Shankar Tucker is an American clarinetist from Massachusetts. Just like a lot of his music, his name too is a fusion of Indian and Western elements and was given by Mata Amritanandamayi. He studied at the New England Conservatory and also took classes in Indian classical music from Peter Row, a sitar player. Most of his tracks on ShrutiBox are re-recordings of popular Hindi and Tamil numbers and has been nicknamed the YouTube Piper on account of his music going viral online. This 25-year-old musician has also featured on MTV India’s Roots programme.
What did college teach you?
Working with people is the first lesson you learn at a music school. I learned to play in tune in an ensemble. You learn to be tolerant and respect others’ time. My foundation in professionalism and punctuality was laid there. Performance and learning was everything at my college
Your proudest moment in college.
Every year, my college chose a number of honours groups under different genres of music. In my final year, I actually managed to get into two honours — Contemporary Improvisation (Indian fusion) and Western classical! It was a proud moment!
Embarrassing moments in college.
One time, I forgot we had a concert and finally ended up performing in my jeans, sneakers and a borrowed jacket, instead of a formal tux, looking out of place and feeling embarrassed.
How did you score points with the opposite sex?
(Laughs) If I had a good system, I would tell you. But seriously, I went on some awkward dates. I once asked out a girl who was in the same music group. That didn’t end well as the date was a disaster and then the group disbanded as it got uncomfortable.
Was bunking a part of your college routine?
No, I’ve never skipped classes. Our theory papers were relatively easy. I attended all classes so that I wouldn’t have to study later. And attendance was mandatory. If you skipped more than two classes, you failed the ensemble.
Did you have any rifts with professors? Why?
No, our professors were all cool. Same cannot be said about some conductors, who could be annoying at times, going on ego trips.
Where did you hang out in college with friends?
We all had apartments near the school and hung out there mostly and played soccer on weekends. But our lives usually just revolved around music, orchestras and concerts.
What extracurricular activities were you involved in?
Western classical musicians are the nerds in the music world. We rarely did much apart from organising concerts. But I tried to start a meditation club once, which failed, and worked at the library, part-time.
— preethi@newindianexpress.com
Through this standard questionnaire edex hopes to give readers a glimpse into college lives of celebs