The most beautiful thing about music is that one doesn’t need to understand it to appreciate it. A stirring melody, a rousing rhythm, a choir in tune, would move just about any living soul.
Not just that, the song of a merry bird, the gush of a shallow cascade, the dance of dandelions have a musicality of their own, one that we find resonance with in our most intimate moments.
We can all feel music.
And if we can feel music, we can certainly make music. Don’t think of an instrument or your voice the moment I mention the act of making music. Your body is a music making machine. The heart keeps perfect time, the feet move with metronomic precision when we walk, we whistle naturally on a good day, and most of us can sing a simple melody, say the ‘happy birthday’ song, in perfect tune.
All that without ever having to take a music lesson!
The point i am trying to make is that each one of us, to varying degrees, is a natural musician.
The best way to learn music is by being in an environment that encourages experimentation, expression, and imagination.
As a music educator, I sincerely live by my music education philosophy based on the following values
A) Eternal Learning:
I strive to be a fellow-learner with all my students. I believe all of us have something to learn from each other.
B) Cultivating Curiosity:
There’s more learning in the spirit of inquiry than in the act of merely delivering information.
C) Fostering Emotional Intuition:
Music invokes emotions. When a conscious mind learns with an ear for the emotions a melody, a rhythm or a chord invokes, it builds a deeper understanding of music. This enables one to develop a meaningful and expressive musical vocabulary.
D) Balancing structure and playfulness
Practicing music and playing music are separate activities. Either is paramount to the development of a musician. Yet, knowing what, why and how to practice is something most players struggle with. After years of study, I’ve had a fair number of insights that have helped me navigate this conundrum. Striving for an ideal balance between practice and playing is something I help fellow learners with.
E) Finding the role of music in your life
Music is beautiful. Yet, we must find how music fits into our lives. If we have unrealistic expectations, we might grow frustrated from something that brings such joy. We must make peace with our karma as a musician.
Finding that for myself and for fellow learners has always been a constant pursuit that I truly enjoy.
6) Cultivating Trust and Empathy
We must trust the process of learning and be kind towards ourselves and our fellow learners. Learning is a lifelong pursuit.
I have been teaching music since I graduated from Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music (SAM) in 2014. I have had the fortune of being mentored by stellar musicans like Karina Colis (Mexico), Alex Kautz (Brazil), Alex Pinto (USA), Steve Zerlin (USA), Prapancham Ravindran (India), Umayalpuram Mali (India).
I’ve have helped people learn music from across the age demographic. Living by the values of this music education philosophy has helped all my students achieve musical excellence.
If you feel I can help you on your musical journey, feel free to contact me here.