Jeanne Merchant loves to teach music

Yes, Salim Merchant is a much-married man. Tell Jeanne that half his fans don't even suspect him to be married, and she is unperturbed. "It was not a conscious, or a self imposed exile. I have been very busy with motherhood," she says.
Of course, the little that the world got to know about Jeanne Merchant was through the 'Africa song', composed by Salim. for which she had penned the lyrics.But much before that as Jeanne Micheal she was a popular name in the Jazz music circuit in the city, often collaborating with musician Louiz Banks, until she was scouted and signed by Lata Mangeskar's music company. Salim happened to be the music director of her pop album Yeh wadiyaan, and that marked 'the turning of her career', as she likes to put it.
After all, she could well be responsible for giving the industry a bright bunch of next generation musicians. Her homegrown academy of sorts is fast swelling up, with 40 toddlers already grasping the nuances of music since its inception last month. "I wanted to expose Ayesha (their daughter) to all those beautiful songs from the musicals like The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins that I grew up listening to. They have such a wealth to offer in terms of melody, harmony and rhythm. And one day, while I was at it with Ayesha, Salim happened to walk in. He then encouraged her to do this for other children too. The idea is to get children to be able to appreciate music, "she says.
Her battalion of little maestros, that includes Hrithik Roshan's son Hrehaan, Farhan Akhtar's daughter Akira, Ronit Roy's daughter Aador, have already begun composing little pieces of their own, she says. "It's lovely when children learn to tap out rhythms, pitch notes and breathe right to hold a melody," says the ecstatic musician.
Though she is Salim's sounding board, she doesn't intend to join forces with him, composing for films. "Whenever Salim comes to me with a new composition, there's usually no scope for me to add to it. If at all, I just contribute to the lyrics, whenever he asks me to." Salim usually gives her a tune, and she only has to gauge its mood and feel for the words to flow. "But I can't sit and research. Either you take it or don't," she says, and quickly adds, "I am happy in my own zone. Like this (teaching music) was unplanned, yes, but I am loving it."