Music **

** Only offered as minors.

“All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players,” Shakespeare famously said. Today, that part is getting more and more important. As time runs in dizzy circles, performing arts have acquired a meaning like never before. The rapidly evolving global economy demands a dynamic and creative workforce. The arts and its related businesses are responsible for billions in cultural exports for India. In fact, arts and performance are a country’s heritage and its greatest currency. The world needs people who think with the creative side of their brains. It enhances symbiotic thinking capabilities, not always thinking in the same paradigm, learning how to kick-start a new idea, or how to get a job done better, less expensively. Only then are we prepared to play our parts better in this theatre of dreams called the world.

FLAME University’s music specialization has very specific objectives, all of which are toward making FLAME a university of excellence in the teaching and promotion of music, through an interdisciplinary approach. We do this in an environment of trust and faith in order to encourage and nurture individual artistic expression. We aim to encourage innovation and opportunities that challenge the existing norms of teaching music in India.

We strive to encourage and facilitate innovation and learning in music. We aim to do this by providing education, disseminating knowledge and promoting appreciation, through a unique pedagogy and interaction with the arts of other countries and collaborations with arts institutions the world over. Education in music is one of the most creative ways we have to hone the students’ enthusiasm for life and spark their creativity and imaginations.

Grounded in the philosophy of liberal education, inter-disciplinary and applied learning, FLAME University offers a minor in music at the undergraduate level. Through the process of experiential learning, students are enabled to develop sufficient level of understanding in their area(s) of interest in artistic practices. Besides classroom work, our students are benefited from opportunities to attend workshops, seminars, festivals and residencies. Focusing on practice as well as theory in music, our students are provided space and resources to hone individual artistic skills and develop critical thinking.

SPECIALIZATION AIMS

• To offer education in music within a liberal education setting.
• To provide academic training and practical experience for students who wish to explore their interests in music.
• To afford the opportunity for students to develop a significant level of competency in music.
• To create conducive environment for process-oriented practice work and research within specific socio-cultural context in India.
• To engage in process orientated explorations through multi-disciplinary forms in which all of the arts and humanities, knowledge and life skills intersect.
• To provide a broad based curriculum, exceptional professional and liberal education opportunities in fine & performing arts, which enables students in developing collaborative, creative and critical thinking.
• To integrate theory and practice in order to exceed existing boundaries of expression.
• To offer applied exploration and observation toward new forms of artistic and scholarly excellence.
• To offer culturally enriching opportunities to all students and members of the FLAME and regional communities.

COURSES (CORE AND ELECTIVE)

MUSIC MINOR COURSES

14 MINOR COURSES

* 4th year undergraduate courses

History of Indian Music

The evolution of Hindustani Music from the 13th to the 20th centuries will be discussed. This will also include the biographies and contributions of various musicians. The objective of this course is to give students an awareness of one of the oldest music traditions of the world. Students will get an understanding of how a particular music tradition evolves; the processes involved in its evolution.

Music and Culture

It’s a course where Music is discussed from various socio-cultural perspectives like religion, politics, identity, etc. This course will introduce major themes, issues and techniques in ethnomusicology, via case studies and class discussion, covering a variety of musical genres and styles from different cultures.

Aesthetics of Music

The course provides a broader overview of larger issues in aesthetics of music in general and focuses on various approaches of music appreciation, music criticism, and music analysis and audience response studies. Students will be able to appreciate, analyse and critically respond to music and musical performance.

Guitar

This course assumes no prior knowledge of music. The course provides a solid and comprehensive introduction to guitar anatomy, basic guitar playing techniques, fundamentals of ear training, sight reading & music theory and essential timekeeping skills. The focus of the course will be on applying musical and theoretical knowledge to actual music making on the acoustic/classical Guitar.

Vocal - I

A practical oriented course in which the prescribed ragas will be taught. It is aimed to acquire knowledge and understanding of the prescribed ragas through various genres.

Tabla

This is a beginner level course on the north Indian classical percussion ‘tabla’ that will cover the basic practical and theoretical aspects of tabla. This course is aimed at the beginners of tabla and will help in developing one’s rhythmic aspects in music. Students will learn the basics of tabla playing and also get awareness of the basics of rhythm.

Vocal - II

A practical oriented course in which the prescribed ragas will be taught. It is aimed to acquire knowledge and understanding of the prescribed ragas through various genres.

Folk Music

This course attempts to explore indigenous music which forms the ground for other streams of Indian music. With an ethno-musicological perspective, this course discusses the foundation of Indian music. This course will expose students to various types of folk songs, dance, and folk expressions. Students will be able to connect and relate with the ethos of folk musical expressions. They will also understand the dynamic nature of folk music and contemporary changes in folk music and their impact. Student will be able to appreciate, analyze and critically respond to folk music in general and Indian folk music in particular.

Linguistic Study of a Song Text

This is an advanced level course to understand relationship between music and language. It will uncover the beauty of linguistic expression through analysis of some of the well-known compositions in Indian classical music. Students will be exposed to subtle elements of aesthetics and beauty of linguistic expressions through traditional songs, bhajans, and other musical compositions. Students will be able to develop deeper insights about music, lyrics of a song, and the process of meaning-making through music. Additionally, students will be able to appreciate, analyze and critically respond to Indian traditional, semi-classical and classical music.

Western Art Music

An introductory course which aims to familiarize students to the history and practices that constitute the domain of Western Art Music. Important composers, performers and events that shaped Western Art Music are covered. Through careful listening, the students will try to gain an understanding of the different genres, forms, concepts and the contexts in which western art music underwent transitions over the centuries.

Vocal 3

A higher level course in Hindustani Vocal Music would enable students to understand some important Raag and Taal. Through exercises and a few raag compositions; the student would understand and would be able to demonstrate reasonable level of competence in singing Khayal form.

Introduction to Blues & Jazz

This course will introduce students to the history and practice of the Blues and Jazz traditions in the United States and Britain, while familiarizing them with the major performers and styles that shaped these traditions. The course will focus on the period starting from the earliest recorded Blues and Jazz and ending in the 80’s.

Musical Mapping of a locality/community

This is a research based and project oriented course. This course addresses three basic questions. What is Research? What are tools of Research? What is field work? These questions are to be discussed and understood in the context of performing Arts and Music in particular. This course aims to understand connections between Music and Society. It also guides student to formulate a research question and understand how to conduct a field work.

Science of Musical Instruments and its maintenance

The course aims at familiarizing students with the instruments used in Indian Music and foster an awareness of the methods of maintaining the instruments. What are the elements required for producing a sound and how does this sound translate into a musical sound? Physics and acoustics. Families of instruments and their characteristic features, understand the process of constructing and repairing instruments, Understanding the world-view of the instrument-maker and the dialogue between the maker and the performer.

Introduction to Western Music

This course will survey some of the main genres and styles that make up the broad category of western music. Much attention will be given to direct listening and gaining basic knowledge of the musical features and characteristics of each genre/style and the socio-cultural context in which the music genre/style emerged and evolved. Along with fundamentals of melody, harmony and rhythm, the course includes an introduction to western art music and some main genres of 20th century popular music.