Business
To be successful musician, you must see yourself as an entepreneur - Aditya Balani, GMI
By
Srishti Das
January 27, 2018
January 27, 2018
Modern music education has for a while been hard to find in India but slowly with the exposure to the west, things have began to change. We were fortunate to be invited by the kind founders of Global Music Institute in Greater Noida, one of the pioneers of modern music education in India. We had a chat with Aditya Balani about running the school, here is what the conversation translated to.
Aditya: When we started, there were this group of musicians, who were really hungry for a particular kind of western music. There was a particular style of programs that they were looking for. Also, people were coming into music education, much later in life. They were finishing their college degree, and then their parents would be fine with their children pursuing music. Now we see the trend were a lot of people are joining music programs like ours right after high school.
They now know early on, that this is what they want to do, how they would like to go about it, and which schools they would like to join. A lot of times, parents come in with children in high school who tell us that they are going to enroll in a year or two. Students and parents are a lot more informed. Parents especially are a lot more open to music education now.
Aditya: I think it is due to increased accessibility to music and many more avenues emerging in music as a career. There are TV shows, festivals, gigs etc. Young musicians are getting opportunities and even younger musicians who look up to them now know that there is a path. Once, there was no awareness. One would dream that “I want to go to Bollywood and become Shreya Ghoshal”, but they would not know anyone who did it and there would be a disconnect. Now, everyone knows someone who is doing something in this field. So there’s a reference.
Another thing I see happening is that while our parents’ generation chose more traditional career paths, there was another generation that came after that where they wanted to pursue music. The desire was there, but the resources weren’t. Now that there are more resources, these parents are more open to their children receiving music education because of the thought – I couldn’t do it when I wanted to, maybe my children can!
Aditya: I think, the more contact with teachers you have, it is better. We come from a Guru-Shishya parampara culture, where the shishya used to live with the guru, eat, bond, sleep and even probably play table tennis together. It was not just about Saregama, but what the Sa means to me in real life. It was a way of life. The irony is that this culture has somehow devolved into once or twice a week classes.
There is a need to absorb as much as possible from the teachers’ experiences and time spent with them serves as osmosis for the student. The real education happens with more time spent with the guru, and that is very important. The real learning comes from seeing teachers who are doing concerts and at the same time practicing at home. Students learn from things like these, apart from the music itself.
Aditya: Definitely! We are doing a lot more of it now. The quality of students that are coming in has drastically improved. A first-semester student is now ready to play on stage. Our flagship program is the performance diploma in 1, 2 or 3 years. For that, the emphasis on performance is huge. Every week, we have a forum and a performance by students. Every week, 2 students are paired via lottery and then they perform. So, you have to play, either as a lead or as a participant. The final recital is done at a public venue so that the student gets to know how it is to play for the real world. While I understand that having a full 2-hour set ready for a show is difficult, especially for first semester students, but the 2 or 3 songs that they really know well, they get to perform it for a real audience, and they get a feel of how it is going to be!
Srishti from Loudest: How was the Idea of GMI Born?
Aditya Balani: The Idea was born due to the irony that my brother Tarun and I, did not have any avenues of music education when we were growing up. One had to go out of India to study and I did the same. When I was growing up, it was really difficult. We were chasing teachers. There was this guitar teacher, and I was asking him to teach me how to read music. He kept pushing it for the next week, once he realized I was very persistent, he did not show up. Later I realized that he himself did not know how to read music! I also started teaching early on because of this. Music education just happened and became an organic part of me. When I went to Berklee, I would absorb a lot and every time I would come back home for breaks, I ended up teaching. Even Tarun felt the same. When we graduated in 2010, we came back and started talking about the whole concept, and in 2011, we started GMI. We were challenging the current norm of music education. Slowly, people started seeing the value of an intensive program rather than the existing model of going once a week to a teacher for an hour’s lesson and come back. We were developing a full schedule through the week, engaging in harmony, ear training, lab, master classes and private lessons and the rest, which completely involves an individual in music education in a detailed way. It was quite successful. Soon we collaborated with Berklee and started incorporating their curriculum into our programs.
Srishti: Do you think there is a difference in how people perceived music education in 2011 versus now. How and why do you think it has happened?
Aditya: When we started, there were this group of musicians, who were really hungry for a particular kind of western music. There was a particular style of programs that they were looking for. Also, people were coming into music education, much later in life. They were finishing their college degree, and then their parents would be fine with their children pursuing music. Now we see the trend were a lot of people are joining music programs like ours right after high school.
They now know early on, that this is what they want to do, how they would like to go about it, and which schools they would like to join. A lot of times, parents come in with children in high school who tell us that they are going to enroll in a year or two. Students and parents are a lot more informed. Parents especially are a lot more open to music education now.
Srishti: How do you think this trend happened?
Aditya: I think it is due to increased accessibility to music and many more avenues emerging in music as a career. There are TV shows, festivals, gigs etc. Young musicians are getting opportunities and even younger musicians who look up to them now know that there is a path. Once, there was no awareness. One would dream that “I want to go to Bollywood and become Shreya Ghoshal”, but they would not know anyone who did it and there would be a disconnect. Now, everyone knows someone who is doing something in this field. So there’s a reference.
Another thing I see happening is that while our parents’ generation chose more traditional career paths, there was another generation that came after that where they wanted to pursue music. The desire was there, but the resources weren’t. Now that there are more resources, these parents are more open to their children receiving music education because of the thought – I couldn’t do it when I wanted to, maybe my children can!
