Dr. Meera Rajaram Pranesh, trustee, Vanamala Center for Art and Culture Trust (R) conducted a Four-Day workshop from 3rd to 6th October 2023, at the Discover Montessori, House of Children situated in J P Nagar 8th phase, Bengaluru.
Dr. Sumathi Ravindranath is the founder of this Montessori and nearly fifty children from the age group of 2 to 6 participated in this workshop. Two songs were taught in these four days. One on Lord Ganesha and another on Devi keeping in mind the nearing Dasara festival- Gajavadana in Kedara raga and Shyamale Meenakshi, a nottuswara of Sri Muttuswamy Dikshitar. The songs are classical based yet simple to learn for the kids of that age group. The kids learnt the songs with a lot of enthusiasm. They remembered the lyrics and tune so well, and to such an extent that they happily expressed it the next day to Dr. Meera as she entered the hall. The lyrics or notations were not an issue for them. They sang the songs completely from their memory. There is a saying in Sanskrit which expresses that knowledge must remain in ‘मस्तकं’ not only in ‘पुस्तकं’. These kids are a perfect example of this. The kids stayed with Dr. Meera through the session every day and a few kids started crying as she started to leave for the day. They were all very particular about Dr. Meera coming the next day as well.
Even if it is for a few minutes, teaching kids of this age group needs more energy, patience and commitment. First, we need to imbibe interest in them, make them focus, listen to us and then repeat after we sing. It was a challenging yet lovely experience and their heartfelt singing made the day. In this workshop her disciple Dr. Shivashankari assisted in teaching the kids. The teachers were also very eager and joined us in repeating the lines. They felt that these songs can be sung in their houses during the festival times. The founder and the teachers provided excellent hospitality. They felt that this Music workshop made them feel fresh throughout the day and appreciated Dr.Meera for this wonderful initiative.
Report by : Dr.Shivashankari. J
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