Music at Head Start is for everyone. It fills our corridors on a regular basis. It is a language everyone can understand. Passing by our Music Block, one can hear guitars being strummed, keyboards being played, violins resonating, rhythmic tablas, percussion instruments, and so much more.
Every child gets to enjoy music in one form or the other. Music at Head Start is not taught with the objective of just learning songs or melodies but with the learning of basic fundamentals, such as rhythm, melody, feel, perhaps leading on to compositions of ones own. The child enjoys this process and builds on it. We strongly believe that the learning of a melody or song is easier once the basics are strong hence we do not start with just tunes but rather with technique and notation, or sur and taal.
Children can choose an instrument or do vocal training. We have a range of instruments, Indian (classical or folk) and Western. Music gives opportunities for individual enjoyment as well as working in harmony with a group – making music together.
The aim of the programme is to expose children to music and encourage them to enjoy learning it. Learning to play an instrument well can take time and patience. We encourage our learners to persist with their chosen instrument for a sustained period so that they can play and understand it well over time, building a relationship with not only the music but with the instrument as well.
Some of our children have collaborated with musicians from other parts of India and have enjoyed participating in the creation of in-house original music. One such work was with folk musicians from Jaisalmer. Through this exposure and interaction they were able to understand folk music. These particular children have a base in classical music and were amazed by the skill level of folk musicians; they came across certain percussion and melody instruments for the first time. It was truly an enriching experience for us all at Head Start as these musicians from Rajasthan also visited our school and spent a week working with us.
We are continuously evolving our programme and trying to connect music to various other art forms, thus building up an appreciation of all artistic forms of expression.