Update from Kottayam

Hi everyone!

Rosie here. It's been a busy few weeks at ACCM in Areeparambu, and we've managed to squeeze in some exciting trips at the weekends so lots to tell. We began our full time teaching last week, so are getting into the swing of things. The main jobs we have been asked to do cover the theory/history/aural parts of the course. It is a really small college and we only have 6 pupils (so far 0 admissions are still going on, despite the fact that we are teaching!), but end up teaching most of them separately because they have a wide range of abilities. I've been taking group history classes, which has been really fun beacuse I can choose pretty much anything I want to teach them! They all have almost no Western musical context, and I quickly worked out from the first lesson that they had never properly listened to a piece of Western music, so I'm spending a lot of time playing them music. They're learning fairly quickly, and seem to really enjoy actually hearing what they're learning about (so far, the Baroque). I'm also taking a third year aural class and theory for all years. We were told this week that we also write the exams that they take for these modules, which is a big responsibility! These lessons have taken up a lot of our time, so we haven't had much time for piano lessons so far, although we should have more next week. We will also be teaching more piano when we travel to Trivandrum the weekend after next to teach in the Centre of the Development of Music Studies (CDMS). This is a school, up to age 18, so it will be great trying our hand at teaching younger children. We have lots of opportunities here to introduce masterclasses and workshops, and next week we are hoping to give a conducting workshop to the older students.

We had an amazing time last weekend when we took a 4 hour bus journey through the mountains to Kumily, and spent a whole day in Periyar Wildlife Reserve doing a safari and rainforest trek! We're still having lots of fun spending time at the children's home every evening, and have found a fair exchange - we teach them songs and they teach us Malayalam.

Rebecca has created a facebook page (WAM 2013) where we can share our photos and non-work related stories! Will update this blog soon.

Rosie

Josh in Mumbai

I’m currently sat by myself in the Mehli Mehta Music Foundation’s (MMMF) office, thinking about the next 2 months and what they might have in store.  I should also warn the avid readers of this blog, that I only managed 2 hours sleep on the flight last night, and so we might see my future blogs have a noticeable progressive quality. (I hope)…

I arrived today (Sunday 7^th) and have simply been trying to get my bearings.  Abha, the Assistant Education Programmer was kind enough to give some time on her day off to show me round the foundation and local streets.  We went for lunch and talked music, culture and English humour among other things.  The MMMF is based in a relatively affluent area, hence the lack of rickshaw’s on our front doorstep...

As I understand, I’ll be working 6-day weeks, both attending the MMMF, and also Outreach work with the local schools. The lessons seem to start from anytime as early as 8am, and can continue up till 8pm at night, so it’s just as well my bedroom (with ensuite..!) is in the same apartment.

This next week looks like I’ll be observing a lot of lessons, and getting to know the members of staff and students.  I’m looking forward to it, and can’t wait to do a bit more exploring of Mumbai.  Though the high level of performance that this foundation offers means I’m also going to have to put in some serious practice before my two ‘lunchtime concerts’ over the next couple of months!!

Bye for now!

Josh

Hello from Gurgaon!

Maria: After a bumpy flight we arrived in one piece in Delhi. As soon as we left the airport building we were met with a wall of humidity which seemed impossible. Gradually, we are getting used to this! I am teaching at the Institute of Music Dynamics (‘IMD’) which is a private music school that has been running for a couple of years. The main disciplines taught are guitar, piano, vocals, drums and composition. The school also has a contract with several local schools and teaches classroom music there. This is the area that I am going to be most involved in.

This week I have spent several days teaching in the Shri Ram school. This is one of Delhi’s best schools because of the grades that it achieves. Therefore I was surprised by how naughty some of the children were! I am teaching grades 6-9 (ages 10-14) and most classes have around 35 children in them. So far my classes have involved basic rhythmic exercises, singing and notation. I have also tried introducing composition and experimental music (e.g. ‘music’ as sounds not just from musical instruments). This was met with some confusion. I think I will have to take things slowly. The most difficult thing will be in teaching harmony as there is only one piano in the school and the children have no access to xylophones etc. as in Western schools.

