Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Friday, August 2, 2013
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Sunday, April 14, 2013
PBS no more :-(
Playback singer P.B. Srinivas passes away
P.B. Srinivas (82) was not keeping well for the past few days and breathed his last at his CIT Nagar residence in Chennai.
Veteran playback singer P B Srinivas died on Sunday following a brief illness, family sources said.
Srinivas (82) was not keeping well for the past few days and breathed his last at his CIT Nagar residence here, they said.
Srinivas is survived by two sons and daughter.
Popularly known as PBS, the veteran singer lent his voice in all four South Indian languages besides Hindi.
He was the playback singer behind Kannada superstar Rajkumar and Tamil veteran Gemini Ganesan.
In fact, it is believed that Srinivas’s gentle voice suited Ganesan best. The duo produced some of the most memorable Tamil songs together including ‘Kaalangalil Aval Vasantham’ and ‘Mayakkama Kalakkama’ among many others.
A native of Andhra Pradesh, his last song was in Tamil film ‘Ayirathil Oruvan’ in 2010.
Srinivas was honoured with various awards including the state government’s Kalaimamani Award.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Virtual Gurukulam
Logging on to the virtual gurukulam
ROHAN KRISHNAMURTHY
To briefly rehash a standard historical narrative, Carnatic music is one of the world’s oldest and most complex musical traditions, its provenance dating back nearly 4,000-years. This divine, unbroken tradition has been passed down, for generations, from teacherto student in a traditional apprentice system calledgurukulavasa. Gurukulava
Almost all Carnatic music aficionados would have come across this concise history of the musical form at some point. Yet, even a cursory examination of Carnatic music as it is practised today reveals how much the tradition has changed from its venerated past. Perhaps there is no better example of the changing landscape of Carnatic music than the phenomenon of online training, where teachers and students, often separated by thousands of miles, exchange complex musical information through audio and video-conferencing programmes such as Skype and Google Talk.
Virtual gurukulavasa, as I dub the new online pedagogical system, might appear to be a hard sell for an ancient, guru-centred tradition. Yet, online teaching has become so widespread today — lessons are offered for everything from Carnatic vocal to morsing — that virtually anyone who can teach online does teach online. I became fascinated with this radically new system of techno-pedagogy and chose to pursue it as the topic of my PhD dissertation, focusing on the realm of Carnatic percussion (mridangam, ghatam, kanjira, and konnakol vocal percussion). I arrived in Chennai in August to conduct ethnographic fieldwork to study the musical, social, and cultural impact of virtual music lessons in Carnatic percussion.
My research collaborators include some of the most distinguished performer-teachers in Chennai who have endorsed online teaching. I will share a few interesting points from my research that are of general interest to anyone interested in online education and, especially, online music education.
The main demand for online teaching, as of now, comes from the Indian diaspora — Indian immigrants in America who settled thousands of miles from their homeland for professional advancement. The appeal of online teaching for this diasporic community is apparent. Parents can encourage their second-generation Indian-American children to receive musical training from popular performers in Chennai and, in turn, stay connected to their cultural heritage from the comfort of their own homes.
In spite of the serious challenges in virtual music education, such as audio/video lag (which prevents teacher and student from performing tasks simultaneously), substandard audio and video quality, call drops, and limited musical and social interaction between teacher and student, virtual lessons are undeniably convenient for both parties. And after all, the technology, when fully operational, appears to simulate face-to-face training.
But why would online performer-teachers in Chennai take time out of their hectic, international performance schedules to teach beginner-and-intermediate-
The immigrant appeal
In this technology-driven, global cultural and economic exchange, I speculate that immigrant parents are the essential cultural and economic link that actively connects Indian-American students (who represent “western culture”) with Chennai teachers (who represent authentic “Indian culture”). There is, thus, no mystery as to why online teaching in Carnatic music is as popular as it is: the technology is available, there is a clear cultural demand from the Indian immigrant population and Chennai teachers are ready to supply their artistic expertise, so long as the price is right.
Many Indian immigrant parents that I have spoken to are concerned that online teaching might simply be a profitable business venture for teachers based in Chennai. Hesitant to log on to the virtual bandwagon, they ask me whether online training is “as effective” or “as good” as in-person training. It appears that the two systems of pedagogy are so different that teachers do not even compare one with the other; to do so is “like comparing apples and oranges” or, more aptly, “like comparing virtual and real-life experiences.”
