Know Your Teacher: ‘Music inculcates value system and discipline in students’

Teachers have a wealth of knowledge and resources beyond the classroom. By developing a relationship with them, students may gain access to additional learning opportunities, extracurricular activities, or recommendations for further education or career paths. Teachers can serve as valuable connections and references in the future, helping you navigate academic and professional endeavours.

And if this teacher happens to teach music, they play a significant role in the lives of students since music offers numerous benefits for students’ overall development. Did you know that engaging with music stimulates various areas of the brain, including those responsible for memory, attention, and language processing?

Studies have shown that music education can enhance cognitive skills like problem-solving, spatial-temporal reasoning, and mathematical abilities. Learning music also strengthens the neural connections that support overall learning and intellectual growth.

“Learning music not only gains skills like creating music and playing instrument but also plays an important role in the development of other life skills like time management, creativity, self-confidence, perseverance, and patience to name a few,” Dhirender Kataria said, who has been teaching music to students of nursery to VIII at Apeejay Svran Global School, 21-D, Faridabad.

Excerpts from an interview.

Tell us about your qualifications, courses, and certifications if any?

I’m an Indian music teacher by profession. I have done my BA in Arts and MA in Indian classical vocal. I have also done BA (Prabhakar) in Tabla, Senior Diploma in Bhav Sangeet and a Senior Diploma in synthesizer. I have been teaching for 17 years now. I chose this school because of the value system and culture which it still continues to instill since the time Apeejay Education Society was established.

What prompted you to take up music?

It is thanks to my excellent guru MK Bhardwajji. He is the one who inspired me to take up music as a profession. He taught me the correct manner to approach music: how to understand it, how to internalise it and how to enjoy it. Most people think of music as just a melodious sound but it is more than that. I wish to imbibe my guru’s approach and inculcate a value system and discipline in my students.

In the day and age when kids want to listen to Bollywood songs and pop, how do you motivate them to learn classical as well?

Students and people have to understand that the root of all music is classical; it is the foundation for today’s popular music. In the present age, where fusion music is ruling the roost, a lot of students find classical music soothing and want to learn the nuances. But even in order to do fusion, one must understand the classical form thoroughly. With proper understanding of two different music forms, one can come up with a meaningful fusion.

What are the challenges that come with teaching this subject?

If you want to excel in any field, it requires dedication and hours of practice. Unfortunately, most parents opine that music, at best, can be a hobby and not a mainstream profession. They want their children to prioritise on academic studies. This is the biggest challenge that this subject faces today.

The role that music plays in a student’s life.

Learning music not only gains skills like making music and playing instruments but also plays an important role in the development of other life skills like time management, creativity, self-confidence, perseverance, and patience.

What changes have taken place in the music world?

Technology has changed music. There is no need for sheet volumes, blending of genres and cultural diversity.

What are some of the things you do to keep the student’s interested in classical music?

As an educator, inclusivity and versatility go hand in hand. We try to make students learn acoustic instruments and live music along with electronic instruments to establish the foundation of Indian and western music.