Tansen - The Magical Musician

Now Tansen’s body was hot and feverish, absorbed in Deepak Raga he continued to sing vigorously. Seeing Tansen in this state, Rupa became anxious and was unable to start singing. Then slowly, although waveringly at first, butshe began singing Megh Raga...














Almost exactly in the centre of India is a town called Gwalior. In this town is the tomb of Tansen, one of the greatest musicians that ever lived.Next to his beautifully carved stone tomb stands a little tamarind tree. It is believed that by eating a leaf of this tree and touching the tomb, a singer can improve his voice.
If this sounds like magic, the story of Tansen is equally magical. Even today, many famous musicians follow the style of music created by Tansen known as the "Gwalior Gharana".
About four hundred years ago, in a village near Gwalior, lived a wealthy poet, Mukand Mishra, and his wife. Their only sorrow was that they had no children. On the suggestion of a friend, Mishra went to Gwalior to seek the blessings of the famous saint and musician, Mohammad Ghaus. He tied a holy thread on Mishra's arm, saying, "May God bless you with a son." And so it came to pass. A child was born and named Tansen. As Tansen grew up his father engaged teachers to teach him to read and write. Tansen, however, was more interested in going to the nearby forest with his friends, where he would imitate bird and animal sounds.















Once a group of singers were passing through the forest. Tansen hid himself in some bushes and roared like a tiger. So life-like was the sound that the singers became frightened. When the boy showed himself, the leader of the group praised his tiger-like roar. Encouraged, Tansen made more animal and bird sounds.
The leader was greatly impressed by Tansen's performance. He was none other than the famous music teacher, Haridas.
Haridas offered to take Tansen as his disciple. "He has great musical talent," said Haridas to Tansen's father. Most reluctantly, Tansen's mother agreed to let her only child go away to Brindaban to study under Haridas. For almost ten years Tansen studied music from Haridas. Starting with the basic musical notes SA RE GA MA PA DHA NI SA, he learnt the basics of singing and playing the tanpura. He learnt about the different ragas of Indian music and how each raga creates a different mood. A raga can make you so happy that you want to dance, or it can make you so sad that it brings tears to your eyes.
Then one day there was a message from home that his father was very ill. When Tansen arrived home he found his father on his death-bed.
"I am happy that you have become a musician. Go and see Mohammad Ghaus," were his father's last words to him.
Tansen remained at home to look after his mother, but within a year she, too, died.
Now Tansen was free to keep his promise to his father to go to Mohammad Ghaus and be trained by him. But, in keeping with Indian tradition, he went to seek permission to learn under a new guru from his first guru, Haridas.
"You must obey your father's wishes, but you will always be welcome here. You are like a son to me," said Haridas. And he gave him his blessings.
Tansen studied under Mohammad Ghaus for three years, developing his musical talent.



















During that time Mohammad Ghaus introduced Tansen to the ruler of Gwalior. They became good friends and Tansen would often visit the ruler's palace, where he would listen to other musicians.
During his visits to the palace, Tansen met Husani, one of the women who attended on the ruler. Like her name "the beautiful one", Husani was truly beautiful. Tansen fell in love with her and married her.
A few years later Mohammad Ghaus died, leaving his property and money to Tansen. Tansen settled in Mohammad Ghaus's house and his family was raised there. One day a messenger arrived from the court of Rewa, near Gwalior. The messenger opened the scroll and read: "King Ramchandra of Rewa would like you to be a musician at his court."
This was a great honour and the first step in Tansen's rise to fame.



