There is no denying that virtual lessons can be an effective way to transmit knowledge, as the rise of distance learning in all walks of education suggests. And for the majority of Indian-American students of Carnatic music who are pre-college music hobbyists, online lessons can provide a reasonable quality of musical education as they pursue their goal of gaining admission to top U.S. colleges to pursue “serious”, non-music-related degrees.
Nevertheless, some important questions remain as this techno-pedagogy reaches its ten-year anniversary. What does the popularity of virtual music lessons today mean for the Carnatic music tradition? Is online education merely a new, transnational tool for disseminating an ancient tradition or is this the beginning of a new, virtual tradition of virtual performers and audiences, virtual instruments, and virtual payment? Just as virtual lessons simulate real-life teaching, does a virtual tradition only simulate a real-life tradition? How far can a student progress online without face-to-face training? Can a shishya ever become a guru having only undergone virtual gurukulavasa?
These are serious questions to ponder this month as Chennai celebrates one of the largest (and, as of yet, live and real-life) music festivals in the world.
(The author is an international percussion performer, researcher, and entrepreneur and a PhD candidate in musicology at the Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester, New York, as a Provost’s Fellow.)
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Friday, May 25, 2012
Only in Texas!
By Sunil Pangarkar
HOUSTON: As a child growing up in India, I had often heard and recited by rote that, India is a land where there is Unity in Diversity. It took a greater part of my life to appreciate the depth of that concept via argumentation and observation. For most part I could see the diversity more than the unity. The power of music can however shorten the process of the realization of unity, by making one feel it. Clearly the first demonstration of this was through the 1988 national Integration message in India through the now famous song Mile Sur Mera Tumhara.
For me, the second realization of Unity in Diversity in the musical context, was during the Houston concerts in March 2010 called Shanti- A journey of Peace, composed by eminent musicologist and composer Kanniks Kannikeswaran and performed by Houston’s United Nations Association International Choir together with singers from the local Indian diaspora. The third and somewhat deeper and more subtle realization was on the Buddha Purnima day on 5th May 2012 in Stafford center during the concert Meditative Moments.
The chosen day of Buddha Purnima was perhaps apt – deeper realizations in life come at special times. The chosen form of musical expression was classical – a form that has emotionally connected people and has stood the test of time. Hence the music was Dhrupad the oldest form of Indian classical music mainly practiced and appreciated in the Northern part of India. The compositions were those of Muthuswamy Dikshitar the South Indian poet, composer and one of the musical trinities of Carnatic music from late 18th century.
The concert Meditative Moments was brought to Houston by Art of Living Foundation founded by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. This is one of the largest NGO in the world promoting the unifying message of peace via stress free mind and violence free society.
All works of substance – be it in art or industry, need moments of inspiration, decision and perspiration. Kanniks Kannikeswaran as a composer, musicologist and Carnatic musician thrives on uncovering the facets of rich musical traditions. In 2002 when he was listening toShivastutis by the Gundecha Brothers (Ramakant and Umakant Gundecha who are the Dhrupad stalwarts of India today), he was blown away by the similarity of those renderings with some of Dikshitar’s compositions.
He had studied the theory and structure of Dhrupad, the kritis of Dikshitar and the context behind both genres of music. But he now imagined bringing it together in a recording or concert at some point. It was to happen much later, after an initial meeting in Boston with Akhilesh Gundecha (who accompanies his elder brothers on Pakhawaj) followed by Kannik’s visit to Gundecha brother’s Dhrupad gurukul in Bhopal in 2011. Kanniks proposed his idea and Gundecha’s brothers were extremely receptive. Then came the opportunity of Gundecha Brother’s 2012 US tour. As only a fast acting, can-do Texan can do, Shankar Jayaraman of Art of Living Foundation, offered to host the first ever unique concert. Then it was all about hard work and organization by Art of Living members led by Shankar, and numerous other individuals and organizations that supported this cause to make Meditative Moments happen.
The concert began with very important formalities and messages by the organizers. Art of Living Foundation made a presentation that connected with the local audience. It was great to see volunteers in Houston help local school kids in teaching how to deal with stress and thereby get the best out of them.
Art of Living Foundation also felicitated some of the music and dance gurus in Houston area teaching Hindustani and Carnatic genres of music and classical dance. Prominent among them were Dr. Rathna Kumar, Pt. Suman Ghosh, Pt Shantilal Shah and Vidushi Raja Rajeshwari Bhatt.
The foundation of classical tradition is the Guru-Shishya tradition and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s spiritual message to all was that Guru-Shishya relationship becomes effective when both theGuru and the Shishya explore knowledge together thereby transforming teaching to learning.
