Advice for Skype teachers

[GaryInThailand]

Unlike (and with great respect to) our beloved MS Akella, I don't think it's inherently improper for a teacher to charge for lessons on Skype. It's cash-based world now, and most of us are not at the point that we can live even modestly without an income. We have to get compensation for our efforts.

But when you charge, it needs to be professional. You are taking someone's money. You are responsible to deliver the service. Skype is new medium and filter to the communication. It is not the old days.

I offer the following guidelines humbly, for whatever benefit they may have to the art and profession, mainly because I've experienced each one violated, many multiple times.

1) Prepare your lesson. Don't 'make it up as you go along' in the way you would in one-on-one.

2) Give the student what they need to prepare for the lesson. In my case, a representative recording of the way you want the composition performed and a set of corresponding notation of swara and sahityam does the job.

3) Show up! It may be difficult for the student to organize time and place for the lesson. If you come onlin 45 minutes late and say "Okay, we can start now", it is not just rude. It may well be impossible for the student to take the lesson.

4) Get to know your student and acknowledge their needs. You may get people of all ages, walks of life, etc. What works for Carnatic teenagers may not work for retired Westerners (like me)

5) Be willing to accept honest feedback. It's a new medium. No one knows exactly what works.

6) Don't go kolaveri if your student criticizes you for, for example, not showing up for a scheduled lesson

Gary Hall

[tkb]

sabash! good observations and practical way to approach!

[shripathi_g]

Having suffered at the hands of Skype teachers, I have decided to draw up a contract for my next teacher. I've been at the receiving end of every one of those points you mentioned. Especially the showing up late part is very annoying. Being a professional, it's hard enough fitting a class into my schedule. On top of that, I was advised not to practise before class. These teachers also charge up front which basically leaves you with no choice.

[VK RAMAN]

I believe one on one is the best, but if one is using skype some times the audio and video are poor so to maintain the audio have ones phone on speaker so audio is clear. I second the idea of providing a recording to the student for practice. On line learning is very difficult but given the motivation of the student and teacher, learning is possible through on line class.

[msakella]

True music cannot be taught by Skype. But, the aspirant could very conveniently be initiated and music lesson could also be taught by Skype. Recently I have also experimented on a 7 year-old kid residing in US initiating him to play six Varnas on Violin successfully within a span of hardly one-and-half months. In fact, Skype is a boon to learn music for the people who are far away from the teacher. But, unfortunately, our money minded teachers prefer to teach in person only. amsharma

[Ramasubramanian M.K]

Sharmaji:I fully agree with you--only a person who has spent a lifetime experimenting and learning thro Teaching--like YOU can legitimately express the anguish at the current state of pedagogy. Skype or not,the Teacher's motivation,interest and respect for the student should be the prime factors. Unfortunately because there is so much money to be made from it without going thro physical inconveniences and the genuine ardour of remotely-based rasikas is being exploited in my humble opinion--from my perspective,while SKYPE may help in improving upon some basics and getting rid of bad habits it is no substitute to in-person teaching provided the Teacher is equally devoted and sincere.

Think of it--over the last 250 years since the Trinity,the preservation is because of the great symbiotic relationship between the Teacher and the taught depite the time and space limitations--the few who sat at the feet of these giants were loyal to the art form and helped preserve it by teaching to their students.
Not all good singers or instrumentalists are good teachers and not all good teachers may be good vocalists or instrumentalists.Ofcourse students' level of grasping and real shraddha as opposed to 'wanting-to-go-on-stage" syndrome are also factors.

[VK RAMAN]

'wanting-to-go-on-stage" syndrome is a major motivator for many of the parents to give lessons to their children and not for music sake.

