A French friend once told me that every time he came to Cuba he was surprised to find a completely unknown artist.

He came every time he had a holiday, and dedicated himself to exploring the island thoroughly, going through every province with a backpack in his hand. In this way he discovered the flora and fauna, the kindness of the people, the way of speaking about the Cuban, his history and his culture.

Of course, during his stay in Cuba he had a glimpse, quite a tourist one at that, of Cuban music. He later confessed to me that the closest he came at that time to witnessing something real instead of the trios playing in restaurants, was a controversy of repentism in Villa Clara. But from the fifth time he came to Cuba so far, he has dedicated himself to studying music in Cuba. And he’s not finished yet, but far from being disillusioned by the complexity of the rhythms and the variations between musical genres, he’s delighted.

“A treasure you can’t see the bottom of” he says. And I have no choice but, proud of my country and its culture, to agree with him.

Why study music in Cuba

Here are two answers, depending on what we mean. If what you want is to study music… any kind of music in Cuba, with your eyes closed I will tell you that our country has high level and internationally recognized teaching centres in any international music genre, both classical and popular music. The great citizen tranquility and the relatively low cost of lodging make Cuba a very attractive place for students.

If, on the other hand, you wish to study music in Cuba to learn from its native rhythms… man, you should have started there. Of course, there is no better place to learn Cuban music than in Cuba itself. There is nothing like the birthplace of a genre to meet its founders and those who keep it alive, whether it be son or Afro-Cuban jazz, chachacha or timba, guaguancó or Trova. Just as I would tell you that Brazil is the perfect place to learn samba, Cuba is the perfect place for its rhythms.

Study Music in Cuba: where it depends on your time

If you have enough time and resources and can stay in Cuba for six months or more, the most complete option is to approach one of the institutions of the music education system. A very good choice would be CNEART, which offers courses for foreign students.

However, if your time is limited, you have some experience with the instrument of your choice and what you want are the essential elements to start making inroads into Cuban rhythms, what you need is a school of a new type.

Havana Music School allows you to go, hand in hand with a teacher with long experience in the instrument of your choice, at the pace you want. You can design your own timetable and the number of lessons you want to take, depending on how far you want to go. In addition to a wide range of instruments to choose from, you can also choose the musical genre you wish to learn.

The school will assign you the most suitable teacher for your needs, who will attend to you in a personalised way in their air-conditioned and soundproofed facilities, located in Calle 28 #172, in the neighbourhood of Vedado.