Filipa Pinto – President
Miss Pinto graduated as a Basic Education Teacher with a specialization in Mathematics and Natural Sciences for the 2nd cycle in 2002 from the Piaget Institute in Vila Nova de Gaia. In 2008, she completed a postgraduate degree in Curriculum Management at the University of Aveiro. By 2014, she had further specialized in Special Education, focusing on the Cognitive and Motor domain, at Lusíada University. Under the guidance of Prof. Dr. António Barbot from the School of Education at the Polytechnic Institute of Porto, she successfully defended her Master’s thesis in Science and Mathematics Didactics in 2016. Her thesis, titled “The Use of Scratch Software in Teaching Mathematics and Natural Sciences to Students with Dyslexia – A Case Study,” explored innovative educational methods for students with learning difficulties. Since beginning her career in 2002, she has dedicated herself professionally to teaching. She has served as a teacher of Mathematics and Natural Sciences for the 2nd cycle, an elementary school teacher for the 1st cycle, and a Special Education teacher. She is currently teaching within the Special Education group at the Vallis Longus School Group.
Mário Barros – Pedagocial Co-director
Born on May 30, 1979, in São Mamede Ribatua, he began his musical journey with the Banda de São Mamede Ribatua, the oldest band in the country. He later enrolled in the Porto Conservatory, continuing his studies at Artave and the Vila Nova de Gaia Conservatory, where he studied under Professor Paulo Silva. After completing the 5th grade, he paused his studies to pursue a career as a police officer. Upon returning to his musical roots, he joined the University of Minho in Braga, where he studied trumpet under Professor Vasco Faria.
He is currently a teacher at NCM – New Concept Music.
Since then, he has participated in several technical and musical masterclasses with renowned teachers Kevin and Pierre Dutot. In wind orchestras, he has had the opportunity to work with esteemed conductors such as Carlos Marques, Paulo Martins, and Pedro Neves. He is currently the principal soloist for the Porto Metropolitan Command Police Band and holds a Higher Education degree in Music with a focus on Trumpet Performance from the University of Minho in Braga. Additionally, he serves as the Cornet (repiano) in Dogma Brass Band, the first brass band founded in Portugal.
Jéssica Peixoto – Professor
Jessica Peixoto is a percussion teacher with a strong focus on traditional, classical, and contemporary percussion techniques. Her pedagogical approach is student-centred, emphasising motivation, efficient practice strategies, and methods designed to maximise both learning and musical performance.
Born on 4 April 2000 in Portugal, Jessica began her formal music education at the Conservatory of Music of Felgueiras, where she completed her basic music course from 2010 to 2015. She continued her studies at the Costa Cabral Music Academy, specialising in wind instruments and percussion, and completed the professional course in 2018.
Jessica holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music with a focus on percussion from the University of Minho, Department of Music, which she completed in 2022. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Contemporary Artistic Creation at the University of Aveiro, within the Department of Communication and Art (DeCA).
Throughout her career, Jessica has developed extensive experience teaching students of various ages and proficiency levels. She possesses deep knowledge of music notation software, and she is skilled at adapting her teaching methods to accommodate students with special educational needs. She is recognised for her strong ability to provide constructive feedback, her competence in directing and arranging percussion ensembles, and her ability to create an inclusive and positive learning environment. Additionally, she has experience in music recording and production techniques, and she is adept at integrating percussion into diverse educational contexts, including theatre and dance.
Jessica has participated in numerous international percussion workshops and conferences, including events at the Costa Cabral Music Academy, the Conservatory of Music of Felgueiras, the Tomarimbando International Percussion Festival, the University of Minho, and the 2nd Itinerant Percussion Festival in Évora. She has also contributed to specialised publications on musical performance, notably with the scientific article “Enhanced Musical Performance” published by the University of Aveiro.
In her teaching career, Jessica has served in various roles, including as a teaching assistant in arts learning programs such as the AAAF – Programme Mais Três. She has taught percussion in enrichment activities for primary education at Agrupamento de Fermentões. She has also worked as a percussion teacher under fixed-term contracts at the Sociedade Filarmónica Vizelense and as a public employment teacher at the Escola Artística do Conservatório de Música Calouste Gulbenkian in Braga. Since 2024, she has continued to develop her professional expertise while teaching and contributing to the growth of percussion education in Portugal.
She is currently a professor at the NCM School of Music.
Ana Marques – Professor
Ana Raquel Ferreira Marques (1999), born in Guimarães, holds a Bachelor’s degree in Tuba from ESMAE – Escola Superior de Música e Artes do Espetáculo (2021–2024) and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Music Teaching – Instrumental (Tuba) at the same institution. She also completed the 8th Grade in Music at Conservatório Vale do Sousa, where she began her formal training.
