In an unique effort to bring artists together and create an alternate resource channel, Mumbai-based institute, The True School of Music, has programmed an exclusive artist series.
It is a first-of-its-kind music education programme where students will get to learn one-on-one from some of the biggest names in the industry, such as Grammy-nominated Joel Hamilton, TSM’s co-founder Ashutosh Phatak, Ankur Tewari, Viveick Rajagopalan, Indus Creed’s Zubin Balaporia, drummers Darshan Doshi, Ranjit Barot and Fali Damania, who will teach first hand, and reveal their ‘secret sauce’.
The specially designed and curated master courses start from July 11 and will be spread over 10 weeks, comprising 10 sessions.
Composer, producer, multi-instrumentalist and entrepreneur Ashutosh Phatak’s course, Music in Advertising, aims to give an insight into the world of music for brands, including insider tips, skills and tools to help gather inspiration for creating music to a brief on-demand.
The basic structure of how to tell a story through music will be covered by students who will learn how to use a new genre of music in advertising.
Veteran rocker and film music composer Zubin Balaporia’s course on making music for films aims to teach the fundamentals of how to analyse, compose, arrange and record music for any kind of visual—whether film, television serials or television commercials.
The course also comes with a set of assignments based on one’s abilities and knowledge. Mridangam maestro Viveick Rajagopalan’s course on basic Konnakol, mathematics and rhythm, aims to impart different methods of understanding rhythm using the traditional vocal percussion art form called Konnakol.
Music producers will find the tools and exercises in the course useful to explore various options through these ancient techniques.
Brooklyn-based record producer, engineer and musician Joel Hamilton’s course on finding one’s aesthetic compass (creation to calibration) seeks to dissect what happens when an artist looks to make his or her songs, productions and mixes better.
The course also examines the definition of instinct in the recording studio and music creation in general. “The class would help give an artist a fresh perspective on how to think about audio production and take everything we do—composition, engineering and production—to the next level,” says Hamilton about the course. Drummer and composer Darshan Doshi’s course on fundamental drum techniques deconstructs some of his top Bollywood songs, such as ‘Rock On!!’ and ‘Bhag Milkha Bhag’ as well as his Coke Studio songs, such as ‘Yatra’, imparting the methods he applied to each song from its inception to the recording.
In Ankur Tewari’s lyric writing course, Story of a Song, one will get to go on a journey with Tewari as he conceptualises a song.
Right from its origin to the meaning and lyrics, the course will help one express oneself through music and lyrics.
Further, through film score composer, music director, music arranger, drummer and singer Ranjit Barot’s course, The Boiler Room: Influences of Rhythmic Cultures in Music Composition, Production and Performance, one will be able to approach and integrate rhythm into one’s creative workflows.
One of India’s prolific live sound engineers, Fali Damania, in his course, In the Mix: Behind the Console, will teach the art of live mixing through his real-world experiences with artists like A R Rahman, Amit Trivedi, and others.
Finally, singer-songwriter Uday Benegal’s class, The Essential Guide for the Performing Musician: Demystifying Everything beyond the Gig, covers the tricks and tales about being prepared on matter such as booking, touring, recording, and more.