Prior to the concert Kanniks gave the audience a presentation – like a canvas on which Gundecha brothers were about to paint on. The concert began with a long Alaap in Kumudkriyawhich is an infrequently heard Carnatic Raaga but uniquely seen in Dikshitar’s tradition.Ardhanarisvaram a composition that was sung in the same Raaga in 12 beat Chautaal , in some ways relates to the Shiva-Shakti unity/dependence – a very apt first composition.
A short Alaap in Hindustani Raaga Hamir and a composition parimala ranganatham in 12 beatChautaal followed. Musically I felt like the mood of the Raaga somehow fitted very well in the sequence. The next two compositions were Gundecha Brother specials. They are liked by audiences all over the world. Jayati Jayati in Raaga Malkauns or Hindolam (same Raaga with different names in North and South respectively) has a structure and lyrics very similar to Dikshitar’s compositions and showcases the Unity aspect of the two genres. The commentary by Kanniks in between each composition was extremely useful for both the Hindustani and Carnatic connoisseurs to understand the context of each composition.
The final composition set to 10 beat Sultaal was Shiva Shiva Shiva in Raaga Adana. The mood of Raaga Adana and particularly this composition has both the seriousness and the energy that leaves the audience spell bound.
It is said in Dhrupad circles that the best applause after a concert is complete meditative silence. This was indeed the effect. The characteristics of Dhrupad music is that key instruments like harmonium are not used since they cannot produce the shrutis or sub-tones that are needed to create the specific mood of a Raaga.
In my opinion this back to basics purity perhaps makes the confluence of the two genres stand out. Also in my opinion, not only the concert was musically unique and satisfying at the same time but the whole idea of Unity, repeatedly came to fore every step of the way.
Finally, let me tell you one uncomfortable truth – for all these years I have not really ventured into the Carnatic music world and I know there were many in the audience who had not ventured into the Hindustani world! This concert allowed me to explore something new and different.
Only in Texas!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Hail Tyagaraja!
Tyagaraja lives in his aradhanas
Sangita Kalanidhi T. Brinda and Bharat Ratna M.S. Subbulakshmi seen singing the Pancharatna kritis in Tiruvaiyaru many years ago
The relevance of Tyagaraja today is that a noble bhakta lived amongst us just 200 years ago. We have been fed on the Puranas' description of great devotees such as Prahlada, Parasara, Narada and others. Prahlada has also stood as the devotee par excellence to be emulated by those spiritually inclined. The nearness of the saint to us perhaps has not appealed to us as one on par in devotion like Prahlada. It looks as if Tyagaraja composed the opera ‘Prahlada Bhakti Vijayam' to place before us the agony and ecstasy of the young Prahlada as the echo of the saint's own experience in life.
One who has gone through his opera may be able to recognise the soul of the saint taking the garb of the great Puranic devotee. This comes to mind because the sentiment expressed by Prahlada in the opera may open the eyes of music lovers today to the possibility whether what Prahlada says is perhaps what Tyagaraja himself had felt in life. To recall the particular sentiment, the Samudra Raja in the opera exclaims to Prahlada that casting aside the three worlds is of no consequence, he stands supreme in the galaxy of his devotees. This is Prahlada's reply — “Naa jayamunu joochi nammare devuni” (Even after seeing the acme of my bhakti, people do not have any faith in God).
Can we take it as Tyagaraja's doubt over whether the propagation of his bhakti for Rama through his Utsava Sampradaya pieces and Divyanama songs, has percolated into the minds of rasikas and vidwans for over two centuries. While this may be a fact in standard music concerts, the observance of aradhanas still brims with spontaneous Tyagaraja bhakti.
Listeners at the Tiruvaiyyaru festival and the recent celebration in Chennai city and even abroad, carry printed copies of the Pancharatna songs. They follow with rapt attention and deep devotion as the vidwans sing the songs of the bard. Tyagaraja wouldn't have failed in his mission of spreading Rama bhakti among us because his avatara is destined by Rama Himself.
Monday, October 10, 2011
JS no more!
A tribute to Jagjit Singh
A file photo of Ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh at a concert in Srinagar in December 2009 (PTI Photo).MUMBAI: Indian Ghazal King Jagjit Singh's way of celebrating his 70th year was unique - he was aiming to complete 70 concerts by the end of the year. The man who gave ghazals a new lease of life managed only 46 before breathing his last.