She has performed with several orchestras, including Orquestra Sinfónica do Ave, Orquestra Prescrição Musical, Orquestra Filarmónica de Braga, Orquestra do Norte, and Banda Sinfónica Portuguesa (2024, 2025). She is a founding member of the Camélia Brass Quintet and has also collaborated with Dogma Brass Band, LEAPS Brass Band, and GOOZE House Marching Band.
Ana Raquel has worked with renowned conductors such as Jan Wierzba, José Eduardo Gomes, José Rafael Vilaplana, Martin Andre, Fernando Marinho, Paulo Martins, and Francisco Ferreira, among others. She has also attended masterclasses with internationally recognized tubists, including Juan Jose Munera, José Martinez, Daniel Perantoni, Henrique Santos, Ricardo Carvalhoso, Sérgio Carolino, Adélio Carneiro, and James Gourley.
She was awarded 2nd Prize in the Senior Category at the XV International Wind Instruments Competition in Oliveira de Azeméis (2023) and has taken part in projects funded by the Direção-Geral das Artes, such as Jangada Metálica (2025) and Homenagem a Braga (2025).
She is currently a professor at the NCM School of Music.
Soraia Martins – Professor
Soraia de Barros Martins was born on August 4, 2000, in Matosinhos. She began studying in 2006 at the Music School of Banda Musical de Gondomar. In 2010, she entered the Porto Music Conservatory, in oboe, with professor Rui Pinto, where she finished his secondary music course in 2018. She attended masterclasses with professors Tamás Bartók, Nelson Alves, Aldo Salvetti, Juliana Félix, Tiago Coimbra and Luís Matos.
From 2007 to 2023 she was an oboist in the Banda Musical de Gondomar, directed by maestro Luís Carvalhoso. She is currently an oboist in the Banda Musical de Calvos, under the direction of maestro Henrique Torres.
As an orchestral musician, she had the opportunity to collaborate with conductors Paulo Martins, Fernando Marinho, Jean Marc-Burfin, Pedro Andrade, José Vilaplana, Rafa Albors, Afonso Alves, Luís Carvalho, Ignatius Wang, Luciano Pereira, Vítor Matos, Pedro Neves, Jose Maria Moreno, David Fiuza, Hans Castleyn, Luís Ribeiro, Vasco Faria, Pedro Afonso and Franco Cesarini. She has been working as a teacher at the Music Academy of Banda Musical de Gondomar since the 2019/2020 academic year.
In 2018, she was admitted to the University of Minho in the class of professor Aldo Salvetti, completing her degree in Music in 2021.
In 2021, she was admitted to the University of Minho for a Master’s degree in Music Teaching – Instrument Specialization Area.
In 2022 she taught music AECs at the Baguim de Monte school center.
Completed on October 28, 2023 the Master’s Degree in Music Teaching – Specialization Area in Instrument (M14) and Ensemble Music (M32).
She is currently a teacher at NCM Escola de Música.
Eva Senra – Professor
Eva Senra (b. 2001, Barcelos) is a flutist and music teacher, with a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Aveiro, where she studied transverse flute under the guidance of Professor Jorge Salgado Correia. During her master’s degree in Music Education, she completed a teaching internship at the Calouste Gulbenkian Conservatory of Music in Aveiro, with Professor Ana Maria Ribeiro, completing her training with an average of 18.
She has taught in special education institutions, daycare centers, and informal learning settings, combining her teaching practice with participation in Erasmus+ mobility projects and training in digital transformation in music education (DigiMusi, 2023 and 2024). She is also a certified yoga trainer for babies and children.
As a performer, she has been a member of Flutua – the University of Aveiro Flute Orchestra, collaborated with the Portuguese Flute Association on initiatives such as Flute Ensembles Across Europe 2023, and served as a backup musician for the Orquestra Filarmonia das Beiras (2022 and 2023). She served as a section monitor for summer internships at Mêda (2024 and 2025) and the Banda Musical de Oliveira (2023 and 2025).
She has participated in several masterclasses with renowned flutists, including Patrick Gallois, Michel Bellavance, Juliette Hurel, and Nuno Inácio, and in numerous workshops related to music, creativity, theater, and body relaxation.
Between 2017 and 2023, she served as a youth association leader and has collaborated on projects supported by DGArtes, demonstrating versatility, a collaborative spirit, and a strong aptitude for pedagogy and artistic creation.
She currently teaches at NCM Escola de Música.