Srishti: There is a process of learning music in India, especially classical music. The methodology is completely different from contemporary music education. What method, do you think, is more effective?
Aditya: I think, the more contact with teachers you have, it is better. We come from a Guru-Shishya parampara culture, where the shishya used to live with the guru, eat, bond, sleep and even probably play table tennis together. It was not just about Saregama, but what the Sa means to me in real life. It was a way of life. The irony is that this culture has somehow devolved into once or twice a week classes.
There is a need to absorb as much as possible from the teachers’ experiences and time spent with them serves as osmosis for the student. The real education happens with more time spent with the guru, and that is very important. The real learning comes from seeing teachers who are doing concerts and at the same time practicing at home. Students learn from things like these, apart from the music itself.
Srishti: We see that GMI does a lot of shows. Are you preparing your students for the outside world?
Aditya: Definitely! We are doing a lot more of it now. The quality of students that are coming in has drastically improved. A first-semester student is now ready to play on stage. Our flagship program is the performance diploma in 1, 2 or 3 years. For that, the emphasis on performance is huge. Every week, we have a forum and a performance by students. Every week, 2 students are paired via lottery and then they perform. So, you have to play, either as a lead or as a participant. The final recital is done at a public venue so that the student gets to know how it is to play for the real world. While I understand that having a full 2-hour set ready for a show is difficult, especially for first semester students, but the 2 or 3 songs that they really know well, they get to perform it for a real audience, and they get a feel of how it is going to be!
Srishti: There are a lot of music schools coming up, with the dedication to specific streams of music, like production. Are you planning to focus on something specific? Electronic music is the next big wave, are you planning to ride the wave?
Aditya: No, we are not planning to ride the specific wave, but to bring as much education as people want. We now have a performance major, and I’m really looking forward to add other majors like Electronic music progression and even Music Business. But it depends on what people want. At one point, people couldn’t even fathom a 3 year degree in music performance, but now people come and ask for it! We will keep diversifying our offerings in music education as and when the time comes.Srishti: What is your opinion on degrees in music? Though there are entities like Gandharva Vidyalaya certifying music education, classical musicians in India sometimes learn music for years without the thought of securing a degree. Is there more need for documenting your education now, rather than experience?
Aditya: At one point in our country, the fact that you were learning music in a certain Gharana or with a well respected guru, that itself was your degree! I must agree, that it has evaporated. The gharanas were your music schools. The western education system has completely taken over our regular educational system, and even our constitution and governing system is based on a western country. The degree system has just come into education as a part of this change, and I agree with you, that it has become a huge part in music education too. When we started our school, we used to get questions like “Do you offer Trinity grades” and the likes. We had to explain that we are trying to inculcate much more than that. Yes, the need for validation, a certificate or a degree is definitely a part of our society now, but the need for music education is slowly transcending these constraints. Certification is definitely necessary for job prospects in the future, it helps.
Srishti: Do you think someone needs a degree to be a musician?
Aditya: No. One does not need a degree to be a musician. Not at all. NOT AT ALL.This is not about a degree. This is about being completely involved in the environment of music 24 hours a day. The experience of full time music education is important. It prepares you for life. You learn in class, but the real learning happens when you are speaking to your classmates about music in the cafeteria, that sort of a thing. You are talking to your classmates about – hey have you heard this music, have you heard that musician, have you heard of this, etc. Now imagine that, 10 times a day, multiplied into days in a year, 2 years! That itself is the learning one gets. The classroom is just a conduit, a tool. So many bands have formed within classrooms at GMI! Jam rooms, access to other musicians with skills different than yours, realizing an arrangement for the song you’ve written, all this needs access to resources and a solid community, and that’s what GMI intends to provide. You end up meeting people that you end up working with for life! [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxmSTv98UdA[/embed]
Srishti: Global Music Institute has just announced its official collaboration with Berklee.
Aditya: The collaboration has been in works for years now. Our official collaboration as a Berklee Global partner gives us access to a lot of institutions for around the world as a part of the Berklee International network (BIN). We are already in talks with Seoul Jazz academy for a program here, and similarly, we can cater to Indian music education requirements abroad, students can choose to take semesters abroad in the network, so on and so forth. We have had students who have studied here and received full scholarships to study at Berklee. Our student, Dhruv Goel studied here and then went on to study at Berklee and is now working with Hans Zimmer! This partnership opens up the world of opportunities for our faculty and students.Srishti: Global Music Institute has been developing a model for music education for years now. If there is one thing that you are glad to add to your school through the Berklee partnership, what is it?
Aditya: The curriculum. The Berklee curriculum has been designed by really great educators from around the world. So many amazing musicians have gone through this curriculum and have been successful. We are very glad to incorporate this curriculum and we have obviously customized it to the Indian context.Srishti: What is your advice for young and budding musicians today?
Aditya: I think they need to have a very realistic idea of what being a musician is. You cannot expect it to give you a steady salaried job, it’s a different head space altogether. You have to think of yourself as an entrepreneur. You are a business yourself. If you can think and work in that way, that’s the mindset you need. Fortunately or unfortunately, it is a very DIY world today. You have to do everything. You have to send your press emails in the morning, and practice in the evening, then do a gig in the night. It’s very open ended. There is no set path like in the corporate world, where you know you will get a promotion in, say, two years. In two nights, you can become a star, or in two nights, you might be right where you are. You need to have a realistic idea and work towards it. If you are not ready for it, don’t do it.
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