Carnatic Music Classes in New Jersey
I offer classes to anyone interested in learning traditional Carnatic (South Indian Style) music.
If you're already studying Carnatic music and/or performing concerts, I can help you hone your singing and stage performance skills. I specialize in teaching advanced Carnatic techniques, such as Raga Alapana, Niraval, Kalpana Swaras and Ragam Thanam Pallavis.
Learning from a professional performing musician is very different compared to learning from people who specialize in teaching music. My focus will always be on stage performance type singing, which requires significantly more polishing than otherwise. On the flip side, it deals somewhat lesser with the theoretical aspects of music. The precision in thalam, alignment to sruthi, oozing of bhaava or feel in the music rendered are very important when giving a stage performance as is the focus on coordination with accompanying artists. Such a goal also requires a vast repertoire and plenty of variety. Yes, my focus is on teaching to perform rather than teaching how to sing Carnatic music.
I also believe that each individual must develop his / her talents on an individual basis. Some students are more receptive than others and every student takes a different developmental path in building their talent. The teacher must focus on building a musical foundation specific to the talent and weaknesses of the particular student. For instance, some students need more time and different types of exercises in achieving stability in rhythm or talam. Others take more time to align themselves to the Sruthi. One of my existing students even plays basic Carnatic lessons on piano and sings along during his classes - after a few weeks of experimentation, we found that this was the temporary support he needed in order to fix the alignment of his voice to the sruthi.
The type of classes I offer are customized to each student's potential and the maturity of their talent. While many students are ready to absorb one-on-one lessons, what I am finding with a number of students who request me for classes is that their fundamentals need some work and in many cases, the basic lessons have not really been taught in the correct technique in the past by their teachers. I try to slot these students in sessions where they can rework on their fundamentals and obtain confidence in singing correctly before they are ready to receive one-on-one instruction from me. Again, even in a small group, the focus in on ensuring that each member of the group has learned the concept correctly. Many times, the exercises given to each student in a group are different depending on what each person needs. In every class, there are phases where each individual student is made to sing and correct his / her mistakes, so the learning is both individual and has the benefits of group learning as well in that the interest, enthusiasm and confidence to sing are developed by virtue of being part of the group. Students are forced to practice at home since they will need to keep up with the others in the group.
For many other students, their fundamentals are good enough where they can directly start private lessons with me and that is the ultimate form of instruction that each student must eventually get into.
Secondly, most students tend to compromise on fundamentals in a hurry to move on to more advanced constructs or accumulate as many songs or geethams or krithis as they can. Ask yourself this - did you or your child learn every single lesson in the beginner's course (Sangeetha Bala Paatam)? Why or why not?
Thirdly, I emphasize on learning through listening - a student is likely to learn twice as much from a teacher when exposed to music that has been sung by the great artists of yesteryears and absorb the nuances. Cooking to taste often produces the best food. Likewise, developing a sharp ear for Carnatic music and enjoying great music is vital to developing one's musical skills. I share with students, the master pieces of Carnatic music that I have gathered through two decades of continuous listening to the highest quality of music that has been sung in the last 100 years.
Lastly, I choose my students carefully and allow them or their parents to decide as well that the relationship and association with me will be successful and valuable. There is always a lot to learn from someone like me, but the chemistry and imbibing of the Guru's style is as important as accumulating musical knowledge. And there are surely many teachers much more capable and knowledgeable than I am.
The following are the categories of my music classes:
Stage I
1. Basic lessons - Geethams and introductory music lessons.
2. Introduction and familiarization of thalams and ragams
3. Simple varnams and krithis in simple ragas without a lot of Gamakams
4. The student is expected to practice everyday for at least 30 mins at home
Stage II
1. Increasing the repertoire of Krithis and Varnams
2. Preliminary techniques of Kalpana Swaram singing
3. Introduction to Raga Alapana and its structure; Raga alapana in lower speeds and for simple ragams
4. Basic techniques of establishing Sarvalaghu Shuddham or sense of rhythm
5. The student is expected to practice everyday for at least 1 hour at home
Stage III
1. More complex krithis including ones in Ghana ragams & Vilamba Kaalam
2. Advanced techniques in Kalpana Swaram singing; Introduction to Kuraipuu and Korvais
3. Basic techniques of Niraval
4. Elaborate Raga Alapana singing (concert style); training on important gamakams for ghana ragams; Introduction to Brigaas
