Music classes are run every Sunday at the temple. At present, there are three levels available to interested students. All classes are aimed at children. Students follow the syllabus set by OFAAL (Oriental Fine Arts Academy of London)
There are currently three levels running with the option of adding more levels in as students progress or demand dictates:
Preschool age: The emphasis here is to introduce children to singing simple bhajans and slokas. Swarams and Talams are introduced gradually to familiarise the children with Carnatic basics. There are no exams at this stage.
Grade 1 Beginners: This group is aimed at school going children who can read who are new to music learning. The students follow the Grade 1 syllabus set by OFAAL. Children continue to learn In order to progress from this level to the next, students are expected to sit a practical exam lasting no more than ten minutes. The exam is held in Glasgow and is examined by external examiners who come to Glasgow from London. Apart from ths syllabus, children continue to learn more slokas and bhajans.
Grade 3: This group is running for students who have successfully completed Grade 1 and 2 of the OFAAL exams. For further details of the syllabus, please visit the OFAAL website. Apart from the syllabus, students learn the Tamil script in order to read music notation. This will further be extended for students to learn the Telugu / Kannada script and the Malayalam script.
The classes have various objectives suited to children growing up in the west.
○ To appreciate our dynamic rich culture and traditions
○ To be able to pronounce words in Sanskrit, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam like a native speaker ○ To understand how our music system began and evolved and to have an idea of how ancient some of our
systems are
○ To gain an insight into our literature and to appreciate our poets and composers
○ To understand our Mythology and the advanced understanding our culture had about philosophy of life
○ To be able to read the sapta swaras in Devanagari, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada scripts.
The ultimate objective is to produce students who can be independent learners of music, capable of understanding in detail the workings of a Carnatic Music concert.
Music class charges Please contact the teacher Mrs. Aarthi Rao on 07429429919
About the music teacher:
Aarthi Rao is a qualified Secondary Mathematics teacher from England with teaching experience in England and the USA. She trained in Carnatic Music from Mrs Prema Naveenathayalan in London. She is well versed in teaching and learning strategies which have been adapted to teach students studying in the West and all her students have always attained a distinction grade in music exams. She is passionate about our Indian culture and feels that children need to be as confident in Indian languages and culture as they are of Europe and its languages.
For queries relating to music, she can be contacted at Tel: 07429429919
Email: teacherrao@gmail.com
Bharatanatyam Classes
Dr Radha Krishnan is an exponent of Bharathanatyam,well-knownown dancer, choreographer and teacher. She has performed widely and given lecture demonstrations.
Arabhi Krishnan, her daughter also from Kalakshetra, performs and teaches with her mother.
Dance classes are conducted in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Contact Dr Radha Krishnan for details. Dr Radha Krishnan: 074606 75005