[msakella]

As you wrote there is no substitute for face to face teaching or learning music. That is absolutely true. But, as it is not at all possible to the aspirants living in other cities or countries to learn music face to face from a good teacher, nowadays, the Skype has become a blessing in disguise even up to some extent. But, even now, some of the music-teachers do not prefer either to teach on Skype or even to furnish pre-recorded material to the aspirant to make him work on his own even in the absence of the teacher. They prefer only to teach face to face elongating the process of teaching for many more years squeezing more money but imparting the minimum to the aspirant taking advantage of their ignorance in music.

But, as you wrote, ‘wanting-to-go-on-stage’ syndrome is also a major motivator for many of the parents to give lessons to their children almost all the freelance music-teachers, who are compelled to live on music, are compelled to teach mostly to this major lot of the aspirants without bothering about the standards. For this we can never blame these teachers for their inabilities and inconveniences. That is why I never talk about this unfortunate lot of poor freelance music-teachers.

Still, there is another lot of parasitical-music-teachers like me who get regular income having been appointed as music-teachers or with some other designation but very conveniently teach the minimum in the absence of any kind of supervision. They regularly teach the aspirants in which way they have already been taught by their teachers but never teach in which way the aspirant has to be taught. I have visited many Institutions and Music-departments of several Universities but felt very unhappy of their very low standards of their teachings producing only impotents. Even after 5 years after my retirement I could rectify my defect and properly paying back my society. But, most unfortunately, not only in their service but not after their retirement also none of them is realising and doing the needful to the society. At the same time even the parents of the aspirants are also left with no other choice except approaching these music-teasers spread all over the globe. God alone must save these aspirants and their parents. amsharma

[msakella]

In continuation to my last post, I would also like to make it clear that, irrespective of his/her teaching on Skype or in person, the efficient, honest and reliable teacher very well knows how to initiate the aspirant in making him/her properly knowledgeable even before the completion of teaching Varnas with all the needed nuances. But, all others, on one side, always harp on learning more number of compositions in each Raga and on the other, declaring Manodharma Sangita could neither be taught nor be learnt, go on singing hundreds of compositions for many years telling the aspirants to follow them to learn. Unless this is curbed properly very few potents only come out basing on their own efforts. amsharma

[classicallover]

Sharmaji & others,

There are different aspects to be viewed here. As you have elucidated already, the wanting to go on stage syndrome is the biggest bane for music. No one wants to have proper intuitive initiation from the guru nor the guru is interested in proper learning by the student. That is the reason for the whole lot of quack musicians who are bent upon earning quick and easy money, exploiting the parents' who want the child to become a musician just by learning four kirtanas of Annamacharya. With these four songs, arangetram is performed and they want the student to perform on any stage, radio & TV. Hence these four-song-musicians turn into quack musicians of the next generation. Any musician wanting to teach sincerely is teased derogatively , dubbing him as too theoretical. Free & quick music is sought out , but not pure music. If someone wants to teach for free, the student and the public think that this fellow doesn't know any music that's why he is teaching for free. It is generally believed by the public that only the teacher who charges a hefty fee is a good teacher. On the part of the students, unless they are made to pay, they don't learn and take the teacher for granted.

All students from abroad should consider it a privilege to take this opportunity to study music for extended periods of time under the Gurukulavaasa system by coming to India and learning it nicely under the direct supervision of the Guru. While skype can only be used to give some pointers and advice, it should not be a wholesome medium for learning. All those who teach music taking hefty fees through skype ( most of them are financially sound otherwise also and don't require this fee money ) have to ensure that they do justice to the student by teaching the nuances of the music but not just the rudiments. Music is a yoga and is a very important culturing ( samskaara ) tool for the development of the student's mind and soul and transform him into an exemplary person. Unless the teachers themselves have some scruples ( samskaara ) how will the students imbibe such qualities ?

[msakella]

classicallover, As you wrote the wanting to go on stage syndrome is the biggest bane for music. However, the aspirant can also be initiated properly and quickly arriving at the pure music by an efficient, honest and reliable teacher. Only by toiling himself/herself with regular and strenuous practice the aspirant becomes an exemplary person. But all our music-teachers are used only to follow the age old quantitative system elongating the process of teaching to earn more money but not to make it quick.

