CREATIVE PURSUITS: WHERE STUDENTS ARE TAUGHT TO TEACH By Tina Hissaria
---------------------------- Ta To Te is a catchy name to give a music school, but it goes much beyond to encompass the very philosophy of the institute. ---------------------------- Starting off with home-to-home music classes, Taught To Teach, Ta To Te in short, is today a name to reckon with in the field of music. Five years after opening the music school in Mapusa, in 1995, the overwhelming response prompted them to extend their services to Margao and three months ago to Porvorim. Having meticulously built a reputation for providing quality musical training, they expanded their scope of activity to cover sales and repairs of musical instruments. In the words of the Ta To Te's founder and president San Antonio D'Mello, "It was a plan of God to choose me to reach out to students and adults wanting to learn music. All I had was a language called faith. Keeping my eyes on God, as I taught God helped me to teach others. From the first lesson, as I thought He gave me ideas and methods; as I moved to the second student, those ideas and methods grew, and slowly we compiled our own books and more people joined us." Covering both Indian and Western music, the musical instruments taught include piano, guitar, drums, violin, tabla, vocals, bass guitar, lead guitar, recorder and harmonica. With staff strength of 12 at the Porvorim branch, the institute prepares students for written and practical exams conducted by the Trinity College, London. Following a one-teacher-per-student policy, the school trains around 400 students a week in all three branches, with registrations accepted from age three-and-half years upwards, according to Clayton F. Barretto who manages the Porvorim branch. Given the quality of training, even Goa-based foreign students frequent the school. Ta To Te also holds the distinction for having the most number of students appear for the Trinity College exams. As for his future plans for the school, D'Mello is looking at reaching out to locals, especially in villages, who cannot afford their fees. He hopes the government will support him with this. The school also has plans to introduce wind instruments, Indian instruments like dolki, dholakh, sitar and Indian classical dance. So the next time you think of training in music, just say Ta To Te and they’ll be there. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Reproduced on Goanet courtesy Panjim Plus [EMAIL PROTECTED] phone 2464687 or 9422058131. Contact Ilidio de Noronha