King Ramchandra admired Tansen's singing and lavished many expensive gifts on him. Once he gave him a thousand gold coins.
Then one day the Emperor, Akbar, went on a visit to Rewa. King Ramchandra arranged for Tansen to entertain his royal guest.
The emperor was greatly impressed by Tansen's music and, soon after his return, sent a message to Ramchandra requesting him to send Tansen to his court.
King Ramchandra did not want to part with Tansen, but he could not afford to displease the powerful Akbar. After all, Akbar was the Emperor of India, and Ramchandra was only the king of a small state in Akbar's empire.
So, reluctantly, King Ramchandra sent Tansen as a royal gift from one court to another escorted by his own men.
Tansen received a royal welcome in the capital city of Agra. Akbar was so impressed by Tansen's music that he bestowed on him the highest honour of the land. Tansen was included among his navratna, nine jewels – the nine most outstanding talents of the royal court.
Besides performing in the court, Tansen would often sing alone for the Emperor. At night he sang ragas that would soothe and help Akbar fall asleep, and in the morning
Tansen sang special ragas that would gently awaken the Emperor.
There are many stories told about the power of Tansen's music. It is said that when Tansen sang, birds and animals would gather to hear him.Once, during a hunting expedition, Emperor Akbar spotted a white elephant which he wanted for himself. The elephant was captured and brought to the palace. The elephant, however, was fierce and wild and would not be tamed.

















When Tansen heard of this, he went to the elephant, which was chained and struggling with the trainers.
He began to play the tanpura and sing. Gradually the elephant became calm, and soon the emperor was able to mount and ride it. Emperor Akbar bestowed honours and gifts on Tansen. Tansen was given a house very close to the royal palace.
One evening, Emperor Akbar decided to visit Tansen. When the Emperor arrived, Tansen was singing and playing the tanpura. The Emperor sat quietly in the verandah and listened to him.
So pleased was the Emperor with Tansen's music that after the performance he took off his diamond necklace and presented it to Tansen.
Some courtiers became very jealous of the Emperor's high regard for Tansen. They began plotting Tansen's downfall.
They stole the diamond necklace given by the Emperor and told him that Tansen had sold it for a large sum of money.
When summoned to the royal court and asked to produce the necklace, Tansen was unable to do so.
The Emperor flew into a rage. "You will be banished from the court till you can present yourself wearing the necklace," roared the Emperor.
Tansen was in disgrace. He had no one to turn to. At last he thought of King Ramchandra and set off for Rewa.
Ramchandra welcomed his former court musician. After hearing the whole story, the king said, "Don't worry. Just sing for me."
Tansen sang two beautiful ragas for the king.
"Your singing is now superb. You have brought me great joy," said Ramchandra. And as a token of appreciation, he presented his jewelled sandals to Tansen.
Tansen rushed back to Agra and placed the jewelled sandals in front of the Emperor. "Sire, please take the diamonds from these and forgive me."
The jewelled sandals were worth much more than the necklace. The Emperor immediately realized that he had misjudged Tansen and said, "Your music is much more valuable than diamonds to me. I should never have doubted you. You may return to the court as my royal musician."
Tansen's fame spread far and wide. People said Tansen was the greatest singer to have been born in a thousand years. Tansen's enemies once more grew jealous and began to plot his downfall. They suggested to the Emperor that he command Tansen to sing Deepak Raga for him.
Deepak Raga was one of the most difficult ragas to sing. Besides, so much heat would be caused by a perfect rendering of this raga that not only would lamps alight, but the singer's body too would burn to ashes.
When Akbar asked Tansen to sing Deepak Raga Tansen pleaded, "Sire, Deepak Raga can set the singer himself on fire. But the Emperor would not listen. "If you are the greatest singer in the land, you must accept this challenge," insisted Emperor Akbar.
Tansen knew that singing Deepak Raga was dangerous, but he also knew that if Megh raga, which brings the rain, could be sung at the same time, he would be saved from the fury of fire.


















But how can I sing both ragas at the same time," Tansen thought worriedly to himself, as he roamed in the garden of his house. Suddenly he had an idea. Maybe Rupa, a devoted disciple of Haridas, could sing with him.
With the permission of Haridas, Rupa agreed to sing. Rupa was already a very good musician. Tansen used the fifteen days preparation time, granted by Akbar, to train her. At the end of the two weeks, Rupa had perfected the singing of Megh Raga.
On the day of the performance, the court was packed with courtiers and royal guests. People had come from far and near to hear Tansen sing the most difficult of all ragas, Deepak Raga.
Unlit lamps were placed on the walls. Tansen was waiting with his tanpura in hand and, as soon as the Emperor entered and sat on the throne, the great musician began the alap - the first portion of a raga.


















