José Cardoso da Silva, a professor in the University of Miami College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Geography and Sustainable Development, is blending science and music in a new way through his project Song Experiments. In collaboration with two Frost School of Music students—Samantha (Sam) Cristine Velez and Winston Thomas Thayer—Cardoso da Silva has transformed his original lyrics into an eight-track album that debuted in September.
“This was my first time writing lyrics,” explained Cardoso da Silva, an ornithologist and biogeographer who studies the relationships between biodiversity conservation and development. “By working with Frost [School] students, we were able to combine lyrics and music and bring these songs to life.”
The idea originated with writing a pilot song, “Blue and White,” created in partnership with Frost School student Joe Colwell and producer Diego Clavijo, an adjunct professor at the Frost School. Dedicated to Cardoso da Silva’s hometown soccer team, Paysandu, in Belém, Brazil, the song has gained more than 500,000 views across various social media platforms and has since been named as one of the team’s official anthems.
Encouraged by that success, Cardoso da Silva continued his creative pursuit. Following “Blue and White,” he partnered with seniors Velez, who is majoring in music industry and contemporary vocal performance, and Thayer, who is majoring in media scoring and production. Originally planned for only two songs, their collaboration quickly grew into a full-length album that was completed in just three months this summer.
The trio also collaborated on "Trust Your Way," a commencement song with lyrics inspired by University of Miami President Joe Echevarria’s speech at the Spring 2025 College of Arts and Sciences graduation ceremony. The disco-pop track is a self-empowerment anthem reminding the listener that they already have everything they need to make the right decisions.
Velez and Thayer have both worked together in the past, both in and outside of class, including working on Velez’s debut album “DELUXE” and several of her singles. Throughout the new project, Thayer served as a producer, building instrumentals and arrangements based on Cardoso da Silva’s references to popular contemporary artists. Velez focused on shaping the melodies and refining the lyrics for clarity and flow. Together, they created songs in different genres ranging from pop and rock to electronic dance music.
“The process was fast-paced but rewarding,” Velez said. “Professor Silva would bring us lyrics, and together we collaborated on what ideas worked best based on the style of each song. It challenged us to be versatile and to step outside of our comfort zone within songwriting.”
Thayer agreed with Velez, describing the experience as professional preparation. “We would usually start with a chorus and send it to Professor Silva, then build out the rest of the song,” he explained. “It meant working fast, recording demos, revising, and fine-tuning production details. It felt like real industry work.”
In addition to the various styles, the songs encompass a broad range of themes including authentic self-discovery, resilience in the face of adversity, the wisdom of nature, and even historical biography. One track, “Emilie,” tells the story of Emilie Snethlage, a pioneering female German ornithologist who worked in the Amazon rainforest discovering new species of birds. Another track, “Francis’s New Dance,” tells the story of Pope Francis’ transformative legacy.
For Cardoso da Silva, the project highlights the power of interdisciplinary and intergenerational collaboration. “For me, the lyrics have to carry a message, tell a story,” he said. “Throughout this project, we used stories and music to connect ideas across disciplines and cultures.”
Cardoso da Silva has also formalized Song Experiments as an annual summer initiative and plans to partner with other talented Frost School students each year for interdisciplinary songwriting.
“This experimental project shows what’s great about being at the University of Miami: We learn just as much from our students as we teach them. It’s all about cocreating and growing together,” he said. “For Sam and Winston, it was professional training. For me, it was a transformational learning process and a lot of fun. I hope this is only the beginning.”
