's management,

together with the teachers,
decided to organize a competition

in the fashion of professional
orchestras, like so:

whenever there are auditions
for an orchestra,

there is an audition committee
behind curtains,

so they don't see who is playing.

That way, the committee only
judges what they hear.

We did an audition such as this,

with the majority of our advanced
students participating.

The school has more than 200 students,
and Weslei got the first place.

(Applause)

WA: That competition was
a great challenge for me,

because, of all the contestants,

I was the one with the shortest time
learning the double bass,

and I hadn't bloomed as many others.

Even though, I knew I could do it

and that it would be a challenge,
and Eder and I embraced the cause

with the great seriousness it required,
seizing the moment.

EK: Exactly.

It is important to say all of this

because Weslei's roots are humble,
and theoretically distant

from the universe of concert music,
usually referred to as classical music;

this universe of the grand concert halls,
great maestros and soloists,

all the glamour that goes along with
the ritual of the musicians in tuxedos

and that moment of the concert.

But what we see in all this
is the transforming power of art,

particularly music, in his case,
changing everything in his life.

It was through the musical language
that we found something

that was already in Weslei,
that he already had,

his artistic sensitivity.

This reminds me of a situation
at that Festival that Weslei participated,

with Giuseppe Ettore.

We were talking after he had met Weslei

and had learned that Weslei hadn't been

around classical music
and playing the bass for long,

and he said something that I find
to be extremely relevant.

He was impressed and said,

"It is impressive how Weslei
plays all the nuances of Vivaldi's music

with such an ease that sometimes
not even European students,

who were born in that context
are able to play."

This also comes to prove
that music doesn't have barriers.

For Weslei, playing Vivaldi is natural,

even though he is baroque, Italian.

He understands it naturally.

The teacher himself saw it.

By the way, he got in touch
with another Italian,

the great bass player Alberto Bocini,
whom I mentioned earlier,

and he also acknowledged
Weslei's potential.

He teaches at the Conservatoire
de Musique de Genève

and invited Weslei to study there.

(Applause)

WA: For me, knowing that I came
from the slums and all that,

sometimes there is a prejudice,

but I know that music,
for me, means a lot.

For me, music means life.

Knowing that someone with
the high profile of Alberto Bocini,

one of the world's
greatest double bassists

knows about me

and wants me next to him,

to teach me, for me is rewarding.

Knowing, as I said,
that music is part of my life,

even if I will be away from many things,

live far, in Geneva, in Switzerland,

away from my family, my friends,

and so many other things
that I will miss -

but I know I will have my double bass,

and music will be with me,
so I won't be alone.

(Applause)

EK: Now, Weslei will show us
some of his work.

He will perform two movements:

one Andante and one Allegro giusto,

by Italian composer Domenico Dragonetti,

Concerto for Double Bass and Orchestra.

(Music)

(Applause)

EK: Bravo!

EK: Bravo! Bravo!