Singh, who learnt music under Pandit Chaganlal Sharma and then Ustad Jamaal Khan, rose to fame in the 1970s and 1980s with his lilting voice and refreshing style of rendering ghazals and devotional tracks. He was a Padma Bhushan awardee.
Born to a Sikh couple in Rajasthan February 8, 1941, Singh went on to pursue a post graduation in history from the Kurukshetra University in Haryana. He came to the country's entertainment capital, Mumbai in 1965, in search of work as a singer.
It was a struggle. Singing at small musical gatherings, house concerts and film parties in the hope of being noticed, became almost a daily routine for him. But he didn't lose hope.
In 1967, he met singer Chitra and following a courtship of two years, they tied the knot. Together they came up with several hit ghazal albums like ‘Ecstasies’, ‘A Sound Affair’, ‘Passions’ and ‘Beyond Time’ and were considered a formidable husband-wife singer duo.
They sang many successful duets until their only son, Vivek, died at the age of 21 in 1990. Chitra stopped singing. However, Singh continued his tryst with music - and for good.
In 1987, Singh recorded the first purely digital CD album by an Indian musician, ‘Beyond Time’.
He also sang for Bollywood films like ‘Arth’, ‘Saath Saath’ and ‘Premgeet’. He created a strong footing in films with songs like ‘Hontho se chhoo lo tum’ (‘Prem Geet’), ‘Tumko dekha toh yeh khayal aaya’ (‘Saath Saath’), ‘Jhuki jhuki si nazar’ (‘Arth’), ‘Hoshwalon ko’ (‘Sarfarosh’) and ‘Badi nazuk hai’ (‘Jogger's Park’).
Most of his non-film albums – ‘Hope’, ‘In Search’, ‘Insight’, ‘Mirage’, ‘Visions’, ‘Kahkashan’, ‘Love Is Blind’, ‘Chirag’, ‘Sajda’, ‘Marasim’, ‘Face To Face’, ‘Aaeena’ and ‘Cry For Cry’ - were successful too.
His concerts were a delight, especially when he broke into pleasant Punjabi numbers like ‘Saun da mahina’. His heavy voice used to turn joyful, leaving his listeners smiling ear to ear.
He had also collaborated with former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in two albums, ‘Nayi Disha’ (1999) and ‘Samvedna’ (2002). In his later years, Singh became disinterested in Bollywood music due to the money-mindedness of film producers.
But he remained connected to causes relating to the music industry. He was one of the frontrunners battling to get an equal percentage of royalty for singers and lyricist from songs.
What he couldn't battle was his illness. After being hospitalised for brain haemorrhage on September 23, he died Monday morning. But the voice in tracks that won him the tag of Indian Ghazal King will remain fresh for generations to come.
Ghazal singer Jagjit Singh passes away
Ghazal king Jagjit Singh, the soul-stirring voice behind Hazaron khwaishe aisi, Ye kaghaz ki kashti and Jhuki jhuki si nazar, died this morning over a fortnight after he suffered brain haemorrhage.
The 70-year-old singer, who alongwith his wife Chitra almost rediscovered the ghazal genre for common Indian in 70s and 80s, was admitted to the Lilavati hospital on September 23 and was in coma since then.
“Jagjit Singh passed away at 8.10 am after having a terrible hemorrhage,” said Dr Sudhir Nandgaonkar, hospital spokesperson, here.
The day he was admitted, he was supposed to perform at a concert at Shanmukhananda Hall, Matunga, in Mumbai but the programme was cancelled after he was taken ill.
Despite a surgery, his condition did not improve and he remained on life support.
Singh, a Padma Bhushan recipient, was born in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, on February 8, 1941.
After graduation, he shifted base to Mumbai, to explore career in the world of music. In the next decade and half, he earned nationwide fame as ghazal singer and music composer. He sang in several languages, including Hindi, Punjabi, Bengali, Gujarati, Nepali.
His personal life, though, was marked by a tragedy: His only son, Vivek, died in a car accident in 1990 when he was just 18.
Singers condole
The music world expressed grief on hearing the news of Jagjit Singh’s death. Fellow ghazal singer, Pankaj Udhas, described Jagjit as an “extremely versatile singer”. “I am devastated after hearing the tragic news,” Udhas said on phone from Pune.
Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar said that Singh’s death was a big loss for the music industry. “I knew him well. I hoped he would come out of the coma. But the God willed otherwise.”
Stating that Jagjit brought ghazals into the mainstream, Lata said, “He worked very hard... sang from the heart. Listening to him, people got intoxicated.”
