Pedagogy or lineage? Pre-natal music education.

[GaryInThailand]

A doctor friend of mine introduced me to some amazing information.
Using MRI brain scan technology, which can see activity in the brain at work, separate research studies found two results I find remarkable:

* At 6 month (3 months) before birth, the baby can distinguish it's mother's voice from any other voice.
* Baby's exposed to different style of music while in the womb show different music preferences and abilities post-natal and in later life.

This made me think: India has many musical prodigies, children who show remarkable ability very early, many of whom go on to become virtuosos. Now that I think about it, every one of the truly remarkable Carnatic musicians I know of today comes from a family of musicians, usually of quite long lineage. Might it be that this is because their training begins in the womb, while surrounded by wonderfully skilled musicians?

This raises the question: How much does the traditional pedagogy (or any) matter if the child comes does not come from a music household?

I would be very interested to know if any of you are aware of true virtuosos who came from non-music families. It might illuminate the success or failure of traditional and non-traditional teaching methods. I feel it's an interesting are to investigate

[msakella]

How much does the traditional pedagogy (or any) matter if the child comes does not come from a music household?

It might illuminate the success or failure of traditional and non-traditional teaching methods.

In the above context, having some significant experience for more than four decades not only as a professional teacher (previously as a cheater and parasite but presently as a truthful teacher) and author of three reliable books of their own kind on practical music but also as a professional performer in classical Karnataka music, I venture to write something about pedagogy.

Basing upon the poor results obtained and, by that, having found out myself as an inefficient teacher even after five years of my retirement in 1996, I was compelled to make extensive research in the methods of teaching music and, ultimately by the grace of the Almighty, found out a qualitative method in teaching music by which the process of teaching has very successfully been made ‘time-bound and result-oriented’ unlike in the past. Some of the videos of the kids learning music in this novel system have also been uploaded to ‘Youtube - msakella’s Youtube’ for ready reference of the aspirants and teachers. But, even though this qualitative method has thus been proved very easy and affective none of the present music-teachers are willing to make any changes in the present traditional quantitative method in teaching as it not only facilitates to conveniently elongate the process of teaching various items of music for many years to squeeze more money from the aspirants and their parents but also to conveniently escape from the responsibility of inculcating the knowledge of Manodharma Sangita in the aspirants. That is why no music-teacher had responded to this post till now.

To tell the fact, in this new method, it hardly takes only two years to give out most of the technicalities of music even to an average aspirant of younger age even if the kid does not come from a music household. But either the success or failure of any pedagogy depends upon the attitude and ability of the teacher. amsharma

[GaryInThailand]

Thank you, Akellaji. My own informal survey in Chennai indicates that family background is not definitive. I would say, that of the day's bright rising stars, about half come from music families and the rest are of varied backgrounds. It seems that being of a music family gives an edge (you might expect so), but does not define artistic success.

I am attempting to follow Mr. Akella's method. I'm afraid my 60-year old Western brain, exposed to very little Carnatic knowledge until now, is likely to take significantly longer than the miracles achieved by his young students. But I do feel I can make progress, and am grateful to have his streamlined methodology.

[Nick H]

Even without going back to the womb, it helps to be surrounded by music.

Comparing my experience with the young mridangist I used to play morsing with in London... His mother was a veena teacher. Even if he put no effort at all into learning the songs we played for with his mother's students, he could not help but know them: they were played in his house, over and over. Even if he had had no interest at all, he would still have known those songs. I'm not saying he could have sung them all, or played them on the veena; that is a different level of "knowing" --- but he had something that went far beyond mere familiarity.

Growing up surrounded by professionals practising, or by teachers teaching, involves a degree of repetition that is, according to my theory, a much deeper level of exposure than simply growing up with music lovers with a tape/CD collection, or even regular concert goers.

Of course, there are always examples of musicians who are the first in their family to show any interest at all, so prenatal/early exposure is only part of the picture. In fact, it is only part of one of many pictures!

