College Choir function on Saturday, Jan 4, at Panjim
Goanet
It faced its first audiences in December 2012 after being
formed in March of that year. Its birth came about almost
accidental -- when a film crew wanting to include a choir
performance. Today it is called the College Choir.
"There are today 18 members in the choir between the age of
17-22 years. We call it the College Choir of the Kala
Academy, because its members come from diverse colleges of
Goa," says the 79-year-old live wire Jean Kalgutkar, who
trained the group.
It was initially made up of Kala Academy students. Later,
more were recruited by word of mouth. "We expanded it, and
started meeting other interested people. Some of the
original members dropped out too," says Kalgutkar.
What were the challenges in putting together such an
experiment? Says she: "Out of 18, nine could not read music.
So I would play it on the piano, and they would record it on
their phones and the learnt it at home. The phones were a
great help, most have a recording facility today!"
But Kalgutkar has gratitude for other reasons too: "They
learn very quickly. They're musical kids. They pick up
melodies very fast."
Kalgutkar has been in Goa for the past 12 years, after moving
down from Mumbai. She told this correspondent: "I have no
regrets at all. One of the high point of the stay here has
been the starting of this choir. For the first time in my
life, I'm training a four-part choir. Otherwise, in the last
40 years, I've been teaching a girls school -- first in
Bombay, at the JB Petit School and then I came here it was
the Kala Academy, which had a girls choir with only young
boys who have soprano voices. I've always longed to train a
four-part mixed choir."
Kalgutkar is to be 80 in May 2014, and has been teaching
music from 1968. "Before that, I was a housewife. When my
mother-in-law came to live with us, I felt free to go out of
the house, she completely took over the household duties."
Jean started off as a piano player for a singing teacher, in
Girton High School at Grant Road. Then taught at the Convent
of Jesus & Mary's and St Anns's, both located in Bombay
(Mumbai's) Fort locality. Then came her stint at the J.B.
Petit School. "It was a fantastic school. The principal was
an educationist of the best kind, letting children talk of
everything. A very open and stimulating school. I really
enjoyed my 14 years there," she reminiscences.
Health issues prompted her to come to Goa. "Pollution and
dust got to me. I was on heavy medication," she adds.
Says Kalgutkar, sprightly and with an infectious style of
inspiring her musical students: "I think senior citizens can
contribute more than young people, who are tied down with
children and household duties. We're free, with no
responsibilities, and lots of free time. More senior
citizens should come forward and do something. Like raising
literacy levels in underpriviledged areas." She has also
taught at the Hamara School for the underpriviledged for
awhile, in Panjim government colony, at Sant Inez.
What are her views on musical education in today's Goa?
Says she: "I don't find it satisfactory. I don't find the
Trinity College (of London) syllabus developing the
musicianship of a child. We perhaps need to follow the
continental method, which could offer a better all-round
musical education, than the British."
She rues the demise of the Church's promotion of music
education, that exists in the Goa of the past, and allowed so
many from here to flourish in the field of music. "At the
school level music should be a subject, taking the place of
the old parish musical training that they got," she suggests.
Kalgutkar adds: "But overall, I have a problem about Western
music. It's made out to be the only music in the world.
It's so sad that we faintest idea of what goes on in Indian
music, which is even derided. I feel very strongly that,
specially in Goa, if you're not Westernised you're not
considered cultured. As if Western culture is the only
culture in the world! The wonderful tradition of Indian
music is completely unknown to our [the Catholic] community."
She says: "Children are sometimes so backward where rhythm is
concerned. On the other hand, you seen ten-year-old boys
sitting in the tabla class who can play complex rhythms on
the tabla. Why can't we learn from them?"
---------------------------------------------------
The College Choir performs on Saturday, January 4,
2014 at the Kala Academy Black Box, at 6.30 pm.
The event is unticketed and open to all (priority
for those entering early). This will be followed
by an hour of community Carol singing.
