http://www.kollywoodtoday.com/news/rahman-to-hold-press-conference-on-km-music/
Music and Technology, Indian and Western, Joining Together for Greater Harmony". On March 12th at 10:00 AM and again at 12:00 noon in the new Sir Mutha Venkatasuba Rao Concert Hall, Shrestone Park, 13/1 Harrington Road, Chetput, the music director and composer A. R. Rahman will hold a rare Press Conference to make a presentation about the foundation of his new KM Conservatory of music, an institution for the training of musicians for professional careers in the field. The KM Conservatory of Music in collaboration with Audio Media Education, an Apple Authorized Training Centre, which opens in June of this year will concentrate on instrumental and vocal music both Indian and western, and music technology. Courses will first be offered in music technology, voice, strings and keyboards (piano and electronic keyboards). As demand and interest increase, other instruments and aspects of the art of music and sound design will be added to the curriculum. Initially divided into Preparatory, Foundation and Diploma courses, there will be a place for any student, to learn and to perfect their skills. Knowledge of music technology is a must in today's musical world, whether in Indian music, or in Western music no matter the style. Students who complete the music technology course will be equipped to handle advanced studio equipment, with long term professional prospects. Students who are dedicated to the art of performance will be trained up to professional standards over a period of years by teachers, both from India and from other parts of the world in a widening number of instruments as the conservatory develops and grows. In India many parts of the culture think of music as a pleasant side line, or as a skill to enhance matrimonial prospects, and not as a professional goal. The idea that music can and in some instances should be a life's work is not widely accepted. Unfortunately, the quality and level of music making in the country in general demonstrates this view of music all too well. China, Japan and Korea have not only become more sensitive to their own ancient traditions but as well have opened their ears to what is happening in other parts of the world, musically speaking. But comparatively, India has remained culturally inward looking, and on the whole been uninterested in music whether traditional, classical or more widely commercial, of other cultures. The world, however is fast shrinking, and music is becoming more and more universal not only in its appeal across cultures, but in its language—languages of melody, harmony and rhythm are uniting more and more and becoming one language. Musicians need to know its basis, its techniques and its infinite variety of styles. Even Karnatic and Hindustani music are partaking more and more in a creative dialogue with musical cultures from around the world. At the same time, however, except for the very greatest musicians in these disciplines, the general level of musical proficiency here is not up to the professional standards that this wider culture demands. To assist in widening musical and technological awareness, literacy, and standards for the development of professional Indian musicians, a place of training up to the highest level is necessary but until now, has not existed in India. In order for a culture to arise in India in which music can be taken seriously as a potential profession, and to flourish in the coming generations, the training of the young is essential. The KM Conservatory's Preparatory Programme will be opened to any student with musical interest, from the earliest level. Weekly individual instruction will be supplemented with a class session for all students in the Preparatory Program in music notation, and the rudiments of music theory, including sight-singing (reading music at sight), recognition of sound patterns, dictation from music played and sung. These skills are necessary to form a well-rounded musical ear able to take on the higher levels of musical training, but they also form the basis of skills for any attentive and informed listener. At a more advanced level of training, the conservatory will be offering a Foundation Course and a Diploma Course for those students with sufficient training and ability to perfect their skills. The Foundation Course will be for serious students who wish to go further in their studies of music in preparation for music to be a significant part of their lives, either as a profession or an avocation. In the Foundation Course, music technology will be an important part of every student's training. In cooperation with Audio Media Education, an Apple certified institution for training in music technology and sound design, the KM Conservatory will offer mandatory courses to all the students in the Foundation Course. Some students will want to specialize in this field, while students of an instrument or the voice will certainly need to know its basic elements to participate as working musicians anywhere in the world. The curriculum at the conservatory will insure that this knowledge is a part of every graduate's kit. The Diploma Course is a two year programme that will follow from the Foundation Course for those students who have demonstrated not only talent but dedication and skill sufficient to undertake advanced study. Discussions are under way with the University of Madras to consider the possibility for the KM Conservatory eventually to gain status as a Deemed University offering Bachelor Degrees in Music and Music Technology. Because the KM Conservatory is only now being inaugurated, not all its programmes and divisions will be in place by this coming June. But this is a significant beginning. All of this is a project of immense scope and challenge But the infrastructure and vision are both sound, and over the span of several years, a complete curriculum in music to the Master 's level is he plan. It is important to note that because musical gifts are showered on all levels of society and in all communities, scholarship aid will be available to a number of gifted students, initially in the Foundation and Diploma Courses, unable to study otherwise. In its first year, the Conservatory will operate from property adjacent to A. R. Rahman's studio in Kodambakkam. In the next year, in a suburb of Chennai, a leafy three acre campus will be made ready for the building of class rooms, a concert hall, recording studio and residential facilities for faculty and students from out of station. Together with this conservatory, Mr Rahman is founding a symphony orchestra in the western mode, both to serve as a resident studio orchestra to perform music of his own composition for the music industry but also to perform for the general public in Chennai and elsewhere in India as occasions arise. This orchestra is to be populated by salaried professional musicians at an international standard, both from India and abroad. Some of these players will also teach at the conservatory. Auditions for this ensemble will be announced and advertised internationally within the next two months. For further information and announcements about the KM Conservatory and Orchestra, please visit the website www.arrahman.com or www.audiomedia.in -- regards, Vithur A.R.Rahman - The Adorable Human Being