[mohan]

I have read that Pallakad Mani Ayyar said that learning music is 80% listening. I thoroughly agree with this. For children from musical families they have the advantage of hearing music very often and this music is a large part of the learning process.
For children from other families, to accelerate learning, parents can play lots of music at home.

[VK RAMAN]

Nick and mohan have hit the subject at the right place.

[msakella]

Even without any kind of training many kids are able to grasp and render even very sensitive film song by constantly and regularly listening to that particular song through pre-recorded cassette or CD. Here is one very important point to note to one and all. As per my experiments, if a kid is exposed regularly and constantly to the same music without any deviation the kid can very easily, quickly and efficiently grasp and reproduce it in the same manner and this is possible only if a pre-recorded song is supplied to the aspirant in the form of a cassette or CD. Very sadly, in our classical music, how many Vidwans are there in the guise of music-teachers so many different kinds of notations are there for each and every composition. Our musicians never want to standardise things like our western counterparts but to continue the same ambiguity in all respects always keeping the aspirant in ambiguity and dependence upon the teacher. Just like in which way purity of mind or purity of heart or purity of thought are always healthy to any person, in the same way, purity of Shruti or purity of note or purity of rhythm or purity of notation etc., are also healthy in teaching or learning music. But, our music-teachers want to maintain the ambiguity and prefer to teach face to face in their own individual way deviating daily from the old lesson without giving the notation or any pre-recorded music keeping the aspirant always dependent upon the teacher in elongating the process of teaching and squeezing more money. That is why, while texts books are prepared and supplied for all the subjects everywhere, in many of the music-institutions or music-departments text books are not even prepared at all and supplied but reference books. And, even in respect of practical music, no notated books followed by pre-recorded CDs singing the same notation are not at all prepared or supplied in spite of the recording facilities came into existence since last more than 50 years. Only recently, some of the money spinning Universities are bringing out texts in theory and notated books followed with CDs in practical music for the aspirants of distance education. Even then they all are able to produce degree-holders only but not musicians. More over, while keeping the aspirant always dependent upon the teacher all the teaches are also used to caution their respective students that it is not healthy either to write the song or Svarakalpana or Ragalapana in notation or to depend upon the pre-recorded music available either in cassettes or CDs.

In this respect I have made umpteen experiments upon the aspirants and found that always it is preferable to initiate the aspirant mostly to go through the notated aids and listen to the pre-recorded cassette or CD simultaneously doing things on his/her own. Previously, even though I was also against the use of Casio later I realised that relying upon the change-less Casio than the change-full teacher helps the kids a lot to work hard even in the absence of their teacher making the process quicker and efficient. For this purpose I have also brought out AMS Easy Methods-2007 CD consisting of 481 tracks of audio-files even defining all kinds of oscillations along with relevant notated pdf files furnishing the kids the same music always without any deviation.

As a professional, truthful and successful teacher I cannot and should not merely remain as a spectator like all other hypocrites and leave the aspirants and their parents as a prey to the inefficient, dishonest, money-minded, unreliable and egocentric music-teachers but feel it as my duty to bring out all the different aspects and problems of teaching to the notice of the aspirants and their parents. In this process and in the high interests of our aspirants and their parents I may have to hit at so many places though some may not like it. amsharma

[Ramasubramanian M.K]

Respected Sharmaji: I am simply in awe of your passion and caring for the proper pedagogical techniques and I must confess I had not considered your viewpoint all these years.There is lot of merit in your proposal--revolutionary as it may be and even self-threatening to the body of teachers--a kind of elitism fosters this notion under the guise of "music-must-be-learnt-as Karna Parampara" cliche!!

If I may offer a polite suggestion,Sometimes our well articulated and sound positions can be distorted by an unintended "stridency" in its presentation.

