How technology has changed music teaching

How musician-teachers are offering diverse modules to reach learners across the globe

As far as Indian classical arts are concerned, guru-sishya parampara is regarded the most ideal and effective way of teaching and learning. Veterans in the field describe it as “sinne barr sinna sikhlai” (from one to the other directly). About two decades ago, when lessons began to be taught on Skype, largely to overseas or outstation students, it was seen only as a temporary supplement to the direct learning experience. But the pandemic has made online learning the main medium of instruction. Several senior artistes-cum-teachers have come up with diverse learning modules to cater to different categories of students. Let’s see how technological intervention has changed the guru-sishya equation, learning experience and teaching pattern.

While some are teaching to simply reach out to passionate aspirants, there are others who are offering a “sampler” for an in-depth study later, and then there are those who are designing courses according to the demands of the students.