As Tansen sang on, the surrounding air got warmer and warmer.
The audience started perspiring. Leaves and flowers in the garden dried and fell to the ground. Water in the fountains began to boil. Birds flew away to escape. The lamps lit up and flames appeared in the air. People fled from the court in terror. As the Emperor got up and stood, listening with awe, a rose that he often held in his hand drooped and died.
Now Tansen's body was hot and feverish, but absorbed in Deepak Raga he continued to sing vigorously.
Seeing Tansen in this state, Rupa became anxious and was unable to start singing. Then slowly, although waveringly at first, she began singing Megh Raga.

















As her voice grew stronger and soared, the sky became dark with clouds. Soon rain came pouring down. Many among the audience rushed out to be cooled by the rain. Soon everything returned to normal. People showered praises on Tansen's genius. Though the Emperor was very pleased, he was shocked that he had almost lost his greatest musician to the fire of the singer's own music.
Tansen's fame now spread like the flames of Deepak Raga.
For the singer himself, however, the internal fire lit by Deepak Raga did not cool easily. Tansen fell ill and it was two months before he could return to the court.
Tansen sang and taught in Emperor Akbar's court for many years. He was not only a musician, but also a poet. He wrote the words for his music and composed many new ragas.
When Tansen died Emperor Akbar was at his bedside. The Emperor was filled with great sorrow. He knew that India had lost her greatest musician and singer. But Tansen's music has lived on and been passed on from guru to disciple.
And every year in Gwalior, near Tansen's tomb, a music festival is held. Musicians come here from all over India to perform and pay homage to Tansen.