A case in point--the Late Ranga Ramanuja Iyengar is a good example of a well-meaning,caring person's views being obscured by the "stridency and polemical nature of those views. My father was a good friend- and I had also interacted with him in the sixties when he was visiting his daughter in BombayMy father used to advise him to find ways of presenting his arguments without seeming to "attack" musicians and their practice. In his later years he acknowledged that had he toned down the vituperative stridency in his views,he may have been better listened to.
I respect you for your dedication--I have heard numerous accounts of how principled and steadfast you have been as a Teacher,foregoing material rewards in pursuit of Dharma in Teaching and I do not for a moment doubt your sincerity in expounding your views as they are from the Heart!!

Perhaps it is our duty as forum members to spead the word to the teachers who teach our kids/grandkids.

I enjoyed meeting you in person during the season @ MR.Nageswaran's house. Looking at the video I was shocked at myself for my back towards you--My profuse apologies for the Mimicry which I hope is not interpreted as "mockery" of famous artistes. I would like it to be treated as "Imitation is the best form of flattery"!!!

[msakella]

Dear brother-member, Ramasubramanian M.K, Thank you for your kind, affectionate and suggestive post. I also equally enjoyed not only the meeting with all our brothers and sisters at Chennai but the mimicry also.

In respect of the vituperative stridency of my posts there is a heart-burning long episode behind that and I shall make it possibly brief.

To tell the fact, I was also one among these cheating and parasitical music-teachers for 20 years of my Govt. service. But, when the results are not at all encouraging I was compelled to look back and, to my surprise, found that I have been teaching the aspirants in which way I have already been taught by my teachers but not in which way each and every aspirant needs to be taught differently basing upon his/her instinctive talents. This is only the starting and gradually I could rectify many of my defects. But, even after five years after my retirement I came to know that still I was only 10% successful in teaching. All along for 35 years in my service, having been paid sufficiently, I could not deliver my services justifiably. Just imagine my plight. That is why I have given up even my lucrative artistic life as a professional-violin-accompanist and also as music-teacher of both Vocal and Violin and taken up the extensive research on the methods of teaching music. Later, gradually, only by the grace of the Almighty, I could find a novel method of teaching music by which I could make a brilliant aspirant sing Svarakalpana along with many rhythmical intricacies and brief Ragalapana successfully within a maximum span of two years mostly with the help of written aids and audio and video-aids. In this qualitative method in teaching mostly the teacher, supplying different aids like written material, notated compositions and CDs, initiates the aspirant to work more on his own even in the absence of the teacher. Thus, while the teacher goes on teaching only a number of compositions in the traditional quantitative method of teaching, in this novel method of qualitative teaching, a successful teacher mostly initiates the aspirant learn up to 9 or 10 selected Varnas on his own and even by the end of learning these Varnas the aspirant becomes able to render intricate mathematical Svarakalpana and brief Ragalapana also. Later, the teacher doesn’t need to teach even the first Kriti to the aspirant.

After finding this successful method in teaching I have started the propagation of these methods teaching to various aspirant-kids and getting amazing results. I have even uploaded some of the videos of the successful aspirants to ‘Youtube - msakella’s Youtube’. I have also made an appeal to the teaching community to follow these novel methods for the benefit of the aspirants and their parents saving their invaluable time, energy and money and also to upload the respective videos of the successful aspirants to ‘Youtube’ to inspire the aspirants and parents alike. But, most unfortunately, no music-teacher is coming forward to follow this method as this method quickens the process of teaching reasonably incurring a financial loss and additionally burdens the teacher to train the aspirants in Svarakalpana and Ragalapana unlike in the past. Thus, not even a single video has ever been uploaded to ‘Youtube’ by any teacher.

Having personally worked as a music-teacher and Priincipal in many music-colleges and having also visited many music-colleges and music-departments in our country in the propagation of this method, thus having spent for more than 50 years in music-teaching, I have found that most of the music-teachers, particularly from the salaried personnel, are not at all teaching efficiently, honestly and reliably to the aspirants in the absence of any kind of supervision. Ultimately, by all this, all our music-teachers following this traditional and ritualistic quantitative method of teaching are able to produce only impotent aspirants who are getting Degrees but not music and this impotency is spreading very fast from generation to generation like an incurable decease. I have umpteen experiences in this respect and I can prove this at any time and place beyond doubt. Is this not a heart-burning problem of our society and is this not the duty of all our musicians to put it off immediately and save all our kids from this menace?