My favourite part of this week so far has been teaching at the IMD which runs in the afternoon after normal schools have finished. Here I taught some adults individually in singing lessons. This was great because the students were so willing to learn and interested! I’m looking forward to what next week brings.

Hey – Áine here! Unlike Maria, whilst in Delhi, I’m teaching solely at the One World College of Music. This is an independent music school, specialising in extra-curricular music teaching for school-age children, as well as adults. Luckily for me, this means that my working hours start after mainstream school finishes during the weekday so I can have a bit of a lie-in, but unfortunately it also means that I also work fairly long hours on the weekend!

This week, I at first mainly sat in on the music lessons (which comprise of individual guitar, piano, voice, bass and drumkit lessons as well as theory classes and band/choir practise), but for the past few days I have also had my own piano and voice students, as well as some ensemble and adult theory classes. My main role at the school is to help sort out a curriculum, as well as some teaching, concert preparation and organising a variety of workshops for the whole school (today, for example, I gave an 80 minute popular song composition class). In this respect, I am working equally with both teachers and students, to enable some collaboration and give some fresh ideas on structuring series of lessons as well as introducing a few methods for keeping students engaged. The school contains a large proportion of beginners, and around a dozen dedicated instrumental tutors, who also run the theory and ensemble classes.

I am still very much in the process of getting used to life both at the school and in Gurgaon itself – the daily performances of histrionics necessary to negotiate a halfway reasonable price for auto-rickshaw rides to school have now reached the point where I myself am almost moved to tears by my own emotional fervour. Generally otherwise, everyone I have met is extremely welcoming and always have time for a chat, be it about work, the incessant heat or recommendations for a good place to get a bite to eat.

First week in Chennai

After facing the uncomfortable hot humid weather, the chaotic traffic system with horns being used excessively and a lot constructions going around the city, I have finally arrived to my accommodation with a warm welcome. There are flowers being given to me, and the teachers and the head of the accommodation showed me around the guest house, the transportation, the school and making sure everything is alright, and this has definitely helped me to settle in very well.

Musee Musical is one of the oldest music schools in Chennai with over 150 years of history. There are shops that sell all kind of instruments and music books and CD, etc. Besides from the shop, students attend lessons from the teacher on a one to one basis and the school teaches various instruments from piano, violin, guitar, to vocal, drum, keyboard and so on. It has been delightful to teach the children individually as I have the opportunities to bond with them as well as providing advices and assistances that enable them to work towards their goal specifically.  Lessons have started already and I shall update you soon with a few observations that I have noticed during these past days.

Oh and a few things I found rather unusual, the people and students have been shaking their heads for yes and it does take some time to get used to. Also, the food is indeed challenging, curry for breakfast, lunch and dinner and there is no such thing as “not spicy” in Chennai! 

Anyway, I’m heading off to a bar soon with some friends to watch the Wimbledon final and it should be really good!

Until next time!
Adrian

Sam and Duncan in Mumbai - Week 1

After one forgotten passport and a hectic flight and journey to the flat, we arrived safely in Ghatkopar East. Our flat is basic but functional and cosy, with the surrounding areas greatly filled with restaurants and other oddities which we won’t attempt to describe. It’s safe to say that this area isn’t remotely touristy. The morning after we arrived we took a rickshaw (Mumbai’s most basic taxi) to the school and the journey there gave us our first real taste of chaotic Mumbai. There are rubbish heaps for domestic waste on most streets, cows roaming freely in the road, stray dogs everywhere, and slums under railway stations – the city is chaotic but exciting. People drive manically in Mumbai (compared to in England) and at first it’s terrifying though we are getting used to it now. The heat is intense but it is mostly humid with occasional torrents of rain lasting anywhere from 5 minutes to about an hour or more. However, some parts of Mumbai are very westernised, especially Mumbai’s largest shopping centre, the ‘R-City Mall’ which we visited today.

