Pulling the right strings to max wonder years

The pivotal moment for Devesh came when he was offered guitar lessons by his parents at the age of nine. He has not looked back since. The arising guitarist is now a fulltime high school student who occupies a prominent position in a progressive music band, which has won the prestigious annual Strawberry Fields Award. His school did more than just stand by him; he was marked on what he loved and what he was best at: Music. Devesh considers himself lucky. When asked about the resources and support his school, the American School of Bombay, provides, he said, “I have no complaints. I think the support I receive personally for what I am doing is more than enough.” The upcoming guitarist has company; music is a graded subject in his school, and the understanding that the teachers have for his musical commitment seems to stem from the school’s perspective on music. “Music events at ASB are an inseparable part of our school’s identity, and are times for celebrating student accomplishments,” said Craig Johnson, ASB superintendent. Kaisar Dopaishi of Singapore International School said that, “Art is meant to be enjoyed.” Putting a grade on something creative in nature, such as music, would inevitably be a highly subjective process. Students may further view music as an added academic burden, instead of coming to appreciate music, thus subverting the whole philosophy. However, many musicians and educators who were interviewed begged to differ. Mahindra United World College’s music teacher, Ben Clark, said, “I grade students on music. Yet, they enjoy their music lessons.” Noted tabla player Aneesh Pradhan said that while the idea of grading music appeals to him, it is important to formulate or design the curriculum in a way that the present music situation can be taken into account. Regardless of whether music is taken as a graded subject, its importance for students remains unchanged. Apart from being a crucial cornerstone of culture, music has additional benefits, especially for budding students: A marked improvement in concentration skills. Indian classical musicologist Ramkrishna Das confirms this by saying, “When you play an instrument or focus on singing in tune, you concentrate only on that and nothing else. This helps improve your concentration greatly.” Studies to this effect have been made by a research team from the Stanford University School of Medicine. Vinod Menon, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences at this Ivy League, concludes that people involved in learning music have better concentration powers than non-musically inclined people. Aneesh Pradhan further emphasizes the importance of music by saying that a connection with any musical form or instrument is good for the holistic development of a child. Learning an instrument helps in gaining control over muscle coordination and in developing a general dexterity. All said and done, the idea of implementing music in schools has gained a lot of brownie points. But the main question that arises is this: How does one strike a balance between work and fun? “It depends on the skills of teachers, and the students’ interest as well as proficiency,” said Ramesh Joshi, general secretary of the Brihanmumbai Mahapalika Shikshak Sabha. His strong sentiments on the need for a firm academic grounding in foundational years are widely echoed. Music, it seems, is seen more as a skill which is important, but can be picked up in any stage of life. It remains to be seen whether students and teachers alike are ready to take music to the next level.Yoon Jung Choi & Shloka V Sah | YOUNG EDITORS