I have nothing against any efficient, honest and reliable teacher. If at all any such music-teacher feels unhappy of my ‘vituperative stridency’ and proves his efficiency, honesty and reliability by uploading the respective videos of his talented kids and informs me the same I shall certainly apologize to that gentleman. amsharma

[ShrutiLaya]

Sarma garu,

Like MKR, I too respect your obvious sincerity and vast knowledge. But I can't help feeling that the "anyone can be a prodigy if they do XYZ" argument is specious. Call me a romantic, but I belive that a Thyagaraja or a Balamurali is just born with God given genius, and it is not the result of anything they did (at least, not in this birth!).. What the OP asked, and I find curious too, is - in this Nature vs. Nurture argument, is there a third aspect - the pre-natal exposure that somehow gets "wired into the consciousness" and comes out as a pre-existing talent.

- Sreenadh

[msakella]

Dear brother-member, Sreenadh/ShrutiLaya, To the matter of fact, you are respecting me as you are not aware of my insincerity and inabilities. As I am very well aware of them I never crave for any respect or prize or award or title or honour from anybody in recognition of my external sincerity and knowledge. By the grace of the Almighty I sincerely, honestly and truthfully feel always that I am nowhere and HE is making me do each and everything. Thus, HE had very kindly blessed me with this kind of bent of mind and only my body is doing all these things.

While the knowledge of the latent secrets of the rarest topic ‘Talaprastara’ had absolutely disappeared from this world HE had blessed me with all these secrets. In the same manner, even being a responsible Lecturer in Govt. Music College, while I was worse than the worst in teaching music, HE opened my eyes and blessed me with all these easy methods in teaching which made the entire process very fast and efficient unlike in the past (kindly observe the small kids singing highly intricate rhythmical exercises amazingly in ‘Youtube - msakella’s Youtube’).

Here, at Hyderabad, in our music-institution, Svarabhangima, in which my young disciple, Chi. Shreeram of 17 years age and her mother Chi. Sow. Chidroopa Lakshmi efficiently, honestly and reliably train the young kids, while we have only 12 kids 2 years back, presently we are having 80 kids and each one of them can render both Chaturashra and Trisra-gatis right from the first basic exercises, Jati-alankaras. This is highly remarkable and I can tell that this is the only music-institution on the globe of such high quality. This is possible only if a kind of strict discipline is followed in training these kids without any compromise. ‘A young person who is unusually intelligent or skilful for their age’ is prodigy and I sincerely feel that it is not impossible to produce a number of such prodigies by giving them such kind of efficient training.

In respect of Thyagaraja it was said that he was trained for only one year and became proficient in singing music. In the same manner here we have a number of kids who became efficient in singing Svarakalpana and Ragalapana by learning for one year in this novel method which may be un-believable to others.

Mostly unfortunately, all our music-teachers have been clinging to the useless traditional and quantitative method of teaching music as it facilitates to very conveniently elongate the process of teaching to squeeze more and more money as they like from the aspirants and their parents and also to very conveniently escape from the responsibility of inculcating the knowledge of Manodharma Sangita in the aspirants. Very sadly, none of them is ready to loose these highly convenient facilities and sacrifice them for the benefit of the aspirants and their parents. If you show me only one such committed teacher, at the least, I shall certainly bow down to him/her.

In my observation I have found that most of these kids run very fast at that age if his/ her instinctive talents are recognised properly, assessed properly, nourished properly and, also, if he/she is properly initiated in making things on his/her own to proceed further and further. But, as we do not have any provision for the above in the existing system of teaching we are compelled to waste much of the energies of our kids even in their post-natal exposure leaving alone their pre-natal exposure. amsharma

[GaryInThailand]

In my years, I have an encountered a very few 'inexplicable prodigies', children who manifested remarkable musical abilities even before any training, who proceeded with astonishing speed when they did get training.

