In this episode I speak with Eduardo Mendonça, an award-winning composer, performer and teaching artist known for his warmth and generosity. Eduardo was born and raised in Bahia, an area of Brazil known for its musicality and deep roots in the rhythms of Africa. Eduardo and his family now live in the US, in Washington State, and he’ s the Music Director for IBuildBridges Foundation, a non-profit that brings together youth from diverse backgrounds to explore their own creativity, compose and perform, and build bridges among themselves, and beyond. In this wide-ranging conversation, Eduardo and I talk about the importance of long-term commitments when working with youth, tools and tips for performers who now find themselves teaching online, and how racial and social justice movements can utilize the power of music.