Page 47 - EW FEB 2022

Thus far, our loans recovery record is
excellent. Our objective is to ensure
that no deserving student is deprived
of higher education because of lack
of finance,” he says.
Thanks for your public service!
Autar Nehru (Delhi)
Polymath music

teacher

usic education evangelist
BINDU SUBRAMANIAM
M— daughter of globally-
renowned violin maestro L. Sub-
ramaniam and Indian classical
and playback singer Kavita Krish- Bindu Subramaniam: post-pandemic scaling drive
namurthy — is the Bengaluru-based
co-founder and CEO of the Subrama- (ghazal), US-based percussionist around’ component which includes
niam Academy of Performing Arts Russ Miller among others. a social, emotional learning module.
(SaPa, estb.2007). SaPa provides History. A polymath law, lyricist and Through storytelling pedagogies,
joyful age-appropriate education music business alumna of London children learn about global cultures
in Carnatic, Hindustani classical University awarded her Ph D in and traditions to help them explore
and Western music. Since it began music education by the top-ranked the correlation between music and
modestly with a first batch of two Berklee College of Music, USA, subjects like maths and physics.
students and three teachers 15 years Bindu is also a Stanford Seed Trans- After the outbreak of the global Co-
ago, SaPa’s 100 music teachers have formation Program (2020 cohort) vid-19 pandemic, we quickly took all
trained 100,000 students in India fellow. our programmes online and are now
and 14 countries around the world. In 2011 together with brother working on a hybrid learning model.
In 2014, the academy launched its Ambi, she formally took charge of I believe the will to keep learning
SaPa in Schools programme to equip SaPa — promoted by their parents and evolving will ensure our continu-
children with enhanced 21st cen- in 2007 — to make quality music ous growth,” says Bindu, also the
tury skills and transform them into education accessible to learners and co-author of 15 SaPa textbooks.
empathetic global citizens. Thus far, aficionados worldwide. The siblings Tuition fees: Rs.1,800-2,400 per
100 schools countrywide have signed have since developed a research- month.
up for the programme, providing based curriculum with formally Future plans. With the education
violin, percussion, piano, keyboard designed syllabuses, pedagogies disruption and loss of lives and live-
and vocal music education in ten lan- and assessments. Moreover, SaPa’s lihoods caused by the Coronavirus
guages to their students. Among its teacher training model has been pandemic slowly drawing to an end,
well-known school partners are: the developed in collaboration with the the SaPa management is planning
Hyderabad-based Narayana Group Norwegian Academy of Music, one of to gradually scale up its initiatives.
of Schools, GEAR International Europe’s largest conservatories. “We are looking to partner with
School, the NPS Group and Innisfree Direct talk. “As much as we are many more institutions for our SaPa
House School — all in Bengaluru. deeply rooted in and respectful of in Schools programme, and invite
Newspeg. To mark its 14th anni- Indian culture, we love and respect several world-class musicians for our
versary last June, SaPa launched a the music of other cultures and online and pre-recorded self-paced
series of online self-paced courses in societies as well. SaPa students are courses. Also in the pipeline is a new
music production, song writing, vo- exposed to global music through music curriculum being designed for
cal and instrumental music designed workshops conducted by interna- expecting mothers and three-month-
by renowned musicians including tional artistes, collaborators, and old toddlers,” enthuses Bindu, for
Dr. L. Subramaniam, Kavita Krish- day-to-day lessons. Even the SaPa whom music is evidently the food of
namurthy, Usha Uthup (stagecraft), in Schools programme has a spe- love.
Anup Jalota (bhajan), Pankaj Udhas cially designed ‘music and the world Paromita Sengupta (Bengaluru)

FEBRUARY 2022 EDUCATIONWORLD 47