Abhyaas School Of Music For Carnatic Vocal

Abhyaas School of Music for Carnatic Vocal (est 2001) - A unique approach and a refreshing perspective to the purpose of the traditional Indian art forms.

The summer of 2024 has been a busy one for Abhyaas School of Music. The school has been offering a variety of programs customizing and catering to the individual needs and requirements of each student in the school. This year there were three types of programs that were presented by the students of Abhyaas - Semi Formal Recital, Formal Recital and Arangetram - each category offering varying levels of complexities and nuances.

The founder- director of Abhyaas, Smt Aparna Balaji, strongly believes that any art form can be personalized and customized to the needs of the student, and that this process actually enhances the benefits that the student receives. She has been working towards expanding her understanding of the vast art form of Carnatic music through Abhyaas, and learning how to set goals in different ways for different students, so that all students can carve a unique path for themselves and experience their own “a-ha” moments of pushing personal limits and making artistic discoveries. While Smt. Aparna Balaji continues to set a high standard for commitment and rigor, she is firmly committed to making the whole process fun so that the purpose of each and every aspect of music is captured.

Abhyaas has hosted many successful presentations in the past (including many thematic presentations, fundraisers and collaborations), and Smt. Aparna Balaji has produced a variety of programs without compromising the core values that the art and the school stand for. This year, her presentations included:

● Pranav Ramaswamy - Formal Recital - July 21st 2024
( Violin : Ranjani Parthasarathy, Mridangam : Sudarshan Chakravarthy, Khanjeera : Prahlad Chakravarthy)

● Satvi Mahesh - Vocal Arangetram - July 27th 2024
( Violin : Sharada Krishnan, Mridangam: Krishnagopal Saikripa, Ghatam: Sowmia Narayanan)

● Sahana Venkatraman - Vocal Arangetram - Aug 10th 2024
(Violin : B.U Ganesh Prasad, Mridangam : Neyveli Narayanan, Ghatam : Srinivas Ponnappan)

● Pragnya Sankar - Semi Formal Recital - Aug 17th 2024
( Violin : Ramachandran Balakrishna, Mridangam : Srivatsan Mukunthraj)

● Aasrita Gade - Vocal Arangetram - Aug 18th 2024
( Violin: Pranav Swaroop, Mridangam : Pravin Sitaram, Ghatam : Balaji Chandran)

● Keerthi Isakana - Vocal Arangetram - Aug 25th 2024
(Violin : Pranav Swaroop, Mridangam : Mahalingam Santhanakrishnan, Khanjeera : Siva Ponnudurai).

(Pictures included in the same order)

Smt. Aparna Balaji was supported in these presentations by many senior artists of high caliber from both the US and India. Collaboration is indeed her forte, and she enjoys bringing artists together, developing a fresh flavor for each of her presentations while establishing a firm sense of community.

Smt, Aparna Balaji is a well known musician, teacher, and a composer in the Boston Area. Coming from a famed and prominent lineage and having had the opportunity to learn from many musicians, she has worked tirelessly towards creating a unique teaching style buttressed by her continuously deepening understanding of the art form. She is committed and unwavering about the foundational aspects, the roots as well as the tradition, while concurrently enabling her students with a flexible approach to the music.

Abhyaas School of music offers many opportunities for students to explore Carnatic music. Coming to class every week is just one way in which the students learn. Smt. Aparna Balaji has hosted multitudinous workshops, seminars, voice clinics, lecture demonstrations, chamber Concerts, practice sessions and much more. These endeavors have involved prominent artists such as Smt. Aparna Balaji’s Acharya Sangeetha Kalanidhi Shri. Neyveli Santhanagopalan, her late father Sangeetha Choodamani Shri O.S.Thiagarajan, her uncle Sangeetha Nataka Academy Awardee , Kalaimamani Shri O S Arun, her maternal uncle Shri.A.V.K Rajasimhan, Shri Delhi Muthukumar, Shri Neyveli Narayanan, Smt. Sudha Raghuraman, Shri Raghavan Sai,Kum.Sriranjani Santhanagopalan and many others. Her students have been part of notable presentations across the US, in Canada and in India, including in the Chennai Margazhi concert season, in Panchamukhi conceived by Shri V.V.S Murari, providing vocal support for dance showcases and arangetrams, and performing full-length solo concerts as part of various grassroots initiatives and organizations. Smt. Aparna Balaji has also emphasized giving back to the community and supporting charitable causes through art, as seen by the various fundraisers she has organized with her students. This includes a cancer awareness fundraiser in memory of late Smt. Geetha Murali, a well-known musician and teacher of the New England area.

In her true spirit of collaboration, Smt. Aparna Balaji took advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated quarantine periods to host virtual interviews of her fellow artists and teachers, both local and international. Her interviews included New England icons such as Smt. Jothi Raghavan, Smt. Durga Krishnan, Smt. Tara Anand, Smt. Sunanda Narayanan, Smt.

Sridevi Tirumalai, Shri Mahalingam Santhanakrishnan, and Dr. Pravin Sitaram, and artists such as Shri Embar Kannan, Smt. Gayatri Girish, Smt. Rama Vaidyanathan, Smt. Jayanthi Kumaresh, and Shri Neyveli Narayanan. (Videos available on YouTube). Staying true to the tenant of learning through multiple perspectives, Smt. Aparna Balaji has been strong in encouraging her students to learn from these various perspectives, thus inspiring a more open growth mindset.

Smt. Aparna Balaji has strived to ensure that her students’ work does not become limited to personal practice and performance, and instead has encouraged them to be diligent in community outreach and bring their own enthusiasm in cultivating this art form. She established the Abhyaas Students’ Panel in 2019, an initiative that promotes academic research into special topics in Carnatic music. Through this initiative, Abhyaas students are able to introduce their peers to the possibilities that are encapsulated within the art form. Past presentations include a special educational session on the modern structure of the Carnatic concert margam. Smt. Aparna Balaji believes that each student benefits in many ways from music (other than music itself), which has led to her openness on how it is shared and imparted.

With hundreds of students who have been under her guidance, Smt. Aparna Balaji takes pride in all her students, the assistant instructors, mentors and panel members in the school. Her senior students have begun teaching the next generation, learning just how much patience and giving it takes to teach, and have been instrumental in supporting younger students with their own ambitions and artistic endeavors. Smt. Aparna Balaji has created different ways one can contribute to the school, through Abhyaas Student Mentor, Students Panel, and Abhyaas support group. These interesting opportunities help students to come together and collaborate to learn and experience many of the intangible aspects that the art offers.

Students of Abhyaas have been benefiting in many ways other than music and it is quite evident in how the Abhyaas community comes together to celebrate the art form. This summer’s events have truly been a testament to the work Smt. Aparna Balaji and the school have been putting in to highlight every student’s strengths while encouraging all students to contribute to the art form with passion and reverence.It has been indeed an honor to have such an amazing musician/teacher in the NewEngland area serving many generations through music.