Hyderabad: Joseph Thomas is the kind of musician who makes music through others. The third generation musician made a choice to dedicate his life to teaching music and he began that journey when he was just 18.
And what makes him a great teacher are the small details. He doesn’t send away anyone who comes to learn irrespective of whether he is being paid for it or not. And even if there are seven pianos playing in a line, he knows exactly which one is off the key.
“God has blessed me with this gift,” he says with humility. But, there is nothing ordinary about the fact that he is one of the few who have the rare association with the Royal School of Music, London, which comes directly under the patronage of the Queen. He prepares students for the exam conducted by the School’s Board.
But to actually graduate from his institute, located in Secunderabad, is quite a Herculean task. “Most students don’t follow through to the final examination which requires them to play in front of a group of examiners who come from London. Most people start too late and get busy with their careers and drop out,” he says.
Nevertheless, many of his students have gone on to become music directors, teachers in schools and even set up their own institutes in different cities. After all, Thomas has been teaching for over four decades now, since 1969.
His first few music lessons were from his grandfather Mark Anthony, who was the second violinist with the Nizam’s Hyderabad Symphony Orchestra. “The retired musicians from the Nizam’s string band used to meet up and jam. So I used to go with my grandfather, carry his instruments so that I could also get to watch them play and strum a few chords myself,” he says.
Thomas’ great grandfather David was the bandmaster (a conductor), in the princely state of Berar. Although he had music in his genes, Thomas fondly recalls his mentor, C. Frank Pereira, whose tough method involved a rap on the knuckles when he erred. “I would, sometimes, run away for two days,” he laughs.
But after his diploma in carpentry, Thomas had to fight his way into picking music as a career. He, however, went on to travel the world and he insists that was only possible “due to music”. He trained in Japan and taught in England, Dubai and Bahrain. Of the best years, he recalls the time when he worked for Yamaha in the Middle East. “I was the supplier of instruments and the only technician there. So I got to play for even the crown prince,” he shares.
After his Middle East stint, he returned to Hyderabad on a mission to encourage western classical music in India. “Why not? When schools in the US and UK have courses in Indian classical music, why shouldn’t India encourage Western Classical Music? It is also a known fact that The Beatles came to study under Pt. Ravi Shankar while scientists like Homi Bhabha were classical pianists; we also have people like Zubin Mehta. Music has no nationality or religion. Music is just that, music!”
