Nilton Gonçalves teaches young people to play the Tambor on Ilha Brava and seeks support to expand his school

With the aim of preserving and spreading his grandfather's musical legacy, Nilton founded his school with a clear dream: to train new generations of drummers, keeping alive one of the oldest traditions on the island of Brava. For him, teaching the drum is not just a matter of passing on musical technique, but also a way of perpetuating the community's cultural identity.

In an exclusive interview with Bravanews, Nilton explained that his passion for the drum goes beyond a simple musical interest. "I grew up listening to the stories of my grandfather, Nho Mundinho, who was a true drum legend in Brava. He taught me from an early age the importance of keeping our traditions alive. Now, I'm passing on this knowledge to the new generations, so that the drum continues to beat on our island, passing on our history and our culture," she said.

The Nilton Gonçalves school has grown rapidly, with an increasing number of students interested in learning to play the drum. However, with the increase in the number of students, he was faced with an unexpected challenge, the acquisition of new drums. Today, Nilton has used his own resources to ensure that all his students have access to the instrument, but financial difficulties have been an obstacle.

"I'm very happy with the growth of the school and the interest of the young people, but in order to continue expanding the project and serve everyone, we need more drums. Each one has a significant cost, and for now I've been using my own resources to keep everything running. The support of the community and institutions would be fundamental at this time," explained Nilton.

The lack of resources to buy drums is therefore the biggest difficulty Nilton is currently facing. He hopes to count on the support of partners and sponsors who can help buy more instruments so that the school can continue to grow and offer opportunities to more children and young people.

The drum, which is one of the main elements of the festivals and celebrations on the island of Brava, is also one of the local community's most valuable cultural legacies. The tradition of drumming, passed down from generation to generation, is a fundamental pillar of Brava culture, and Nilton Gonçalves, with his work, seeks to ensure that this tradition is kept alive, adapting to the present time, but always with respect for its origin.

With the increase in demand for drum lessons and young people's growing interest in traditional music, Nilton sees his school as a seed of the future for Brava's musical culture. "More and more we see young people getting closer to the drum, interested in learning. For me, this is a great victory. We are ensuring that our music, our history, is not lost, and that the island of Brava continues to be proud of its rich cultural heritage," said the musician.

With the support of the community, local authorities and possible sponsors, Nilton believes that the drum school can expand even further, training a new generation of musicians who will take the name of the Brava island to other corners of the world, always with the characteristic and unique sound of the Brava drum.

At this challenging time, Nilton Gonçalves is appealing to all those who believe in the cultural value of the drum and the importance of preserving our history. He invites companies, organizations and citizens to join the project, offering support for the purchase of new drums and other needs of the school, in order to ensure that more children and young people can have the opportunity to learn and practice this ancestral instrument.

The Nilton Gonçalves school is undoubtedly the hope for the preservation of the Brava island's musical tradition, and its work has the potential to inspire a whole new generation to keep the local culture alive, while at the same time opening doors to the island's musical future.