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The violin, piano, cello, flute and other instruments are finding many takers in schools and colleges. According to popular belief, most youngsters today prefer hip-hop, rap and trance but many students across the City beg to differ as they are taking to Western classical music.
Aruna Sunderlal, the founder of the Bangalore School of Music says, “There is a whole new renaissance happening in the world of Western classical music and the number of students who sign up for it are innumerable.”
Be it due to parental guidance or personal choice, students are exploring the world of Western classical music like never before. Jasiel Peter, 15, who has been training to play the violin and piano ever since he was five, says, “I used to watch my father play the violin in church and got introduced to it. I practise every week and my sister plays the violin too. I would like to go on to obtain a degree in music and perform at concerts in India and abroad.”
Jasiel has been training to play the violin with people of all ages and is one of the many students who would rather learn Western classical than grunge, rock or pop. In Bangalore and other cities in South India where Carnatic music is the most famous form of classical music, the Western counterpart is also catching up as students get the best of both worlds.
Adtiya R Kombra, 17, trained in Carnatic music before he switched to Western classical. He says, “I learnt Carnatic music for eight years but started playing the cello a year back. It all started when my uncle introduced me to a flamenco dancer who used to play the cello and I got hooked to it and have been playing it since then. I want to continue learning and be a professional cellist in the future.”
Instruments like the piano find more takers due to its prominence in the world of Western classical music. Nikhil Bose, 19 has been playing the piano since he was in class six. He says, “I had the option of choosing between violin and piano and I chose the latter. My father knew a teacher who introduced me to classical music, especially the works of John Thompson. People in my circle are not very inclined to Western classical music. They are more into the hip hop and rock culture but what they do not know is that most of the rock musicians started out by playing the classical instruments and then moved on.”
Nikhil, whose favourites are Chopan and Mozart, would love to play at a piano bar when he is older. Nandini Sudhir, 14 has been playing the classical guitar ever since she was ten. She says, “Ever since I was small, I was fascinated by classical music.
There is a certain tranquility and beauty in it. I have never been interested in popular music or rock or hip-hop. I always liked the string instruments and started playing the classical guitar.”
As opportunities for students open up, Western classical music is finding more admirers than ever before.