Our reporter Jeff Tyler is a drummer and he heard about this drum school down in Brazil called the Viver Brasil Dance and Music Program.
Jeff went down to Brazil to become a better drummer. He tagged along with 19 Americans who came to study traditional Afro-Brazilian styles. But he quickly found himself using the music as a lens to better understand Brazil's complex history and all the various influences that go into making the fabric of its culture. Immersed in a foreign culture for two weeks, Jeff found himself confronted by a place best described by Jorge Amado, Brazil's most celebrated writer: "A land where everything is intermixed and co-mingled. Where no one can separate virtue from sin, or distinguish the certain from the absurd."
And it turns out, Jeff wasn't just learning about Brazil. With each passing day, giving in to the poly-rhythms helped him open up to a whole new way of living his life.
