Motiva Integrarte, from Lara Klaus, consisted of a series of Brazilian percussion lessons for 30 people with disabilities due to Down syndrome, who are all part of the NGO Integrarte, located in Recife, Brazil. Integrarte has been active for over 20 years, leading social inclusion work for people with disabilities (mostly those with Down syndrome), promoting dance, percussion and theater classes, in addition to other activities.
Due to COVID-19, students of Integrarte were unable to leave their homes and carry out their daily activities, which help them in cognitive, motor and creative development. In addition, they missed each other, the teachers and their community. Motiva Integrarte offered 8 weeks of virtual classes for these students in Fall 2020, where they learned traditional Brazilian rhythm and song using percussion instruments and their own bodies. The program was facilitated by Lara along with two teachers of Integrarte, musician and percussion teacher Adriana Silva, and dancer and body expression teacher Roberto Silveira. Students were stimulated by group conversations about life and music, movement and warm ups, and activities that include singing traditional songs, working on the pulse and rhythmic division, exploring the sounds of the body and nature, exploring instruments and songs from native peoples, and general knowledge about Brazilian culture.
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Lara Klaus is a Recife, Brazil-based percussionist and educator. Studying at the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco and Universidade de Aveiro (Portugal), Lara focused on mastering traditional percussion such as pandeiro, alfaia, zabumba and other world music instruments along with the rhythms of Northeast Brazil. Lara has performed and taught all-ages workshops throughout South America, Europe and the United States. Lara is a member of the band LADAMA, along with three other OneBeat 2014 alumni.