Asha Bhosale said hearing Jagjit’s ghazals brought peace to the mind. “Listening to him was a soothing experience. If one wanted to get away from everyday stress, the best way was to play a Jagjit Singh record.”
Asha described Sarakti Jaye Hai Rukh Se Nakab Ahista.. as her favourite Jagjit ghazal.
“I feel sad for his wife Chitra. She lost a son earlier, and now husband. She is very lonely now,” Asha said.
“Jagjit Singh’s death has caused an irreparable loss to the Hindi film and music industry,” said noted lyricist Javed Akhtar. He described Jagjit Singh as an extraordinary ghazal singer.
“I first heard him when I attended an event at IIT Kanpur named ‘Music Night by Jagjit and Chitra’ while in school. He was an icon. There is nothing I can say to console his wife (Chitra). All I can say is that he will never be forgotten. I pray to god to give her the strength to recover from the loss,” classical vocalist Shubha Mudgal said.
An emotional Usha Uttup recalled her time with Singh. “I can’t believe it. It was because of him that ordinary men could enjoy good Ghazal. We worked together in a jingle when I was just staring my career.
“He is the person who introduced the 12 string guitar and the bass guitar in ghazal singing, in a way no one could. I spoke to him recently. What a human being. It is a great loss.”
Prime Minister condoles
In his condolence message, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said by “making ghazals accessible to everyone, he gave joy and pleasure to millions of music lovers in India and abroad....he was blessed with a golden voice."
Jagjit Singh 1941-2011: Remarkable humility in how he approached his art and forthrightness in his beliefs set apart this singer who 'caressed' words.
A key figure in the re-emergence of the ghazal as a popular genre in the ‘seventies and ‘eighties of the last century, Jagjit Singh, who died in Mumbai on Monday, lent companionship and solace to a generation of middle class listeners who were looking beyond Bollywood for a musical remedy to the pressures of modern urban life.
The ghazal had been a staple of Hindi cinemas in the 1950s thanks to Talat Mehmood, Noor Jehan and others, but was edged out by the advent of western instrumentation and rhythms. Nor could it find a secure place in high culture: Hindustani classical music, which considers the khayal the pinnacle of vocal accomplishment, could embrace the thumri and even tappa as ‘light classical’ but not the ghazal. The use of difficult Urdu and sometimes Persian words was another barrier that a new generation of Indians schooled in Sanskritised Hindi found difficult to cross.
It was in this seemingly inhospitable cultural terrain that Jagjit Singh sought to carve out some space for himself. The irony, of course, was that the commercial success he and his wife, Chitra, met with their non-film albums helped revive the ghazal form in Hindi cinema too, with films like Arth, Saath-Saath and Prem Geet meeting a measure of success at the box-office as a result. Sarfarosh was a more recent hit where his voice struck a chord with viewers. Bollywood directors never stopped knocking on his door, often in the hope that his voice might rescue their otherwise forgettable ventures. And they were right. While movie goers remember ghazals like “Hothon se Chhoo lo tum” and “Badi nazuk hai ye manzil”, the stars on whom his vocals were picturised are not as easily remembered.
Urdu was not Jagjit’s mother tongue, and for a man whom the poet Gulzar praised for “caressing words”, he showed remarkable humility in seeking the right intonation whenever he was confronted with a fresh challenge. On such occasions, he would call up veteran lyricist-poet Nida Fazli and practice an unfamiliar or difficult Urdu expression over the phone. This mutual respect between Fazli and Jagjit meant that the former reserved some of his best lines for the latter. The popular ghazal “Hosh waalon ko khabar kya bekhudi kya cheez hai” from Sarfarosh was initially supposed to have been sung by Bhupendra, then Jaswinder. Ultimately, Fazli felt that only Jagjit could do justice to his words.
The writer could not be faulted for his choice. If he felt that only Jagjit could get the feeling of certain words right, Jagjit too, throughout his career, tried to keep the poetry he sang lucid and luminous. Though he sang the verses of almost everybody from Ghalib to Gulzar via Kaifi Azmi, Firaq Gorakhpuri, Qateel Shifai and the rest, Jagjit laid a lot of emphasis on simplicity of vocabulary. He was never in favour of profundity at the cost of clarity. “I ensure that first I understand the meaning of the ghazal and then expect the common man to appreciate it,” he once said.
Born in 1941 in Sriganganagar, Rajasthan, to Punjabi parents, he learnt music at the feet of Pandit Chhaganlal Sharma in the early years of his life, then under Ustad Jamaal Khan of the Sainia gharana. His grooming would eventually ensure that unlike other ghazal singers who attained popularity in the ‘80s only to fade away, Jagjit was not only able to ride a crest but guard against any trough.
