KOCHI: Fame, money, exposure to global musicians and music - pianist Stephen Devassy might seem to have it all. But he has no plans to rest on his laurels.
Stephen is busy making a vision come true. He wants to make sure that no other aspiring musician goes through the trouble he had to undergo due to the lack of right training and exposure. Stephen and his brother Samuel - a sound engineer - are starting a music school in Chennai, the Muzik Lounge School of Audio Technology (MLSAT).
The school offers two 18-month courses - Diploma in Audio Engineering and Diploma in Music Technology. Experienced professionals have been roped in from as far as Australia to teach here. Stephen and Samuel will be taking classes on a regular basis. “Our aim is to turn students into professional sound engineers. We will be teaching live sound engineering.
There will be no drilling of theory,” says Samuel. A concert hall equipped with the latest equipment will be part of the school. Among the promoters of the school are singer Hariharan, Sivamani and M Jayachandran, all of whom Stephen has worked with. Students will get opportunities to work with these legends. “There was no institute to teach the nuances of audio technology during my struggling phase.
I had to learn everything from scratch the hard way. We hope to launch a group of musicians who are fully equipped to face the industry,” says Stephen. The school is the first in South India to teach audio technology on a professional level.
It is the only such private institution to get a government approval.
A function was held the other day at Thiruvananthapuram to mark the tie-up of the school with the Centre For Continuing Education (CCE). Applications will be considered till July 5. Students will be selected on the basis of an entrance test. “But what we are looking for is a passion for music,” says Samuel . For details contact: 09962991919/044 31909099 or look up www.muzikloungeindia.com.
ashaprakash@expressbuzz.com