Source:Hindustanis.org

Revathis Musical Plants

One day as she was playing violin, she noticed a movement in her potted plants...
Revathi was a student of music. She was happy playing on her violin whenever she was free. There was a small open courtyard in front of her house, with a small cement bench. She would sit on the bench and practice on her violin. There were a few potted plants in the courtyard. While playing on the violin one day, she noted a pot of balsam plants near the wall. The plants were not looking normal. They had pale green leaves and their growth was stunted. She remembered she had learnt in the lower classes that plants need light for normal growth. She shifted the pot to the centre of the courtyard where there was ample sunlight.
While shifting the pot, an idea struck Revathi. Why not participate in the 'Best Plant' contest which was to be held in her colony a few weeks later! Then and there she decided to participate. Thus making up her mind, she watered the plants and sat down on the bench and started playing her violin. She was very fond of the raga 'Mohanam'. She played the raga for some time and then went in for her studies.
One evening as usual, soon after returning from school, she went to her pot of plants, They looked very healthy but she noted that there was only half of one leaf. It looked as though some insect had chewed the leaf. Revathi felt worried. She did not went to lose her plants now that only a few days were left for the prize distribution. She looked at the plants carefully and saw a small green caterpillar climbing down a stem. She immediately took a small stick, removed caterpillar and applied some insecticide to the plants. She felt sure now that her plants were safe.
Revathi continued to sit on the bench and watch her potted plants. They were growing well and looking healthier then the other plants in the far end of the courtyard. One day as she was playing, she noticed a movement in her potted plants. They were slowly moving their stems, bending slightly towards her. She wondered why they were moving as there was no breeze. It struck her as odd.
The next evening too she played on her violin as usual and watched the potted plants with care. After some time, like the previous day, there was a definite movement in her plants. They all bent forwards her. This astonished and surprised her. That day also, there was no breeze.
Revathi sat on the bench and played a different tune, one with a quick rhythm. She suddenly saw all plants turn away from her as though did not like what she was playing. Then she started playing her favorite tune again and the plants slowly straightened themselves and bent towards her. Her surmise became a certainly. Her plants loved to hear her favorite tune.
She kept the knowledge a secret. She did not tell anyone, not even her mother. There were only a few days left for the prize distribution. To her great surprise, Revathi found her potted plants not only taller and healthier than other balsam plants, but that they had started flowering a few days earlier than the other plants. The flowers were big and brightly colored and one of the plants had an unusual kind of flower. The flowers were mauve with white stripes. That evening she knew, she would definitely get the prize for the best plants. She went to bed dreaming of her plants and the new type of flowers. The next day was the all-important day.
She got up in the morning and went straight to the courtyard to see her plants. Revathi blinked for a few minutes, for there was neither the pot nor the plants. She looked to see if someone had moved the pot. She searched all over. She asked her mother. Her mother said she knew nothing either about the pot or the plants. Some of her neighbors had been to their house the previous afternoon and had remarked at the beautiful flowers and the healthy-looking plants in the pot. But later, she had been busy inside the house and had not been to the courtyard.
Revathi's grief knew no bounds. She went around asking every one of her neighbors but no one had been anywhere near the pot of plants. She could not lodge a complaint for a pot of plants. She felt as though everything was lost. She did not mind not getting the prize but she really missed her plants. She had grown very fond of them. They were her friends, who enjoyed her music.
That evening all her friends were going to the prize distribution ceremony. She did not went to attend. But her friend forced her to. After reaching the place, she went to the benches where the potted plants were displayed. Revathi was shocked. There was her pot of plants on a bench, with the name of a distant neighbor of hers as the competitor written on a small piece of cardboard and placed in the soil. She knew it was her pot of plants. She went to the organisers of the show and told them about it.
The organisers were not convinced. They said, "How can you prove that the plants are yours? The lady who submitted them is a regular participant. How can we doubt her?"
Revathi wondered how to convince them. She sat there for a few minutes looking at the plants. The sight of the plants bending towards her while she played her violin flashed across her mind. She told the organisers that she could prove the plants were hers and ran home. When she returned a few minutes later with her violin, they started laughing.
But their ridicule did not deter her from her mission. She told them, "I know my plants and I share a secret with them. My plants are music-lovers like me and you could see how they respond when I play to them."
They all laughed louder saying that they had never heard of plants enjoying music. They asked her, "Do plants have ears like us to enjoy your music?" No one believed her.
She felt very dejected but was determined to win her plants back. She sat near her plants with her violin and slowly started playing her favorite raga. Engrossed in her music, Revathi even forgot her plants for a time, but the others could not. With wonder in their eyes, they watched the plants. Straight at first, they bent slightly. As she played on and on, their stems bent towards Revathi as though they wanted to touch her in their happiness. The organisers were stunned. They had watched a new phenomenon of plants responding to music and Revathi had become a great discover.

They all applauded her and said they were convinced that the plants were hers.

They pulled up her neighbor for cheating them and she accepted, after a long argument, that she had stolen Revathi's plants. She said while walking past Revathi's house she had spotted the plants and had removed the pot in the night to her house and submitted it later for the contest. As she was a regular participant, none doubted her.
The authorities decided that Revathi's plants deserved the first prize as they were best-looking and healthy. Revathi carried home the prize proudly with her pot of plants.



Source:Hindustanis.org

Canadians lead ice dance at NHK Trophy competition in Nagano, Japan

Canadians Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon dominated the original dance portion Friday to retain their lead in the ice dance competition at the NHK Trophy. (AP Photo/Katsumi Kasahara)
Canadians Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon dominated the original dance portion Friday to retain their lead in the ice dance competition at the NHK Trophy.

The Canadians, performing to the tango rhythm in the original dance portion, had an overall score of 98.51, scoring 60.23 for the second of three segments.

Dubreuil, from Montreal, and Lauzon, from Boisbriand, Que., have changed their original dance since their victory at Skate Canada in Victoria in October.

"They said the music was too lyrical," Dubreuil said. "You couldn't really hear the beats."

"So we decided to start from scratch and use music that has a lot more beats."

