Mar 14 2008
Learn music from A R Rahman!
The famous musician A R Rahman has launched the first music conservatory in India on March 12 in the presence of highly acclaimed musicians from all over the world. The music school is named as K M Music Conservatory. It is a good initiative from his side to make music the universal language!
He said this Music conservatory is his way of giving back to music what he got everything from the same. “The more you give, the more you get.” he said.
“There are 1.4 billion people in India and thousands of musicians but there is no symphony orchestra with our very own musicians while even smaller countries have their own orchestra. So, the reason to start the KM Conservatory is simple. Most of the young aspiring musicians want to learn more of electronic stuff. Acoustic instruments are of no interest to them. We want to start a course where students learn acoustic instruments as well as electronic instruments. It is important to raise awareness about different kinds of music,” he added.
The Hindustani classical musicians Padmabhushan Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan and his son Mustafa Khan will be teaching Hindustani classical music to the students at the Conservatory. Khan appreciated the step of rehman and said, “I congratulate Rahman for starting a music school of international standards in India. We are always with him.”
The KM Conservatory, in collaboration with Audio Media Education, an Apple authorized training centre, will concentrate on both Indian and western instrumental and vocal music technology.
Initially courses will be offered in music technology, voice, strings and keyboards. These are divided into Preparatory, Foundation and Diploma courses. The Preparatory course is open to any student from any age group with interest in music while the Foundation and Diploma courses are more advanced. In fact, the Diploma course is a two year program.
Padmabhushan Dr L Subramaniam who is in the advisory board said, “This music school is one of the best things that can happen in India. It is a great venture. When we grew up, we didn’t have this kind of an opportunity. Here, musicians from different parts of the world will come and take classes for the students. The approach to music is holistic.”
Dr Randy Giles, who will advise on the academic curriculum said, “This is a very new idea in India. Indian musicians will benefit a lot from the school. The future of the school is one in which music is seen as a discipline just as any other, with the potential to be a professional career.”
