The True School of Music
THE True School of Music (TSM) is a privately owned school located at Lower Parel in central Mumbai, India that conducts vocational music training. Started in May 2013, the school has quickly become one of the most sought-after educational institutes to train the next generation of musicians, artistes, producers, sound engineers, composers and DJs to feed the increasing demand for music within India’s burgeoning music scene that includes Bollywood, the live and studio music industry, and advertising. To teach their internationally authored curriculum, faculty have been sourced from some of the most famous music schools and conservatories from around the world including The Manhattan School of Music, Conservatorium Van Amsterdam, HKU School of Media — Amsterdam, BIMM, Alchemea, among others. www.trueschool.in
History
The True School of Music is the brainchild of co-founder Ashutosh Phatak, an award-winning multi-instrumental music composer and producer, who has released over 15 contemporary music albums in the past two decades, and Nitin Chandy, one of Mumbai’s leading audio engineers, with a career spanning over a decade. Phatak, who is also a founding partner at Blue Frog Media Pvt. Ltd — India’s leading chain of live entertainment clubs, met Chandy while the latter was the chief technical officer at the company. Chandy was instrumental in setting up the Delhi Blue Frog.
True School today
The 15,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility in Central Mumbai houses recording studios, comprehensive music library, and an auditorium for live performances. Modern methodology of instruction that is constantly evolving and perennially contemporary gives the school a less erudite but more practical hue while keeping the focus on making a career in the music industry. Students aged 8 to 88 are accepted into the internationally authored curriculum, designed especially for the Indian environment. With a broad array of musical styles and genres ranging from rock, pop, funk, Latin, jazz and blues to Indian, electronic and world music, students are offered a plethora of world influences. The instant integration into the business for students, through True School’s tie-ups in the industry, has been a big draw for budding musicians.
CEO Julia Leggett has had an illustrious career in the field of music spanning over a decade; before True School she was executive director and then CEO at the Academy of Contemporary Music, UK. Her career highlights at ACM include the opening of a partner school in the US, devising online platforms, developing music industry connections and the creation of numerous youth academies. The Key Alumni from her time at ACM include Ted Dwane (member of Grammy Award winning Mumford and Sons), Newton Faulkner (2 number one selling albums in the UK) and Zomboy (hugely successful producer and DJ).
Courses
Professional Courses The Professional school offers students a chance to be proficient in their craft and is for those who are looking to get an intensive, more in-depth education to pursue a career in music. With an effective industry experience programme, students usually graduate fully equipped to embark on a musical career. The Pro courses are offered in the following subjects: Vocals, Guitar, Drums, Bass, Keyboard, DJing, Music Production, Instrument Producer, Pro Sound and Hindustani Playback Singing.
Foundation Courses The Foundation Course is a part-time music performance-focused course for all age groups. The course gives students the quality education of a full-time course with the flexibility of a hobby class. With professionals from the business teaching the course, students get an opportunity to perform at the school’s state-of-the-art auditorium while gaining access to all the resources within the school’s facility. The courses for children are divided age-wise and students are accepted from the age of 2 and a half years for the introduction to Hindustani music programme. The Foundation Course is offered in the following subjects: Guitar, Bass, Western Vocals, Keyboards, Drums, DJ and Indian Vocals.
Pro Junior Course The Pro Junior course is perfectly tailored for youngsters who are interested in an active, engaging and in-depth experience of music. Students who are inclined towards pursuing their musical education beyond the satisfaction of just a hobby, will be taught comprehensive theory and practical knowledge through this age-appropriate, systematic course. For this purpose, they will have to undergo an assessment following which they could be selected for this exclusive programme. The course is split across three levels, each consisting subjects such as Theory & ear training, Instrument and Ensemble.
Tie-up with Shankar Mahadevan Academy The True School of Music has tied up with acclaimed Bollywood composer Shankar Mahadevan’s eponymous school to offer courses on Hindi playback singing. From crafting courses for the casual singer as well as children to those looking to gain a foothold in the music industry, the Shankar Mahadevan Academy has put together for TSM courses that are relevant for all. This course focuses on practicing fundamentals of Hindustani classical and semi classical, the voice training and applying these ideas while performing film music. Preparing for a performance is dealt with in great detail.
Faculty
Shubha Mudgal Trained by eminent scholar-musician-composer Pandit Ramashreya Jha “Ramrang”, she also received guidance from Pandit Vinaya Chandra Maudgalya and Pandit Vasant Thakar. Shubha Mudgal and Aneesh Pradhan have established an online distribution platform for musicians specializing in diverse forms of Indian music through their website http://www.UnderscoreRecords.com. Among the many projects they have initiated in their efforts to preserve the rich musical heritage of India is http://www.SangeetKosh.net, an online encyclopaedia of Indian Music.