For the great majority, they can attain very fine abilities if they are trained ably and apply themselves. Early training is best, before body and mind become set by the process of becoming adults. Teachers must focus their work on those of sensible, but not necessarily remarkable, natural ability and desire to master these skills.

For a very few, no amount of training or effort will give results. Let them be. There are many things to be in life other than a musician.

This seems to be the way of nature in these matters. Thammachat in the Thai language, derived from Sanskrit by way of Pali.

[msakella]

Dear brother-member, GaryInThailand, Yes, what you wrote is absolutely true. No doubt, some kids are ‘inexplicable prodigies’ and one of my disciples, Chi. J.S.Shreeram is of that quality. At his age of 13 years when I had given him my CD, AMS Easy Mehtods and asked him to listen to the 9 Varnas & one Svarajathi well and take his own time to reproduce them as they are, amazingly he reproduced each one successfully within only one day and thus, he could sing all these 9 Varnas & one Svarajathi of Shyama Shastry within 10 days only. People may not believe me if I tell that I did not teach him more than 10 classes in a year and within 2 years he could give a 2 hrs. concert most successfully.

Most unfortunately, the present method of teaching classical music is quantitative and is handy only to teach a number of items and compositions. As all the stalwarts are always used to harp on learning as many number of compositions as an aspirant can in each Raga the aspirants are taught a great number of compositions only and most of the life is spent in learning more number of compositions only. In fact, one must be initiated to take out the ghee from the milk and even quarter-litre of milk is more than enough to serve this purpose but not 100 litres of milk. In the same manner, as the teacher, naturally, is well versed with all the different compositions, he must be able to furnish the Raga in symbolised notation to the aspirant or the aspirant must be initiated to take out the characteristics of a particular Raga from a respective composition i.e., a Varna or a Kriti. But, unfortunately, writing a composition in notation itself is against the age old tradition and writing Ragalapana and Svarakalpana in notation is suicidal as per the same old tradition according to the conservatives. More over, some great stalwarts have also been used to very proudly claim ‘So and so had learnt music from me for 20 / 30 years’ just like a patient taking medicine continuously from a particular doctor for 20 or 30 years. This is our great tradition.

To tell the truth, in my extensive research, I have very interestingly found that most of the kids are very brilliant and the duration of only one year is far more than enough to initiate a kid (but not an adult) to get acquaintance with most of the technicalities of music basing upon the newly found qualitative method of teaching. Thus, while only a handful of kids are becoming prodigies by following this traditional quantitative method of teaching more than 80% of the kids are becoming successful prodigies by following the newly found qualitative method of teaching. And many of the aspirants and their parents are also eagerly ready to follow this system as it saves their invaluable money, energy and time. But, as no music-teacher is ready to follow this system due to their personal inconveniences there is no way to fulfil their desire. Very sadly, even though the recording facilities also became handy since last 50 years many of the musicians are interested either in writing a number of music-books with simple notation but without any pre-recorded CD or in bringing out a number of pre-recorded CDs but without any notated book.

Only keeping all this in view, I have brought out the CD, AMS Easy Methods and 3 books, 1.Sangita Vidyabodhini (Telugu & English) consisting of all the items of the syllabus pertaining to Certificate and Diploma courses of the Govt. of Andhra Pradesh in notation which is supplied along with 3 mp3 CDs carrying nearly 70 Kritis/Keertanas sung by me following the same notation in the book, 2.Sangita Vidyalochani (Telugu) consisting of 60 Kritis in notation which is supplied along with 2 mp3 CDs carrying all these Kritis sung by me following the same notation in the book and 3. Sangita Svararaga Sudha (Telugu & English) consisting of the easy Muktayis of 3 kinds in 6 Talas of daily usage for Svarakalpana and Alapana of 36 Ragas in symbolised-notation which is also supplied along with a mp3 CD sung by me to minimise the dependency of the aspirants and their parents. amsharma