Having personally observed the disadvantages of the so called Gurukulavasa and having worked as a teacher for 35 years in the institutionalised system I, ultimately, found that no other system is better than the institutionalised system in learning music. If the teacher is efficient, honest and reliable and if the student is also sincere in doing things the institutionalised system is the only best system to learn music. But, I, having visited several Govt. Music institutions and music-departments of Universities, very sadly, found that most of these music-teachers, who are regularly getting their salaries in the absence of any kind of supervision since last 50 years, are the real culprits for the deterioration of the standards in music. Everywhere, having no knowledge of music the higher authorities are reluctant to supervise them and this has become a blessing in disguise to the working-music-teachers. Thus, while these institutions have become the breeding grounds for the impotents these impotents, in turn, are becoming freelance music-teachers having left no other choice to survive. Thus, the entire process has become a vicious circle. Very sadly enough, including the Governor or the Chief Minister, every authority is turning a deaf ear to these problems.

At this juncture, having recently found a truly qualitative method in teaching music for the first time in the history, I am able to teach my student-kids residing even in far-off places like US through Skype efficiently and quickly through a perfect plan yielding amazing results. Even only by initiating by Skype for twice a week a 11 year old kid could give a concert of 45 mts., within one year singing Ragalapana and mathematical Svrakalpana efficiently. To tell the truth, through these rudiments only the aspirant finally arrives at the nuances of the music. But, unfortunately, either the poor aspirants or parents have no other choice than depending upon the available music-teachers who are used only to elongate the process of teaching for their own benefit. amsharma

[msakella]

In continuation to my last post I would like to bring out the following heart-burning information to the readers. Enjoy well and feel happy for the precarious condition of our educational system of our great country in which the future of our poor kids is kept in tact.

Here, at Hyderabad, we are teaching music to a very promising aspirant who also applied for the M.A., Music examination of Distance Education of Madras University remitting an amount of Rs.6000/- in October, 2011 towards the fee for the 1st year (fee for the 2nd year is around Rs.9000/-). Then they have also promised her to send the syllabus and study material in December, 2011 for the examination to be held in June, 2012. When they did not send it she spoke to the local authorities who simply suggested her to speak direct to the Director, Chennai. Since then she made more than 100 telephone calls either to the Director, Sri Thangaraju (Ph: 044-25362716 & 25393347) or to the Music Faculty - 044-23205739, Chennai. But, in spite of all, neither has been supplied till date. Now, she has to remit some fees for this ensuing examination. But, as neither the syllabus nor even the study material has yet been supplied she is in a dilemma to remit that amount. This obviously shows the irresponsibility of all the authorities concerned towards the candidates appearing for the examinations in our great country be it Tamilnadu or Andhra or any other State. This is not the only case. Now I am 73 years old and I have seen umpteen such incidents glaringly bringing out the irresponsibility of the authorities concerned. More over, such incidents could very well be recognised by their mis-deeds but, the invisible harm made by our music-teachers could be recognised by an efficient music-teacher only and not by each and every music-performer. Nowadays, such incidents of high irresponsibility are happening everywhere but not been brought out by each and every suffering individual as every authority is trying his/her level best to run away from such responsibilities but not in sincerely or honestly taking any remedial measures.

Previously also one candidate appearing for the B.A., Music examination of Distance Education of Madras University came to me asking for coaching for Svarakalpana and Ragalapana by Skype. When I have tested her, surprisingly, I have found that she doesn’t know how to sing even the seven Alankaras properly. As all the authorities concerned are used to bother about the income from the candidates only but not in providing even the basic facilities she has somehow been allowed by these honourable authorities concerned to appear for the B.A., examination in music even without having the basic knowledge of it. Having visited many of these institutions I very well know the negative attitude of such authorities towards these candidates. God alone must save our kids and our country. amsharma