By ROBERT B. ROAN

LAPLACE – For children accustomed to Mardi Gras’ scintillating sights and soulful sounds, the rhythmic beat of exotic Samba swiftly transported scores of Glade School students from the broad boulevards of Louisiana to the tropical thoroughfares of Brazil.

The educational and cultural journey featured the symphonic talents of New Orleans native Curtis “The Samba Man” Pierre and it was an integral segment of Black History Month celebrated by the animated youngsters and their dedicated instructors.

Pre-kindergarten through second-grade “Gators” plied into the cafetorium Thursday and dutifully sat before a stage filled with percussional instruments with passports stamped from equatorial countries such as Senegal, Mali, Ghana and The Ivory Coast. Pierre, who was reared in the rural St. Charles Parish locale of Killona, utilized a worldwide repertoire born of hundreds of hours of intensive study to deliver an interactive program appreciated by young and old and those in between.

When asked why he travels the globe to introduce Samba and its vast array bongos, congas and the like, to the impressionistic minds of tender souls, Pierre said, “It is important to give children, especially children, the experience of listening and feeling different forms of music.

“By exposing kids to this kind of music, and all of the different instruments, it opens their minds to other cultures and the various forms of music from around the world.”

As a founding member of the decade-old Casa Samba, Pierre will join a marching group of fellow purveyors of the national dance of Brazil tonight in the annual pre-Lenten parade rite of Endymion along the traditional uptown New Orleans route.

Extolling the amenable audience with clicks and chimes and spinning tambourines, Pierre, who studied in Brazil and under masters in California, soon was accompanied by clapping hands, tapping feet and infectious laughter, allthewhile teaching the joy of Rio de Janeiro’s rhythms and Tobago’s tones.

Second-grade student Hali Downey jumped at the chance to join an impromptu orchestra, directed by Pierre, comprised of a score of her classmates. On stage, she looked every bit the polished percussionist.

“I had fun,” Downey said as she smiled. “It was a good show and that man was really funny.

“We made really pretty music and I enjoyed playing with everyone.”

When asked what the name of the strange instrument she was requested to play, the henna-locked seven year old replied, “I don’t remember. I think he said it was from Africa.”

Timothy Francois, a first-grader who banged to the Bacchanalian beat on a conga, said he liked to play the drums and that “The Samba Man’s” compositions made him feel like dancing.

“He (Pierre) taught me how to hit it (the conga) to the beat,” Francois said. “He kept saying ‘One-two-three,’ ‘One-two-three,’ and I slapped it when he said to.

“I had a lot of fun and I am glad I got to go to the show.”

Five-year substitute teacher, Joanna James, thoroughly enjoyed the exhibition and its emphasis on education for children who might not otherwise have the opportunity to hear and learn about such unique music and its cultural roots.

The LaPlace resident said she was grateful to the school system for bringing someone of Pierre’s immense and diverse aptitudes into the experience of the children; however, James stressed her desire that an educational event such as this should be offered at numerous times throughout the schoolyear and not simply during the month of February to exemplify and further illustrate the history of African Americans.

“This was wonderful for the children,” James said. “I am so glad, because of the culture, that they got to participate in the demonstration.

“Children love music and it is a terrific way to teach them about different cultures and all the diverse styles of music.”