Carnatic Vocal Lessons

Carnatic music is one of world’s oldest and richest musical traditions, originating in the fertile plains of the Cauvery delta and flourishing through the ages. It primarily comprises a monophonic song based on improvised variations. The Melody infused ragas called ‘Alapana’ are introduced and developed gradually, with the embellishment much faster and shorter. It begins with ‘Varnam’ a warm up of sort for the musicians, followed by exchange of ragas and thalas, intermixed with krithis and pallavi. Emphasis is more on the voice than on instrument as it is said to have the ability to bring out the graduation of the composition. The confluence of the Ragas and the Thalas have from early times been providing us with melodious patterns which when rendered with bhava (feeling) is an experience that has to be had to be believed.

 

The Trinities of Carnatic Music, Saint Thyagaraja, Muthuswamy Dikshithar and Syama Shastri composed songs that have explored & exhibited the depth and the rich feeling in this form. The other notable composers are Patnam Subramaniya Iyer, Papanasam Sivan, Raja Swathi Thirunal, Annamacharyar, Purandaradasar. There are various stages of learning Carnatic music, starting from the Swaravali (Sarali Varisai) which train and tune the voice and the mind. Purandaradasa developed a system of teaching Carnatic music, starting with Sarali Varisai in Mayamalavagowlai ragam and gradually built up till Gitam. This pattern is being followed even today. Purandaradasa was the trendsetter in developing a teaching methodology for Carnatic music and is hailed as the “Father of Carnatic music”.
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A systematic learning of Carnatic music under a competent teacher enables one to sing in a disciplined manner with adherence to the laid down rules with an understanding of the concept of Carnatic music.

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Joys of Learning Carnatic Music Lessons
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Mythological references are sprinkled across Carnatic music, which initiates students into the key allegories of our traditions

Melody and rhythm play an equanimous role in Carnatic music. The integrity of these two elements is extremely important for performance. These must be well-nurtured and developed to progress in the skill.

A parent's perspective

As parents, we are always looking for ways to help our children reach their full potential. One way to do this is by exposing them to our cultural traditions at a young age. When we ask parents of our students why they want their children to learn Carnatic and Hindustani music at such a young age, their responses typically fall into the following categories.
  1. Cultural exposure: First and foremost, parents want to expose children born and brought up here in the US to get exposure to a rich cultural tradition with a deep history and heritage. By exposing toddlers to this type of music, we are helping to instill a love and appreciation for culture in them at a very early age.
  2. Enhanced speech: Most children that grow up in western societies are not able to pronounce quite a few of our syllables – especially rolling the ‘r’s, etc. Learning Carnatic and Hindustani music requires children at an early age to practice these producing these sounds that are unique to our Indian languages.
  3. Improved cognitive development: Studies have shown that early exposure to music can help improve a child’s cognitive development. This includes areas such as memory, language, and spatial reasoning — irrespective of the type of music — Western, Chinese or Classical Indian music.
  4. Increased creativity: Both Carnatic and Hindustani music are art forms that encourage creativity and self-expression. By exposing toddlers to this type of music, we are helping to develop their creative minds and encouraging them to think outside the box.
  5. Improved focus and concentration: Most importantly, learning Carnatic and Hindustani music requires focus and concentration. As toddlers practice and perform, they will develop the ability to focus and concentrate, which are helpful in all areas of their lives.
If you are interested in learning more about how to get started with introducing your toddlers to Carnatic or Hindustani music lessons, please reach out to us. We invite you to come observe one of our Tiny Tots classes to evaluate if we have the right program for your Tiny Tot.

Why Learn at Raaga School

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Carnatic Vocal Student Concerts

We are very proud of all our Students Tots that prepared and performed at our Annual Student Concerts and our workshops

Our Team

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Most of our students that attend a trial class are inspired to learn Classical Indian Music. 

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