Vocalist and guitarist Gustavo Marques grew up surrounded by music in his home city of Sao Paulo, Brazil. After moving to Europe he became one of the leading figures of the London Brazilian scene. During his time on the scheme (2004-2008) he gave over 100 performances in a wide variety of settings across the UK culminating in 12 workshops at Wormwood Scrubs. Just before leaving the scheme he answered the following questions;
How have you developed as a performer since you joined the scheme?
It has been a very interesting process working with LMN. At every session we have met a unique client group that has presented us with its own raft of needs and challenges. At each session we are able to make use of our growing experience and after each session we are able to reflect and evaluate the different strategies that we used. This has meant that we have developed communication between ourselves and have begun to develop our ability to target particular needs and environments with greater effectiveness.
Do you feel that your work with LMN has given you skills that will broaden your employment opportunities as a freelance musician?
Yes. I feel that the techniques that we have developed to make music available to our client groups has made us develop new relationships with how we produce music, often developing new techniques and musical themes that would not have occurred to us otherwise.
What has been the most memorable moment for you on the scheme?
Definitely a group of young people with special needs who absolutely lapped up the experience, danced, sang and shouted. We felt that our work made a real impact and when we were given feedback by the staff we were told how we had brought one young man out of himself in a way they had never before witnessed.
What would you tell a young musician thinking of auditioning for LMN about your experiences and opportunities as an LMN artist?
Any young musician thinking of auditioning for LMN needs to be aware of the role of music in these situations. There is no space for egos but there is a limitless capacity for development as a reflective musician. Keeping your eyes open, engaging with the audience and being quick to adapt are essential ingredients that even if they don't come naturally at first will surface and develop.