TN Students Get London-based Online Music Diplomas And Skills To Teach Music

Yes, such is the unexplainable power of music. As it is known to the layman, music is the art of arranging sounds in time through elements like melody, harmony, rhythm and even silence to express or portray ideas, emotions and joy.When the first-ever convocation ceremony of the London-based International School of Musicians (ISoM) was held in Coimbatore recently, said to be first such event of ISoM in India, which linked the Coimbatore-centric west zone with Western music, it made music lovers / aspirants take a new look at Western music learning with new era approach and facilities.

Dr. June Fileti, the founder and managing director of ISoM, herself flew down to Coimbatore to award degrees in the convocation ceremony.According to her, ISoM is a recognised awarding organisation, offering students the opportunity to take their music examination or performance online or recorded. ISoM’s performing artist graded (PAG) examination is the first of its kind which is designed to provide a genuine assessment for learning opportunity through performance. This allows candidates to understand and develop their learning to help them achieve their music and performance aspirations, a progressive learning pathway from novice to accomplished performer.“ISoM provides online music lessons and graded examinations, thus breaking down the barriers to music education and assessment, bringing world-class music education fit for the present century.

ISoM developed a whole-brain approach to learning music that speeds up the process from beginner musician to advanced level. ISoM has become the online world of music education combined with assessment for learning. Everyone is musical, music is for everyone. ISoM enables people to develop their musical skills, become independent learners and achieve their highest dreams through a progressive course of learning and assessment,” Dr.Fileti stated.

The highlight of the convocation was three musicians of the Nilgiris, A. Don Bosco (violin), Ivan Enos (piano and strings) and Eric Gary Renato (guitar), and Issac Sunder (violin) from Coimbatore - who is the south India regional representative for ISoM - were awarded Licentiate degrees, a professional international music education qualification of ISoM, to become eligible to teach music across the world.Around 15 other students were awarded diploma ISoM and associated diploma degrees in music.

Issac Sunder, acclaimed musician in Coimbatore, said it was an indisputable fact that in the recent decades, learning western music has been gaining popularity in India, too. He said it was due to greater digital access, changing the mindset of the parents and rising popularity of global genres. Post-Covid 19 pandemic, online adoption made live, high-quality instruction, music teaching and learning accessible outside major metros through specialised provisions and providers.

The present generation Indian families are increasingly open to non-traditional career paths and extra-curricular hobbies, thus moving beyond conventional choices to embrace guitar, drums and keyboard.It is also a fact that exposure to Western pop, rock and hip-hop through social media and other streaming platforms often drives the present Indian youth to replicate and learn the contemporary styles, he said.

Parents also seem to have realised that structured music learning improves discipline, spatial-temporal reasoning, focus, and academic performance.Many GenZ music aspirants in the country began to view Western musical instruments and music theory as modern and cosmopolitan, fuelling interest in hybrid and contemporary sounds. This emerging trend truly reflects a desire for diverse global exposure and flexible learning formats besides the traditional roots, Sunder added.