The school we are working at is the Garodia International Centre for Learning in Garodia Nagar, and it is a primary and secondary school consisting of three separate parts: P.G. Garodia, in which students work towards the Indian Secondary Certificate of Education (ICSE), Garodia International, in which students work towards the International Baccalaureate (IB) and other international qualifications, and the P.G. Garodia Conservatoire, where students are given instrumental lessons, and study music theory. For the first week, we were thrown into teaching music in classrooms to children from ages 7-8 (Grade 2) to ages 13-14 (Grade 8). We observed some music lessons being taught in the school before we took our own classes, and they consisted mostly of group singing and musical games with the younger children. We were keen to build on this foundation which seemed to be a time filling exercise more than anything else, and our first few lessons consisted of clapping and singing games with the younger children, and popular song structure using a Bob Dylan song with the older kids (we played Bob Dylan’s ‘Don’t think twice it’s alright’ to death on that first day.) We have since started teaching children’s rhythmic syllables using Kodály’s method, which is well received by most kids, even very young ones! We also tried teaching rounds such as ‘London’s Burning’ to the kids, but they didn’t seem to grasp those as effectively. An interesting project we have agreed to help out with is the school’s annual musical, which for this year has the theme of ‘Under the Same Sky’. Our job will be to choose appropriate songs and rehearse them with the children in preparation for a show in November. The teachers insisted that there should be little dialogue but as much lively dancing and singing as possible.

We have also taught piano at the Garodia Conservatoire this week. Conservatoires are very different in England, since this Indian conservatoire consists of a single room shared with the International school, containing multiple electric keyboards, an electric piano, 2 drum kits, and some guitars. Instruments are taught in groups and in piano lessons, each child in a group of about 5 will come to the teacher for 10 minutes at a time at the piano and then practice on keyboards while the teacher sees the other pupils. To assist the piano teacher we helped students as they practiced on the keyboards helping them improve their musicality, piano technique, and practice technique, however, we are keen to improve the format of these lessons, as well as the resources the conservatoire uses including maintenance of instruments and teaching materials such as books. The children coming to the conservatoire are in fact very responsive to our teaching, which is very encouraging – if we can improve how these children are taught, then there is nothing stopping them getting better and better.

That’s all for now – we are off sight-seeing in Mumbai tomorrow!

Hello from Kottayam!

Hey!

Rosie and I arrived safely at Trivandrum airport 4 days ago, then had a 5 hour car journey to the district of Kottayam where we are staying in a rural area called Areeparambu in a guest house. Everyone here is so kind and happy to help with anything. We had a real culture shock with the driving on the Indian roads but eventually arrived in the beautiful oasis of calm where we will live for the next 2 months! We are living next to a children's home (The Precious Children International Village), just a kilometre from the ACCM school where we are teaching. Last night we visited the children before dinner and played games with them including their version of 'duck, duck, goose', which was really fun. We don't start teaching until Tuesday and when we do it will be 18-21 year-olds learning their BMus course where we will be teaching them Ear Training, Music Theory, Composition, History and Practical Piano. In the mean time we have lots of lesson planning to be getting on with!

We will update you soon once teaching has started,

Rebecca

In Avallon, Mumbai

I'm in a staff room in Avallon school in Mumbai with palm trees outside the window, roasting heat and the sound of lively children through the door! Cat and I have had a lovely time being introduced to the school and are starting to find out when and who we will be teaching.
Yesterday I mostly shadowed a man who sings songs and dances to a backing track with the children. Or at least, I was meant to be shadowing but he asked me to teach songs in all the five classes so we had fun trying to do 'Here we go round the mulberry bush' with the dance, making a monsoon with body percussion, trying to sing 'London's Burning' in a round and other songs.
This morning I have met the teacher of classical Indian music who I will be working with in keyboard classes. His music is amazing! I hope to learn more about it. He has also asked if I will teach the children 'prayer songs' in assembley and was happy with my rendition of 'Amazing Grace'.