5. How to learn by listening - developing a sharp ear for Carnatic music
6. Honing diction and appreciating lyrical richness of compositions
7. Focusing on Bhavam and Bhakti Rasa
8. Concert structure and preparation techniques
9. The student is expected to practice for a minimum of 1-2 hours every day at home in addition to the music class.
Stage IV
1. Focus on increasing the repertoire of Krithis to several hundred (yes, that is correct!)
2. Advanced level Alapana, Niraval, Kalpana swaram singing in concert style and with full depth
3. Kalpana Swaram singing - advanced concepts - Kuraippu / Reduction for different types of thalams; Korvai or mathematical constructs
4. Introduction and mastery of brigas, multiple kalam Niraval singing
5. Ragam Thanam Pallavi - basic concepts and RTPs in a variety of thalams including Nadai Pallavis
6. Progressive shift to singing Carnatic music as a spiritual offering to the Divine rather than just a musical performance - appreciation of nuances of lyrics, their meaning and how to bring out the Bhavam and essence of the krithi
7. Self-learning techniques using notation and how to finish and fine tune a krithi learned through self-learning
8. How to compose Ragam Thanam Pallavis
9. Advanced level concert planning, preparation and perfection techniques
10. "Tons" of offline listening to Carnatic music from my very special music collection
11. The student is expected to practice for a minimum of 2-3 hours everyday.
I like to ensure that students have a vision of their own journey of the pursuit of Carnatic music and always something to strive for and look forward to.
Structure and frequency of classes
Classes are typically weekly and at my home in Metuchen, NJ. I recommend two classes a week whenever possible during Stages II and III. Also, I insist on students practicing at home to complement their music classes. Classes can be scheduled in a flexible manner depending on schedules of the students and mine. The Stage I classes last typically for 30 - 45 mins., Stage II and III for an average of 1 hour and Stage IV on an as needed basis without time constraints. That said, I don't like operating to any strict time limit and typically spend the time it takes to get the student to learn what I am teaching rather than stop after 30 or 45 mins. I get to determine which stage is appropriate for each student and when students are ready to move to higher stages. I highly recommend recording the class sessions so students can listen to it afterwards and practice whatever was learned.
Finally, some of my favorite lessons learned in my musical journey that I like to share with my students in the form of popular quotes -
1. "Rome was not built in a day"
2. "We don't know what we don't know"
3. "The more we learn the less we know"
4. "Carnatic music is less about what we learn and more about how we learn" - probably true for many things in life.
5. "The main objective of Carnatic music is to praise the Divine, as must be the objective of every student"
6. "Carnatic music is an expression of humility of the performer"
7. "Hard work builds character, muscle, careers.... And vocal chords and Carnatic musicians too!"
All the best with your attempts to get more spiritual using the medium of music!
If you're already studying Carnatic music and/or performing concerts, I can help you hone your singing and stage performance skills. I specialize in teaching advanced Carnatic techniques, such as Raga Alapana, Niraval, Kalpana Swaras and Ragam Thanam Pallavis.
Learning from a professional performing musician is very different compared to learning from people who specialize in teaching music. My focus will always be on stage performance type singing, which requires significantly more polishing than otherwise. On the flip side, it deals somewhat lesser with the theoretical aspects of music. The precision in thalam, alignment to sruthi, oozing of bhaava or feel in the music rendered are very important when giving a stage performance as is the focus on coordination with accompanying artists. Such a goal also requires a vast repertoire and plenty of variety. Yes, my focus is on teaching to perform rather than teaching how to sing Carnatic music.
I also believe that each individual must develop his / her talents on an individual basis. Some students are more receptive than others and every student takes a different developmental path in building their talent. The teacher must focus on building a musical foundation specific to the talent and weaknesses of the particular student. For instance, some students need more time and different types of exercises in achieving stability in rhythm or talam. Others take more time to align themselves to the Sruthi. One of my existing students even plays basic Carnatic lessons on piano and sings along during his classes - after a few weeks of experimentation, we found that this was the temporary support he needed in order to fix the alignment of his voice to the sruthi.
The type of classes I offer are customized to each student's potential and the maturity of their talent. While many students are ready to absorb one-on-one lessons, what I am finding with a number of students who request me for classes is that their fundamentals need some work and in many cases, the basic lessons have not really been taught in the correct technique in the past by their teachers. I try to slot these students in sessions where they can rework on their fundamentals and obtain confidence in singing correctly before they are ready to receive one-on-one instruction from me. Again, even in a small group, the focus in on ensuring that each member of the group has learned the concept correctly. Many times, the exercises given to each student in a group are different depending on what each person needs. In every class, there are phases where each individual student is made to sing and correct his / her mistakes, so the learning is both individual and has the benefits of group learning as well in that the interest, enthusiasm and confidence to sing are developed by virtue of being part of the group. Students are forced to practice at home since they will need to keep up with the others in the group.
For many other students, their fundamentals are good enough where they can directly start private lessons with me and that is the ultimate form of instruction that each student must eventually get into.
