The Big Band formation, although strongly associated with North American musical traditions, particularly jazz, possesses unique characteristics that have allowed it to embrace a wide variety of styles and musical currents. From a “crossover” perspective, it can cover numerous repertoires. This musical diversity is precisely one of the most valued aspects in contemporary music education, reflected in pedagogical projects of schools worldwide, especially in Europe.

It is within this context that the Metropolitana Big Band project was created, aiming at two main objectives. First, from a didactic perspective, to provide students with the experience of working on repertoires alternative to those traditionally established in the curricular programs. Second, on a more personal level, to enrich the student’s formation as an individual through contact with this very diversity. In the current academic year, the Metropolitana Big Band is one of the offerings included in the curriculum of the courses at the Escola Profissional da Metropolitana.