The free dance is Saturday.

Dubreuil and Lauzon, silver medallists at the world championships in Calgary in March, failed to finish at the Olympics after Dubreuil fell heavily during the original dance there.

Jana Khokhlova and Sergei Novitski of Russia lead a tight contest for second at Nagano over Americans Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov with 88.81 points to 88.18.

Canadians finished third and fourth in the pairs as former world champions Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo defeated fellow Chinese pair Zhang Dan and Zhang Haoto win the event.

Valerie Marcoux of Gatineau, Que., and Craig Buntin of Kelowna, B.C., were third, ahead of Utako Wakamatsu and Jean-Sebastien Fecteau of St-Leonard, Que.

"We have had a couple injuries the last few weeks and we were not able to do all the training we wanted," Buntin said. "We fought from the beginning to end of that program.

"To be able to get on the ice and go through the program and not make any huge mistakes, we are very satisfied with what we have done today."

Mao Asada used an elegant short program to take the lead in Friday's women's short program, ahead of two other Japanese skaters looking for berths in the Grand Prix final.

Fumie Suguri and Yukari Nakano were second and third. Only two of the three Japanese skaters will qualify for this month's final at St. Petersburg, Russia.

Lesley Hawker of Barrie, Ont., was 10th.

Asada needs a win to have a chance of defending her title. She won last year's Grand Prix final but was not eligible for the Olympics because she was too young and comes in with just a third-place finish from Skate America.

After looking so good in the short program there, she faltered in her trademark triple Axel and several other jumps.

In the short program, she established a personal best score, skating to Chopin's "Noctune", with exquisite spins, jumps and footwork.

Her spins had unusual variations, such as grabbing her foot in a near sit spin and raised upright while still holding her boot.

She easily completed her triple lutz-triple loop combination and scored bonus points with her double Axel to score a personal best of 69.50 points.

Asada did triple Axels last year as a 15-year-old, but faltered when trying it in the free program at Skate America. She said the poor performance was due to her missing the triple Axel at the start.

"I would like to do the triple Axel again," Asada, who is now coached by Rafael Arutunian, who coached Michelle Kwan. "I think if I do it, the rest of the program will go well."

Suguri and Nakano have seconds from Skate Canada and the Cup of China respectively. Suguri is second with 61.92 points while Nakano is third at 56.86.

With the top three positions worth 15, 13 and 11 points, it will come down to whatever way the Japanese finish to see who qualifies for St. Petersburg. The top six scorers from the season in each event qualify for the final.

"I don't think about the pressure but I do want to go to the Grand Prix final," Asada said. "If I think about it too much I will get nervous."

The NHK Trophy is being held in the city that staged the 1998 Winter Olympics at the Big Hat Arena, site of the Olympic ice hockey events. The 2002 world championships were also held in Nagano, but at the M-Wave rink, venue of the Olympic speed skating.

Source:Hindustanis.org

Pop is key in new school music drive

The BBC programme ‘The Choir’ follows young pupils at a Northolt comprehensive from singing novices to the World Choir Games

Children should be encouraged to sing pop hits at school to improve their self-confidence and language skills, the Government said yesterday.

Pupils could also benefit by setting up their own bands to promote "team working skills", said Alan Johnson, the Education Secretary.

Mr Johnson, a keen music fan who lists Super Furry Animals, the Welsh group, among his favourite artists, made the comments as he unveiled a £10 million package of measures designed to promote singing in the classroom.
It includes the publication of a "21st century songbook" for schools, which will list 30 songs suitable for children and their teachers to sing together.

Musicians last night welcomed the move, which will be focused on primary schools, but said that it should not divert young people away from learning an instrument or appreciating classical music.

The initiative comes amid concerns that many children are missing out on music. Although compulsory in the national curriculum up to the age of 14, only eight per cent of children take the subject at GCSE level. The measures include extra money to allow 20 performing choir schools to put on master classes for other local schools, as well as to improve music training for primary schoolteachers.