Secondly, most students tend to compromise on fundamentals in a hurry to move on to more advanced constructs or accumulate as many songs or geethams or krithis as they can. Ask yourself this - did you or your child learn every single lesson in the beginner's course (Sangeetha Bala Paatam)? Why or why not?
Thirdly, I emphasize on learning through listening - a student is likely to learn twice as much from a teacher when exposed to music that has been sung by the great artists of yesteryears and absorb the nuances. Cooking to taste often produces the best food. Likewise, developing a sharp ear for Carnatic music and enjoying great music is vital to developing one's musical skills. I share with students, the master pieces of Carnatic music that I have gathered through two decades of continuous listening to the highest quality of music that has been sung in the last 100 years.
Lastly, I choose my students carefully and allow them or their parents to decide as well that the relationship and association with me will be successful and valuable. There is always a lot to learn from someone like me, but the chemistry and imbibing of the Guru's style is as important as accumulating musical knowledge. And there are surely many teachers much more capable and knowledgeable than I am.
The following are the categories of my music classes:
Stage I
1. Basic lessons - Geethams and introductory music lessons.
2. Introduction and familiarization of thalams and ragams
3. Simple varnams and krithis in simple ragas without a lot of Gamakams
4. The student is expected to practice everyday for at least 30 mins at home
Stage II
1. Increasing the repertoire of Krithis and Varnams
2. Preliminary techniques of Kalpana Swaram singing
3. Introduction to Raga Alapana and its structure; Raga alapana in lower speeds and for simple ragams
4. Basic techniques of establishing Sarvalaghu Shuddham or sense of rhythm
5. The student is expected to practice everyday for at least 1 hour at home
Stage III
1. More complex krithis including ones in Ghana ragams & Vilamba Kaalam
2. Advanced techniques in Kalpana Swaram singing; Introduction to Kuraipuu and Korvais
3. Basic techniques of Niraval
4. Elaborate Raga Alapana singing (concert style); training on important gamakams for ghana ragams; Introduction to Brigaas
5. How to learn by listening - developing a sharp ear for Carnatic music
6. Honing diction and appreciating lyrical richness of compositions
7. Focusing on Bhavam and Bhakti Rasa
8. Concert structure and preparation techniques
9. The student is expected to practice for a minimum of 1-2 hours every day at home in addition to the music class.
Stage IV
1. Focus on increasing the repertoire of Krithis to several hundred (yes, that is correct!)
2. Advanced level Alapana, Niraval, Kalpana swaram singing in concert style and with full depth
3. Kalpana Swaram singing - advanced concepts - Kuraippu / Reduction for different types of thalams; Korvai or mathematical constructs
4. Introduction and mastery of brigas, multiple kalam Niraval singing
5. Ragam Thanam Pallavi - basic concepts and RTPs in a variety of thalams including Nadai Pallavis
6. Progressive shift to singing Carnatic music as a spiritual offering to the Divine rather than just a musical performance - appreciation of nuances of lyrics, their meaning and how to bring out the Bhavam and essence of the krithi
7. Self-learning techniques using notation and how to finish and fine tune a krithi learned through self-learning
8. How to compose Ragam Thanam Pallavis
9. Advanced level concert planning, preparation and perfection techniques
10. "Tons" of offline listening to Carnatic music from my very special music collection
11. The student is expected to practice for a minimum of 2-3 hours everyday.
I like to ensure that students have a vision of their own journey of the pursuit of Carnatic music and always something to strive for and look forward to.
Structure and frequency of classes
Classes are typically weekly and at my home in Metuchen, NJ. I recommend two classes a week whenever possible during Stages II and III. Also, I insist on students practicing at home to complement their music classes. Classes can be scheduled in a flexible manner depending on schedules of the students and mine. The Stage I classes last typically for 30 - 45 mins., Stage II and III for an average of 1 hour and Stage IV on an as needed basis without time constraints. That said, I don't like operating to any strict time limit and typically spend the time it takes to get the student to learn what I am teaching rather than stop after 30 or 45 mins. I get to determine which stage is appropriate for each student and when students are ready to move to higher stages. I highly recommend recording the class sessions so students can listen to it afterwards and practice whatever was learned.
Finally, some of my favorite lessons learned in my musical journey that I like to share with my students in the form of popular quotes -
1. "Rome was not built in a day"
2. "We don't know what we don't know"
3. "The more we learn the less we know"
4. "Carnatic music is less about what we learn and more about how we learn" - probably true for many things in life.
5. "The main objective of Carnatic music is to praise the Divine, as must be the objective of every student"
6. "Carnatic music is an expression of humility of the performer"
7. "Hard work builds character, muscle, careers.... And vocal chords and Carnatic musicians too!"
All the best with your attempts to get more spiritual using the medium of music!
