“I have never seen students so completely absorbed in a concert or program before.  I had students stopping me in the hall all day to tell me how great it was.” - Colorado school teacher

Students are enthusiastic and engaged as they learn aspects of RAGA (melody), TALA (rhythm), and BHAVA (emotion) in Indian music through singing and clapping. Students’ musical and cultural horizons are expanded through an unforgettable musical experience.

With its Expanding the Horizons Indian Music Workshop, Atmic Vision has impacted 9000+ students in over 40 schools in Colorado (supported by University of Colorado OUTREACH), New York City (7-school tour endorsed by NYC Department of Education), Nevada (tour set up by Las Vegas Department of Secondary Fine Arts), Chicago, and beyond.

Expanding The Horizons is an Indian music workshop designed to get students excited about the music of India through teaching basic elements of raga (melody) and tala (rhythm). Atmic Vision’s personal and interactive style involves students in a lively multi-cultural experience that is fun and entertaining, while also being very educational.  Frequent opportunities for questions and answers help to stimulate active student participation and build a friendly rapport.

Through his expertise as a performer and teacher of Western music, University of Colorado College of Music professor Dr. Paul Erhard creates a cultural bridge geared toward the Western musical orientation of most students. Students are able to see connections between aspects of melody and rhythm they are familiar with in Western pop and classical music and the unfamiliar Indian music presented in the workshop.

We all learn better by doing rather than watching.  Atmic Vision helps students get past initial inhibitions and gain confidence by encouraging group participation in various singing and clapping exercises involving melody, rhythm, and emotion in Indian music. Atmic Vision's goal is help students gain an appreciation and understanding of Indian music, and give students a foundation for further exploration both of Indian music and music of other cultures.

Many teachers have reported that for weeks after the workshop, their students are still enthusiastically clapping and singing the exercises learned in the workshop.  Students’ musical and cultural horizons are expanded through an unforgettable musical experience.

Some workshop specifics:

-   RAGA (melody):  Ragas are scale/melody structures conveying specific emotions.  Butto introduces the Indian note names (Sa, Re, Ga, Ma etc.) and helps students sing a few ragas using these Indian note names. Butto then teaches several characteristic melodic phrases of a raga through call and response exercises. See VIDEOS page for Butto teaching RAGA.

-   TALA (rhythm): Students sing several simple rhythmic patterns (Tabla Bols) that Muthu demonstrates on the tabla.  As part of this process, students speak the tabla language (Dha Ti Ge Na etc.) used by tabla drummers. Students also have the opportunity to play the tabla, feeling what it is like to strike the drums with ones fingertips.   See VIDEOS page for Muthu teaching TALA.

-   BHAVA (emotion): The goal of music is to convey emotions. With an awareness of the emotional “intention” of a specific raga, students sing the raga and experience its emotional expression.  Atmic Vision then demonstrates this emotion by performing a specific raga.  Students experience how music from another culture can express emotions common to the students.

Duration:  Workshops vary in duration from 35 minutes to 90 minutes, depending on school scheduling.  Atmic Vision can give multiple back-to-back sessions.

Venue:  Workshops can be presented either in an intimate classroom setting with 50-150 students, or in an auditorium setting for hundreds of students.   Either way, students participate actively.

VIDEOS: Butto teaching RAGA, and Muthu teaching TALA

Workshop Feedback from school teachers

PODCAST: Workshop, Elizabeth Marrow School, New Jersey

For booking information, contact Dr. Paul Erhard, professor of double bass, U of Colorado  College of Music:
tel: 303-492-4918
email: paul.erhard@colorado.edu