Aneesh Pradhan A disciple of tabla maestro Pandit Nikhil Ghosh, Aneesh Pradhan is a leading tabla soloist and accompanist to vocal and instrumental music and dance. Aneesh is Founder-Director of Underscore Records, an independent online record label that he established with vocalist Shubha Mudgal. Along with Shubha, Aneesh also curates a festival called Baajaa Gaajaa: Music from 21st Century India which celebrates and showcases the diversity of music from India.
Federica Colangelo Federica worked for Fandango Productions (Precious, Videocrazy, Gomorra) in Rome. The first CD of Acquaphonica (Private Enemy), Acquaphonica has been touring in Poland, Italy, Bulgaria, Germany and the Netherlands presenting the music of Private Enemy. Journalists Gerlando Gatto and Luigi Onori write on “A proposito di jazz” about Acquaphonica.
Vehrnon Ibrahim Vehrnon is a Music Artist Manager and Founder of FreeWillMusic – a system designed to help music artists make and keep more money. He is a Creative Music and Media Specialist based in Mumbai India helping organizations – Radio | Music | Television | Online | Events – do things differently and do things better with tactics, strategies and solutions based on fresh perspectives with a focus on the future.
Mugdha Hasabnis is a Singer, Performer, Lyricist and a Teacher. Her musical journey began very early with Hindustani Classical Music in which she is certified till the “Upantya Visharad” level. She has received “The Best Singer Female – Non-Film” award by Kannada International Music Awards in 2013. She bagged another award for her Kannada song in the album 2way composed by Amit Anand. She has also sung in various languages like Telugu, Gujarati etc. She collaborated with a very popular YouTube channel ‘Shrutibox’ that is a brainchild of Shankar Tucker (composer, clarinet player) where she sang and wrote lyrics for Shankar’s tunes.
Marilena Paradisi Vocalist, composer, improviser, tireless explorer and experimenter in the use of the human voice, Marilena’s work ranges from jazz to total improvisation and contemporary classics. She was ranked among “the Best New Talents” and has released as many as 7 albums as a leader, in collaboration with prominent Italian and international musicians. In the context of Contemporary Classical Music, she has been the Lead Voice (soprano) for the Nucleo Theatron Ensemble del Cristiano Serino Etere Project in a world premiere at Vivaverdi Multikulti Festival.
Angelo di loreto A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music in New York City, he earned both his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music in 5 years. While at MSM, he studied with renowned pianists/composers Ted Rosenthal, Vijay Iyer, and J. Mark Stambaugh. He was a finalist in the 2012 Nottingham International Jazz Piano Competition in the United Kingdom and is a 2011, 2012 and 2013 ASCAP Jazz Composer Award recipient. Angelo and fellow MSM alumnus Adam Kromelow, form a unique duo-piano project, THE GENESIS PIANO PROJECT, performing the early music of the British prog rock band Genesis.
Pawan Benjamin An alumnus of Manhattan School of Music (MSM) and Chhandayan Centre for Indian Music, he has performed at some of the most prestigious venues around the world: Lincoln Center’s Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola, the Velvet Lounge (Chicago), The Blue Note, Bimhuis (Amsterdam) and the Music Gallery (Toronto) among others. His knowledge of Western harmony, and the Jazz tradition, paired with his knowledge of the music of India and Nepal, has given him a unique worldly perspective of music which he applies as a saxophonist, bansuri artist, and composer and producer.
Sharik Hasan had completed the curriculum of the Royal School of Music, London then went to the United States to attend Oberlin College and Conservatory of Music. In 2007, Hasan moved to Paris for two years to study at the Bill Evans Piano Academy and then subsequently to Berklee College of Music where he was offered a scholarship for the special honors program and has performed at venues all over the world. Sharik Hasan received his master's degree from the Manhattan School of Music in 2014 and currently works in New York City as a pianist, composer, and educator.
Maarten Buning worked as a music programmer on Alone in the Dark 2 and Far Cry. He has produced scores for In the Name of the King 2, Max Schmeling, Cast Me If You Can (Japanese movie) and written additional music for Rampage, Attack on Darfur, Bloodrayne 3 and Assault on Wallstreet. Having graduated with a Master of Arts degree in 2009, he started a music production company with Jessica in 2011 and has scored music for Prisoners of the Sun, a full-length Hollywood feature film
Music Works
Music Works is a True School annual property. This day-long event gives aspirants a chance to experience what it takes to become a musician with personalities from the industry like Salim Merchant, Zoya Akhtar, Zubin Balaporia, Shridhar Subramanium, Girish(Bobby) Talwar, Rajiv Kenkre, Purab Kohli, Uday Benegal conducting demo classes.
Opportunities
Students are exposed to real-world projects associated with reputed names in the music and entertainment industry. The school’s tie-ups with a whole range of industry veterans means that students can stand a chance to win placements with event management companies that host Sunburn, NH7 as well as corporates like Disney, MTV, Oranjuice, ArtistAloud.com, Unilever and Red FM 93.5 among others. Internships are encouraged and opportunities to learn and work are favoured. TSM even helps out-station students with finding residence in a space-starved city like Mumbai.