Musicians seen performing at the recently held Trinity workshop. Extreme left: Music exponent David Bobby

Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy — Ludwig van Beethoven.

It is said that music has the power to heal internal wounds and bring a smile upon a glum face. It may add some lustre to a vapid picture and make a world of a difference! Want to take a test? Then rush ahead to the nearest exam hall to translate your dreams into reality. Who knows, you may be the next lucky one to share the stage alongside crooning-divas Rihanna, Beyonce Knowles, J-Lo, Shakira or Kylie Minogue! If this already sounds puzzling, then here’s the answer and probably your ticket to the most desirable music station.
The globally prestigious Trinity College London, recently launched its music syllabus in the rock and pop genre to enhance its already internationally established study programmes. India is only the third country and destination with an eight-city coverage on its radar after the UK and South Africa.
In general, the well-acclaimed syllabus of the reputed institution comprises modules that range from regular practical music to drama and speech courses. In fact, the syllabus of classical music has been on the academy’s list for the past 135 years, since its inception. But this time, it is hell bent on adding another feather to its cap by implementing rock and pop exams for both students of music, as well as the self-taught brigade.
Willing candidates with a keen ear for invaluable, quality music will get to prepare themselves with a cache of resources to be provided for the exam. For instance, songbooks, downloads of solo artiste’s tracks and videos of professional musicians can be obtained by interested examinees.
Recently, the music exam board of this well-known college had formally launched its rock and pop exams in Mehrauli, Delhi. Music exponent David Bobby and head of business development, Trinity College London, had unveiled the syllabus and elucidated the purpose of holding the tests. The musically-inclined event also included Bobby’s live demonstrations as a keyboard player.
Plans are afoot to tentatively host a series of nine-such interactive workshops across the country and cities like Bengaluru, Chennai, Kochi, Delhi, Dimapur, Goa, Guwahati, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune have been lined up in queue. Besides Bobby, Francesca Matthews, head of the academic governance at Trinity College London, will be steering the workshops to provide necessary guidance to a bunch of dedicated pupils and novice enthusiasts.
Bobby has already announced the launch of the new syllabus at the Calcutta School of Music (CSM) in Kolkata on June 2. Teachers and students from in and around the state of West Bengal attended this launch.
For those not yet tuned in, the Trinity College centre in Kolkata is the oldest in India. “You see, there is a perfect concord and camaraderie between the precinct of CSM and our Trinity College centre here in Kolkata as lots of faculty members from the CSM come and train our students at the Trinity’s city centre. It’s common knowledge that the world-renowned Trinity College London conducts examinations, as well as provides certification to the qualifying pass-outs. For instance, in the instrumentation stream, there are various courses available at Trinity College on different gizmos and the subjects have been retained right from the start. It includes instruments like piano, violin, guitar, keyboard, saxophone, drums, flute, recorder, cello, piccolo etc. What makes this particular syllabus stand out is the introduction of the rock and pop segment for the first time,” says Jyotishka Dasgupta, the eastern India representative for Trinity College London.
Adding further, he sheds more light on the topic: “Applicants can vie for both certificate and high-level programmes that the institute caters to. Now, there are many untrained tutors who are excellent with their innate talent and skills, but are deprived of a formal music education to arm them with a certificate on a larger platform. To compensate this gaping lacuna, the Trinity College London has incorporated the rock and pop syllabus, which is a groundbreaking effort in itself. Besides books, CDs will also be lent out for the aspirants’ convenience. There will be numerous song-charts, ample vocal tracks and important leads to music pieces. One can comfortably pick up the chord structure from a simple keyboard or a specific bass guitar piece by listening to it attentively. This prompts a pure synergy and synchronisation between the learner and the back-up music-tunes.”
A patient and careful hearing has always worked wonders for a bevy of raw, unrefined, untapped but talented musicians, who have the promise and potential to emulate the craft, but haven’t been able to grasp the basic ropes under the auspices of an institution.
This certificate would certainly instill a new vibe of confidence in them and up their competence level to accept any challenge at any given public gig. Thus in future, they’d thrive on their own accord. They may not be clued in to the theoretical and technical aspects of music on paper, but that can neither diminish nor overshadow their adept performance on any count. The syllabus will be enforced in other nations namely Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Spain, Italy, France, Scotland, England and Ireland.