London college to offer degree course in Indian Music

Bangalore, Mar 12 (UNI) Trinity College of Music, London, will offer a four-year degree course in Indian Music in association with the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, validated by the University of Westminster.

Addressing newspersons here today, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, London, Honorary Secretary Dr John Marr said that with Indian classical music going global, Trinity College had decided to offer the course from this academic year. The college, which already offered a five-year diploma course in Indian Music, had sufficient teaching faculty to offer the new course. Renowned Indian musicians would visit the college every year for offering summer course for the diploma students and sitting as external examiners for the degree course, he added.

He said the passion for Indian music among the youth in the United Kingdom was immense and hence the college evinced interest in offering the degree course. The college would admit six students every year and the course fees was fixed at 11,000 Pounds per annum.

Students would be selected on the basis of audition on principal study instrument or voice and interview.

Dr Marr said the course comprised both Hindustani and Carnatic music and the curriculum was divided into two modules, performance studies and contextual studies. The assessment would be mainly through performance examinations, coursework portfolios and seminar presentations. The emphasis would be on practical and performance work.

Recalling that the erstwhile Maharajas of the princely State of Mysore were patronising Indian Music at the college, he said the same was being revived now by offering a degree course.

UNI