His hands grip the guitar. One nail is broken from wailing on the strings. His hands move across the neck of the guitar as he plays some jazz licks.
Santiago Ferreira is a sophomore from Asuncion, Paraguay, majoring in music composition. Ferreira has traveled thousands of miles from his homeland in hopes of achieving his musical dreams.
“My dream is writing music that expresses what I feel and being able to perform as well,” he said.
To help him reach those dreams Ferreira chose to come to the University of Kansas because he is on a scholarship that allows him to go to school and pay in-state tuition, and also because of the music program at the University.
“The music composition at KU is really wide,” Ferreira said. “You can learn to write symphonies or electronic music or songs, but they teach you everything so you can write any kind of music.”
Ferreira credits much of his own success as a musician to his advisor and composition instructor Kip Haaheim.
“He gives me great advice,” Ferreira said. “I have a lot of freedom with him.”
Ferreira enjoys playing Brazilian music, such as Bass nova, and he also plays some rock and pop music. But what Ferreira enjoys playing most is jazz – on both his acoustic and electric guitars.
Not long after Ferreira came to campus, he auditioned for the
“When he first got here he had trouble in the music department because he didn't have so much experience as a musician,” said Ferreira’s roommate and fellow music composition major Paul Szpyrka.
But a year later, after countless hours of practice, Ferreira auditioned again. This time he got the part.
“When Santiago has a goal in mind, he works towards it - oblivious to the things around him,” Szpyrka said. “Santiago is talented, but what makes the difference is that he is determined.”
Ferreira said that while he enjoys playing with the band, he wants to someday start his own band – one that is more a little more like his style, using a combination of jazz, rock and classical music.
Having the ability to play and compose has given Ferreira a new outlook – one that is bigger than just expressing himself through song.
“My biggest dream is to be able to write music that people like and sell records and perform,” he said.
But at one time, those dreams were nowhere near his mind.
As a youngster growing up in Paraguay, Ferreira went to primary and secondary schools, which are similar to elementary and high school in the U.S. Unlike most boys his age, Ferreira didn’t play sports – and didn’t play music. He had another career path in mind.
“I always wanted to be an inventor - like a scientist,” Ferreira said. “I wanted to create things.”
Ferreira and his grandfather often teamed up and worked on experiments together. On one occasion, they conducted experiments with chemicals and made green and yellow flames. Another time the pair made an electric engine with a cork, needle, a cable - used as a filament - and two magnets.
“It was very cool,” Ferreira said.
But the fun of tinkering around in the garage was soon replaced by the sounds of Ferreira’s first guitar, or rather, his sister’s guitar. At age 14 his sister, Monica, got a guitar and started taking lessons. Ferreira soon began playing as well.
“I just played all the time,” Ferreira said. “I was like a child. I was in my world when I had the guitar.”
Ferreira said he wrote lyrics to a song before he ever played the guitar, something he now does quite often.
During his second to last year at secondary school, Ferreira enrolled in the AFS Intercultural Program a non-profit organization that helps more than 11,000 students and teachers experience school from other areas of the world.
Ferreira then came to the U.S. as a foreign exchange student. He lived in Port Clinton, Ohio, with a host family from 2000-2001.
Ferreira took his guitar with him.
“I was more excited than anything,” he said. “I get exited about going somewhere – about change. Change is something that really excited me. I felt like if I was going on a trip, that was my first feeling.”
But one change Ferreira did not expect was the culture shock living in a small town. Port Clinton had a population was about 5,000 and Ferreira struggled learning the English language.
“When I first came to Untied States I was pretty lost,” he said.
But Ferreira eventually learned to speak English rather well, much in part to asking others for help, and his own willingness to learn.
“I just always wanted people to correct me,” he said.
Ferreira said that his host dad often corrected him when he misspoke in English, and Ferreira repaid him by teaching him how to play the guitar.
“My family was great. That’s what makes a good experience,” Ferreira said. “If your family is good you’ll have a great time.”
Since he left Ohio and returned to Paraguay, Ferreira has visited his host family five times, and they traveled to Lawrence to visit him once.
For his senior year in college, Ferreira wants to compose a number of songs for his composition recital. He plans on recording the performance in hopes of releasing it as a CD. After graduation Ferreira said he would like to continue studying at the University and be a teaching assistant in the music department, something he sees as a good fallback plan if he doesn’t break into the music industry.
Ferreira said that if he does fall short of reaching his dreams, he could see himself going back to Paraguay and opening a music school and performing there. But the thought of being on stage in front of thousands of people is what drives him.
“I’d feel great. Sometimes I wonder about that,” Ferreira said. “I’m sure it will be great. Just getting into the KU jazz band was exciting, and realizing my dreams will be really, really exciting.”