Music has been an important part of Floyd Santimano’s life for more than 25 years. The Founder and Director of Floyd Music Academy established the academy in Bengaluru in 2013 to offer music education that was structured, enjoyable and meaningful. He had observed that students were often taught only a few songs or prepared mainly for examinations, without developing a complete musical foundation. Through his academy, he wanted to change this approach. “I wanted students to learn notation, technique, listening, creativity and performance and not simply memorise pieces,” he explains. After returning to Goa, Santimano relaunched the academy in Sarzora in 2025, bringing the same approach to young learners in the state.
The Academy recently celebrated World Goa Day on August, 23, 2026. For Santimano, it was an emotional and proud moment. “This was the first public performance by our students since Floyd Music Academy was relaunched in Goa, and for several of them, it was their first time performing before a large audience,” he mentions, adding that while some students were confident, others were nervous. “Yet, each one dared to step onto the stage. Watching all of them perform in duos, trios and groups showed me how much they had grown. Not only musically, but also in confidence, teamwork and discipline,” he says with a hint of pride. The occasion too made the performance special for him. “They were not merely performing songs; they were representing the younger generation of Goa,” he adds.
Personally, for him, World Goa Day represents connection. “I feel it is our connection to our language, culture, and heritage and to Goa,” he says. According to him, such celebrations are important as cultural identity cannot be taken for granted. “If younger generations are not given opportunities to experience, question and participate in their heritage, much of it may gradually disappear,” he states. Thus, he believes that World Goa Day allows everyone to celebrate Goa beyond its image as a tourist destination. “It reminds us that Goa is also its people, Konkani language, history, music and cuisine. It is not only about remembering the past; it is about deciding what we want to carry into the future,” Santimano replies
Santimano believes that heritage and contemporary music can grow together. “Our World Goa Day celebration was one way of creating that connection. Alongside performances on contemporary instruments, the programme included Goan folk music and dance, history, cuisine and heritage,” he points out, adding that the guests were later served a traditional Goan meal in earthenware. “Young people connect with culture most effectively when they participate in it,” he mentions, as he hopes to introduce more Goan songs and cultural themes into performances while still allowing students to explore international and contemporary styles.
Beyond music, Santimano has several plans for the academy. “I want Floyd Music Academy to become a space where young people feel safe to learn, experiment, make mistakes and discover their abilities,” he says. According to him, music develops much more than instrumental skills. It teaches patience, concentration, discipline, teamwork, emotional expression and confidence. At the same time, he wants his students to understand that culture is not something distant or confined to museums. “It lives in our music, language, food, stories, dances and everyday traditions,” he says.
The academy’s role, he believes, is to help students develop strong musical skills while also encouraging them to value their roots and eventually create something of their own. He has many tasks left unfinished. While his immediate goal is to strengthen the academy’s music programmes, he is looking forward to creating more regular opportunities for students to perform individually and in groups.
As a certified Music Therapist, Memory Coach, Study Skills Coach, Speed Reading Coach and Vedic Mathematics Trainer, Santimano also hopes to introduce complementary programmes that can support children’s confidence, concentration, creativity and overall learning. In the longer term, he wants to collaborate with musicians, artists, cultural organisations and heritage experts to organise workshops, student concerts and community events. The World Goa Day celebration, he says, showed what can happen when music education, culture and community come together.
For Santimano, there is still much to be done. But through the academy, he hopes to give young learners more than an opportunity to learn music. He wants them to find confidence in their abilities, understand the culture they come from and develop the freedom to create something of their own. In bringing music and heritage together, Santimano hopes the younger generation will not just inherit Goa’s traditions, but find their own way of carrying them forward.
