Several academicians believe that Fine arts should be made mandatory in every school curriculum. Keeping this mind, The Indus International School announced their collaboration with the Shankar Mahadevan Academy recently. This merger will ensure the inclusion of two programmes 'Grow with Music' and 'Hindustani Music' that will help students understand further the nuances of classical music. Shankar Mahadevan who was in the city recently speaks about the collaboration of his academy with the school. Speaking about the programme, Sarojini Rao, the principal of the school, said, "Through this programme, students will be taught the technique and grammar of music. Music is as serious a subject as any other included in the curriculum. Students will also be taught to appreciate cultural values through music." In this programme, musicians with sound knowledge on various subjects will be chosen. "It is extremely important for a teacher to connect with their students. It is the responsibility of the musicians to make students understand the different aspects of music. Teachers also undergo a training programme where they are taught to teacher 40 students at a stretch while giving equal importance to each and every student," Sridhar Ranganthan, CEO of Shankar Mahadevan Academy.
He further added, "There are four elements added in this programme. The first element will focus on the tempo, melody and octave. The second element will emphasise on the cultural aspect and the third will highlight on the multi-lingual element of music and the geographical importance. The final and the fourth element will focus on the expression through music." This programme will be held for those aged between two and fourteen studying in the school. This programme aims to instill creativity among students. While speaking about the types of music that will be taught in the academy, Shankar Mahadevan said, "Music is a medium that will bring transformation to students in a subtle way. This programme will teach students to make a vibrant and effective musical piece from simple objects used in our day to day lives."
Sharing his experiences, he said, "My teacher once said that it is always better to learn in a group. For instance, while learning with a group of eight students, one can rehearse the same phrase at least eight times within a short span of time." When asked Shankar about his collaboration with other schools in the city, he said, "If schools are ready to collaborate with us for a training programme in music, our academy will always be ready to help them."