Currently, only five per cent of primaries have a specialist music teacher even though the subject must be taught to all young children.

Mr Johnson also announced that Howard Goodall, the composer and television presenter, who has written themes for a number of television shows such as Blackadder and The Vicar of Dibley, is to be the country's new "singing ambassador".

Mr Goodall will co-ordinate the publication of the national schools' songbook.

Children and teachers will be encouraged to nominate songs from different genres, such as pop, folk and jazz, to be included.

The move follows the success of the BBC series The Choir, in which choirmaster Gareth Malone uncovered raw singing talent at a Northolt comprehensive.

Source:Hindustanis.org

Beall Concert Hall

Beall Concert Hall is the primary performance hall at the School of Music and Dance. It is used for more than 200 performances annually, including student and faculty recitals, concerts by UO ensembles and guest artists, and for conferences and special series such as the university of oregon chamber music series the oregon bach festival and the Music Today Festival. Besides the Oregon Bach Festival, the School of Music and Dance and Beall Concert Hall helped foster the beginning of several important musical organizations in Eugene, such as the eugene symphony orchestra the oregon mozart players, and the oregon festival of american music , to name a few. Beall Hall has become known as one of the premier recital halls in the country, hosting some of the finest chamber and solo musicians in the world, including the Guarneri, the Emerson, and Tokyo String Quartets, the Beaux Arts Trio, sopranos Arlene Auger and Phyllis Bryn-Julson, The King’s Singers, jazz artist Billy Taylor, pianist composer Bela Bartok, and sarod artist Ali Akbar Khan, a lecture by Frank Lloyd Wright, and the list goes on.

Ellis F. Lawrence, architect and founder of the University of Oregon School of Architecture and Allied Arts, designed Beall Concert Hall. Lawrence consistently produced buildings of distinction throughout the Northwest and is renowned for designing some of the most important and beautiful buildings on campus. These include the Museum of Art, the facade and original core of the Knight Library, and Gerlinger Hall. Beall Concert Hall merits recognition as a part of this strong and beautiful character.

Although the concert hall was built in 1921, it did not receive its current name until a half century later. Robert Vinton Beall (pronounced Bell), a farmer from the Medford area and a member of a pioneer family, attended the University of Oregon from 1894-97 and donated a sizable sum of money to the university to establish and maintain a living memorial to pioneer women in Oregon. His bequest funded construction of the School of Music and Dance’s nationally renowned Jurgen Ahrend organ, which was completed in 1972. The university named Beall Concert Hall in 1973 in honor of this legacy.

The concert hall is a brick bearing wall system with wood truss spanning members. The lovely ceiling with its distinctive ornamental cavities is one of the architectural highlights of the hall. Lawrence was a student in architecture in Boston during the time Boston Symphony Concert Hall was being built and used its design as inspiration when asked to build a music auditorium. Although smaller in scale and far less ornamental than Boston Symphony Hall, its architectural lineage is evident, including its exceptional acoustical properties.

The original windows in the hall were covered decades ago to control both light and acoustics. The original seats were folding wood seats on metal frames, and for acoustical reasons, are still used in the balcony. The seats on the main floor have been replaced twice, most recently in 1996 during a renovation of the hall that included a restored lobby to the style of the early 1920s.

Beall Concert Hall will continue its high tradition of service to the students of the University of Oregon, and will be an enduring focal point in the arts of our community and our state.

About the School

The School of Music and Dance began as the Department of Music in 1886. It became the School of Music in 1900 and was admitted to the National Association of Schools of Music in 1928. The standards of the school are in accordance with those of the association. The School of Music and Dance is a professional school in a university setting. The school is dedicated to furthering creativity, knowledge, pedagogy, and performance in music and dance and to preparing students for a variety of professions in these fields.

In 1986 the School of Music and Dance celebrated its 100th year as part of the University of Oregon. During its first century on campus it grew to become the only full-range professional school of music in the Oregon University System of Higher Education. Today it is widely regarded as one of the major music institutions of the Western United States.

