MYSURU: The lockdown may have disrupted lives, but not artistic expression. School and college students are looking for novel ways to pursue fine arts while living at home through the lockdown, with most of their exams either being cancelled or put on hold. Just like billions of people the world over, the routine of these students from the music and dance institutes is also hit by the COVID-19 scare. They are missing out on performances, unable to meet their friends at the institute, participate in group practices and rehearsals with accompanying artists, and so on.
Through a unique model – where technology meets learning, which in turn meets art – students belonging to two of Mysuru’s more than 50 hallowed music and dance academies are able to efficiently prepare for upcoming examinations in their respective fields, thanks to social media and streaming tools. Mysuru-based Nadavidyalaya Academy of Music and Dance and Vasundhara Performing Arts Centre are sharing notes, video and audio clips via email, WhatsApp, and other social media applications with their students. In order to facilitate these classes online, a group is formed in each batch, and students with presence on social media come online at a scheduled time, for classes which are taken for 45 minutes to an hour for each of the batches.
These classes are conducted live. Vocal lessons are taught and students are told to sing along, whereas dance is taught by teaching Abhinaya and body movements one after the other, while theory lessons, however, are sent to them by WhatsApp. The live classes are also recorded and viewed during practice. The students also share their practice videos on WhatsApp and Skype and receive corrections and feedback, which helps them rehearse better. Thanks to this arrangement, they feel that they are not deprived of their lessons and are preparing well for the exams. V Deekshitha, a student of Nadavidyalaya Academy of Music and Dance, says that with the help of social media they are able to cope with the syllabus, even in the absence of regular classes.
Nadavidyalaya Academy of Music and Dance Founder Mitra Naveen, who conducts classes in Bharatanatyam, classical vocal and keyboard, says that the advancement of technology has helped impart knowledge to students virtually, which is a boon in such critical times. “I watch the recordings shared by the students, and if there are any corrections, they are informed. This helps them to practise better. However, I am missing regular classes and I find more satisfaction in teaching them face-to-face,” she adds. She asserts that however, it would be difficult for beginners to conduct classes via Skype, as there will be a fraction of difference in the beats (tala). If a person has some idea, then it would be easy to understand, she says.
On a similar note, Dr Vasundhara Doreswamy, founding director of Vasundhara Performing Arts Centre, Mysuru, says that over 40 students from her institute are preparing for the exam and she is trying her best to teach them with the help of video chat software. Dr Doreswamy, who travels around the world conducting Bharatanatyam workshops, adds that she connects Skype to her television so that she is able to observe each student better.
EXAMS AT 3 LEVELS
Students wanting to pursue dance and music professionally train in the academic disciplines of their respective fields and appear for the examinations mandated by the Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board, which conducts them at three levels – Junior, Senior and Vidwat (in Hindustani, Carnatic, Instruments and Dance) – every year in the month of May. For this year’s exams, however, the application submission process is under way. But exam dates are yet to be scheduled.