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CARNATICA'S SUMMER CAMP - A FUN-FILLED LEARNING EXPERIENCE
The camp contained several packages that one could choose from. The one that I opted for had Yoga, Hindustani music, Voice culture, selected masterpieces of great composers, and Devotional music.
The camp started at 7.30 am everyday. Mr. Gopalakrishnan, a famous Yoga expert taught us Asana-s, which not only improved our breathing but also straightened us up in general!
Yoga was followed by Hindustani music, taught by Mrs. Sowmya Madanagopal, who was patient enough to listen to our Carnatic mixed Hindustani versions! But at the end of 10 days, we could sing 3 bhajans without our Carnatic accents! It was very interesting to note the differences between the Carnatic and Hindustani systems, the various ragas, talas and compositional styles.
For Voice culture, we underwent rigorous
training under Sowmya and Shashikiran. The difference was that we
approached even the basics from a new angle. We learnt various exercises
which would help us improve our speed and clarity, while at the same time,
lend weight to our voices. We learnt how to practise and more importantly,
how not to practise!
I think, the part which everyone enjoyed most was Devotional music. Mrs.
Seetha Narayanan made our sessions interesting and fun not only for
advanced students, but also for kids. We learnt songs, and also about the
various composers of devotional pieces and their lives. The most
challenging was a Tiruppugazh in Kokilapriya tala (yes, tala!), where we
all found it quite difficult sing and maintain tala at the same time!
Last but not the least, our Japaneses music sessions with Ms. Mayumi
Yamada were great fun. Though her sessions were only for 5 days,
she made them memorable. She took the pain and trouble to type out the
songs in English, with translation (so that we knew what we were singing)
and gave us each a copy!
The camp was also special for another reason. We had guest lectures by
Chitravina Sri. Ravikiran, Sri. Vijay Siva and Dr. S. Sunder.
Sri. Vijay Siva, gave us tips on how to practise - it wasn't the usual
Sarali, Janta and Datu varisai-s. He instead gave us various other
interesting ideas. It was a great treat for those who idolise him. At the
end of his session, on our request, he taught us Syama Sastri's fabulous
Chintamani kriti, Devi Brova.
Dr. S Sunder, talked about voice culture from a medical perspective and
also explained the difference between Western and Carnatic music. It was a
novel experience, at the end of which, we learnt the popular Revati piece,
Mahadeva Siva Sambho (Tanjavur Sankara Iyer).
Sri. Ravikiran spoke about voice practice, stressing on the importance of
breath control, speed and clarity. He also gave us insights into what to
avoid during practise.
The whole camp was fun, and we learnt a lot. At the end of the camp, every
student underwent a test on the subjects covered during the camp. It
reminded me of my practical tests in college! We also gained socially -
met new people and made more friends.
Posted on May 15, 2002