Facilities

The School of Music and Dance contains a broad range of facilities and equipment: band, choir, and orchestra rehearsal rooms with support facilities; the 520-seat Beall Concert Hall, acclaimed by numerous guest artists for its superb acoustics; and the Collier House, home to the music history department and the Early Music Program.

Collier House
Collier House has been added to the list of School of Music and Dance facilities. Built in 1885-1886 by the Collier family, it is a rare example of a late Victorian house in bracketed Italianate-style with an Italianate styled interior popular in the Northwest in the late 1800s. It is the second oldest building on the UO campus. Both the house and grounds are listed on the Inventory of Historic Sites and Buildings. It has been a residential home, President's house, Chancellor's home, faculty club, restaurant, and meeting room/pub. Music history faculty offices and the Early Music Program were moved to Collier House in August 2004. A variety of courses, seminars, meetings and programs are held in the space.

Music Library the music service department of the university of oregon's knight library contains more than 40,000 recordings and 25,000 scores, a comprehensive collection of books on music, and a state-of-the-art listening room. The library's Reserve/Video Department contains a wide range of videos on music, dance, and other subjects.

Computer Music Center
The music school's computer music center, future music oregon features three studios with extensive MIDI-based and computer composition systems containing synthesis environments where all sound material can be created, edited, and saved from a central computer for future recall.

Computer Lab
The music school houses the kammerer microcomputer lab, with Macintosh computer work stations where you can work with mainstream software for music notation and instructional software in music theory and aural skills. Other resources in the laboratory include sequencing software, MIDI, and sound-generating software as well as facilities for exploring the Internet, using E-mail, graphics, and word processing.

Instruments
The university owns a large inventory of orchestral and band instruments. A collection of ethnic musical instruments includes Balinese and Javanese gamelans. Our keyboard inventory includes five Steinway concert grand pianos, four harpsichords, one clavichord, pianos in each classroom and practice room, and a modern group piano laboratory featuring Clavinova digital keyboards. The school houses three pipe organs, including the internationally renowned organ in Beall Concert Hall by Jürgen Ahrend of Germany, and other organs by Flentrop and Schlicker.

Lockers
The School of Music and Dance has a limited number of lockers available for student use.

Source:Hindustanis.org

Teens offer music and munchies to Boone County nursing home residents

The refrain of "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" when played by Zionsville High School musicians causes some members of the audience from Zionsville Meadows Nursing Home to break softly into song. The quartet comprised of Lauren Everson on oboe, Sarah Ellis on violin, Ellen Litkowski on piano, and Darcy Ellis on cello (pictured L to R, below) attracted the largest gathering of any event so far at the nursing home where they perform on a Friday afternoon.

The girls passed out carnations to every member of the audience before they performed, and served cookies, fruit and lemonade sprinkled liberally with conversation once their repertoire ended.

It’s not the stereotype of how teens spend a Friday afternoon before heading off to a football game. The group that calls themselves I Solisti – Italian for The Soloists – has committed to perform at six nursing homes in the county, to fulfill a United Way Youth as Resources grant they applied for and were awarded last spring.

The girls decided to compete for the grant after reading about it in the newspaper. It would give them more opportunities to perform as well as provide entertainment for people living in nursing homes.

They were awarded $947.01 to cover the costs of taking their show to six different nursing homes. Ellen’s father is their adult sponsor and helps them transport their instruments and set up and tear down after every performance. In their presentation to the Youth as Resources board, the quartet played for decision-makers and explained their plan to use their talents and interests to add to the quality of life of older neighbors.

They researched not only the cost of the music they selected but also how to plan for dietary restrictions of the seniors. And, they prepared and arranged printed programs for their audiences.

What have they learned? "You can fit important things into your schedule, even if you’re busy," said Lauren. "I learned what it means to be a part of a dynamic group," added Sarah. "I don’t have any grandparents who live nearby. It’s good for me to visit with the older people," said Ellen.