Jagjit and Chitra also helped make the ghazal fashionable on stage, both in India and abroad, where the Pakistani diaspora, too, flocked to his concerts along with NRIs. Their personal life, however, was marked by a terrible tragedy when their only son, Vivek, who was 18 at the time, died in a car accident in 1990. Chitra would never give a public performance again, nor record with her husband other than a final album. From then on, Jagjit only sang by himself.
In his later years, he freely ranged away from ghazals to Krishna bhajans, Ram dhun, Shiv dhun, and shabads. Interestingly, many of his ghazal albums had English titles like ‘Ecstasies’, ‘Beyond Time’, ‘Hope’, etc. Never once did he think that the use of English would dilute the purity of his content. It was the same forthrightness in his belief that he displayed when he criticised the government for allowing Pakistani artistes to perform in India without any reciprocal response from Islamabad. Yet Jagjit proved that he could rise above political divisions by openly expressing his deep regard for Ghulam Ali, the legendary ghazal singer from across the border. For him the individual could not be equated with the State. Hours before the brain hemorrhage, which eventually took his life, he had expressed joy at getting a chance to perform with Ali. “Performing on the same stage with a legend like Ghulam Ali is an overwhelming feeling,” he had said. That performance was not to be, but in his little expression of joy at the prospect, Jagjit proved that modesty was not a rehearsed quote waiting for an occasion.
He is survived by his wife, Chitra Singh.
The Prime Minister said the ghazal maestro’s music legacy will continue to “enchant and entertain” the people.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Why children must learn music
On World Music Day, Anil Srinivasan argues music is more than an extra-curricular activity. It is the route to holistic child development.
Why children must learn music
When someone mentioned the “World Music Day” celebration on June 21, I was surprised. Surely, everyday is a celebration of the world of music. On further reflection, I realised we need to delve a little deeper into what music does for us; perhaps an occasion such as this could serve to direct our attention to the topic. Einstein famously said that while calculus would have survived without either Newton or Leibniz, the world would not have been the same had Beethoven never lived. He remarked that Beethoven's contribution to human intelligence is irreplaceable. He used the term “intelligence”. This by itself is significant.
Various studies have been conducted on children and adults to understand the development of the musical instinct, and the development of the brain in relation to structural (or pattern) recognition using music. Musical learning (or even heightened musical exposure) certainly impacts rational (or logic-driven), visual-spatial and emotional intelligence. Attention to harmony or harmonic concepts improves memory and conceptual reasoning while rhythm improves motor skills and limbic coordination. I have personally seen the effect listening to mere scales (a combination of notes played in sequence) has on children's reasoning and categorisation skills in unrelated tasks. And yet, music education remains a privilege enjoyed by a discerning few, and music for children remains an overshadowed, underutilised educational tool in our schools and colleges. Where it does exist, the preferences of school administrators for particular musical styles or musicians override the desire or need to evolve structured musical curricula that can contribute towards better education. The implications of this are many. Structured music education at an early age will drastically improve a child's performance across multiple disciplines. Early music education will definitely bring out a better engineer in your child, or a better doctor. Viewed this way, music becomes a vital component of a child's development. No wonder social psychologist Howard Gardner classified musical intelligence as one of the core intelligences.
Maria Montessori, the famed educator and child expert, describes specific exercises, instruments and musical aids to be used in kindergarten. These tools, if used in the classroom, will open up a child's neural pathways to a lifelong interest in learning (our current approach to music education equates “music class” with “skating class” and “craft class”, a phenomenon that is lamentable. Few educators and even fewer parents understand the need for music to bring about a child's holistic development, choosing instead to treat it as yet another extra-curricular activity). In situations where school administrators have instituted mandatory musical education, there seems to be a general and fervent belief that a few songs or devotional melodies probably suffice. This can only be rectified with sustained education. School administrators should undergo training modules on the efficacy of musical excellence and education in early childhood, and school music teachers need to be trained constantly.
At a time when the educational policies and curricular structure for schools is under examination, this is probably a topic that will be under-represented. I believe we are committing a grave mistake in doing so. No successful person in today's India decries early musical training and yet there are issues about its prevalence and quality in various centres for learning. Unless we understand this, celebrating “World Music Day” will remain a tokenism.
The writer is a Chennai-based classical pianist and head of MusicUniv India, a music education venture.
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