SOI Music Academy offers advanced level of music training to talented young children

Bengaluru: Ever since he was six, Ayaan Deshpande, 9, had been teaching himself to play the piano. Although his parents -- who have no background in music -- realised he was good, they would perhaps not have known that he’s good enough to play for Zubin Mehta if they hadn’t found a school like Symphony of India (SOI) Music Academy.

This time when maestro Mehta was in India, Ayaan played his own composition for him, said Khushroo Suntook, Chairman of National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Mumbai.

"I think he liked it. He said he will come next year," said Ayaan, who started learning at the SOI Music Academy in 2021.

The SOI Music Academy was launched in 2012 by NCPA to offer an advanced level of music training, previously not available in India, to talented young children like Ayaan.

In a video documenting Ayaan’s debut performance at SOI, Marat Bisengaliev, Music Director of SOI Music Academy, talked about how he almost “didn’t let Ayaan near the academy” because of his terrible singing voice. “He just cannot control his voice,” said Bisengaliev.

But when the boy played the piano, he took everyone by surprise. “This case totally changed my view on how to treat children when they come to the academy. You have to listen. You have to go inside and find the inner sense of music, sense of intonation. Otherwise, you can easily throw away a genius,” added Bisengaliev.

Suntook said lack of access to western classical music teaching is one of the big reasons why the genre never took off in a big way in India.

"I am not talking about drawing room teaching here. Those we have in plenty in Mumbai alone. And we also have people who take it up as hobby. Sometimes, we have had people say that their daughters know not only how to cook, but also to play the piano. You know it’s a good skill to pick up for marriage market. But these were not good enough for concerts or symphony orchestras,” said Suntook.

According to Suntook, the situation is changing and western classical is becoming “very very popular, especially in the northeastern states of India, Chennai and Bengaluru”.

For these talented musicians who are serious, the academy offers lessons on all the string instruments, select woodwind and brass instruments, piano, and percussion by teachers who are all professional musicians trained in Europe and are all full-time members of the Symphony Orchestra of India, said Suntook.

Part of the funding for the music academy comes from various charity events organised by the NCPA, like the auction that was held on August 19.

Incidentally, Zubin Mehta had also donated a few of his personal belongings to be auctioned this time.

"You know, he has been so generous with us, so incredibly generous. He has given us a bat signed by the entire (World Cup) winning Indian team. He also gave us a bat signed by Sachin Tendulkar. This time, we auctioned the bat signed by the Indian team. We also auctioned Zubin's autographed baton. Just these two alone fetched us little less than a crore (Rs),” said Suntook.

This time, the proceeds are earmarked specifically to buy musical instruments for the Symphony Orchestra of India.

“We had a fire accident in the instrument room. It was not a big fire, but the smoke destroyed many of the instruments. Slowly, we are replacing the instruments that we have lost.”

Suntook also said maestro Mehta was so impressed with the orchestra, which he led this time when he was in India, that he has agreed to send three double basses tested by him as a present for the orchestra.