When you contribute to United Way, you help young people like Ellen, Sarah, Darcy and Lauren learn how to use their own talents and interests to help others.

In 2005, Youth as Resources of Central Indiana funded 132 youth-directed volunteer projects in six counties: Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Marion and Morgan. The projects involved 3,035 volunteers who contributed 56,957 hours of service benefiting an estimated 110,470 people.

Source:Hindustanis.org

Teens Make Music at New Summer Camps

Samuel Rosenfeld, 15, of Stamford, Conn., plays alto saxophone, and Peter Ross, 16, of Coventry, R.I., plays tenor saxophone, while Matt Janiszewski ’05, instructor, listens, during a new summer jazz camp.

The unmistakable rhythms of jazz and the pluck of string instruments have joined the hum of summer camps taking place on campus this year.

San Francisco-based U.S. Performing Arts Camps, a company that has offered summer camps in theater, film, and dance at prestigious universities nationwide for three years, is entering the competitive music camp market for the first time this summer. The firm sought UConn as its sole location nationwide to launch two new music camps: Jazz Camp and Strings Boot Camp.

“U.S. Performing Arts Camps are located at some of the finest university facilities in the country, and a great benefit for our campers is that many of our universities’ fine arts programs direct the camps themselves,” says Judith Patterson, president and chief executive officer of U.S. Performing Arts Camps. “We selected UConn to develop and nurture our new music camps because of the reputation of accomplished faculty members like Earl MacDonald and Peter Sacco, and because of the school’s ideal location between New York and Boston, two hotbeds of music on the East Coast.”

Earl MacDonald, an assistant professor of music and director of UConn’s Jazz Studies degree program, is leading two back-to-back, weeklong jazz camps from July 10 through July 22. Peter Sacco, an associate professor of music and director of the University Symphony Orchestra, is directing the one-week Strings Boot Camp, which runs from July 17 through 22. The launch of the new music camps was coordinated by Anne D’Alleva, associate dean of fine arts.

More than two dozen students from across the country are attending the camps’ this summer, including a 16-year-old aspiring jazz musician who traveled from California to study with MacDonald and other summer camp faculty.

David Woods, dean of fine arts, says hosting the new music camps allows UConn’s School of Fine Arts to showcase its outstanding faculty and facilities to the country’s most promising student musicians during their middle and high school years.

“It is an honor for us to join UCLA, Stanford University, and Pepperdine University in offering performing arts camps for young people across the country,” Woods says.

U.S. Performing Arts Camps runs camps at 10 universities nationwide, including those schools.

The camps include “master classes,” where students are grouped by instrument, combo rehearsals, and “works-in-progress” concerts to be held at von der Mehden Recital Hall at the end of each week.

The jazz camps also feature informal evening “jam sessions” in the residence halls where campers are staying, as well as one evening field trip per camp. For the first week’s field trip, MacDonald took campers to see the Worcester Jazz Orchestra, a 20-piece jazz ensemble, play at the Union Blues Jazz Club in Worcester.

“This is the first jazz camp I’ve been to and for me it’s been really fun,” says Peter Ross, 16, of Rhode Island. “I’ve learned a lot of new stuff.”

Jacob Rathbun, 14, of Mystic, says “It’s intense – a lot of information, but good information. All of the instructors are really knowledgeable.” Rathbun hopes to play trumpet professionally.

Patterson, of U.S. Performing Arts Camps, says she expects the number of campers to easily double by next year, as word spreads about UConn’s music camps.

But the first summer’s campers are getting an experience that will never be replicated because of the size.

“It’s amazing the level of attention these kids are getting,” MacDonald says.

During the first week of jazz camp, for example, two young saxophonists had the chance to work closely with John Mastroianni, a professor with UConn’s Jazz Lab Band and director of national-award winning bands at West Hartford’s Hall High School.

MacDonald also is simultaneously teaching a course on teaching jazz, offered for middle and high school music teachers working on their graduate degrees through UConn’s College of Continuing Studies.

Source:Hindustanis.org