ON SONG:Aman at the Trinity College of Music, London

I had an early initiation into music when, at the age of four, my parents introduced me to the world of Indian classical ragas. With time though, I became more inclined towards jazz and blues. I loved performing ? I played the piano and the flute ? and had even formed a band.

At school too nothing else except music interested me. Therefore, the decision to pursue music professionally came naturally to me. However, seeing the poor state of educators in India, particularly those who teach western classical music, I made a decision to pursue studies abroad.

After passing out from school in 2000, instead of taking admission to a regular course, I focused on exploring study options abroad. As I wanted to study western classical music ? and play the piano ? I zeroed in on the UK. Some more research later I settled on the Trinity College of Music, London. What attracted me to Trinity was its long history and reputation as the top music college in the UK. Even my idol, music composer A.R. Rahman studied at Trinity.

Identifying the right college was just half the task done. The real struggle was to begin only later. To get admission to Trinity I had to clear grade VIII theory and practical examinations conducted by the Trinity College Examination Board or the Associated Board of the Royal School of Music. Besides an unedited video tape recording of the student?s performance, the college also seeks minimum scores in the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

It took me 14-15 hours of hard work every day for two years to complete the required grade VIII level. From learning technical stuff such as compositions, scales, musical dictation to ear training and identifying chords, the exams test students on various aspects related to music. You can take the exam from India itself as there are centres in various cities. The practical exam is held once a year while the theory test is conducted twice in a year.

I landed in Trinity in September 2003 for the one-year foundation course. The college building itself took my breath away. It was beautiful being in Greenwich next to the Thames. A peaceful and ideal place to learn symphonies and sonatas. And I was the only Indian in class amidst Spaniards, Greeks, Japanese and Britishers. The foundation course prepared me for the Bachelor in Music (BMus) honours course in performance. The focus is on the principal instrument ?? in my case ?? the piano.

The BMus is a four-year study programme. The course offers intensive performance-centred training that is supported by a range of creative activities. As a full-time student I used to get 90 minutes of individual tuition per week. Then there were master-classes, performance workshops and other specialist seminars that gave us a chance to learn from renowned guest lecturers.

Studying at Trinity, I never felt I was at a university. It is completely a music college. There is music everywhere. You interact with other musicians, practise for hours and listen to new notes and melodies. Renowned pianists teach us. And the classes are for not more than two hours every day. The rest of the time we practise. Trinity has more than 70 practice rooms with the best instruments available. Also, the emphasis is on your holistic development. As a pianist you might choose to receive specialist tuition on a related instrument such as a harpsichord, clavichord, forte-piano or organ.

Unlike India where teachers chase you for homework and attendance, nobody runs after you here. You are left to do your own thing. But the teachers are easily accessible. Studies are practice-oriented and you feel more connected to the real music scene.

I am not so much into attaining great degrees. I feel there is no end to learning music. The only way you will learn more is by putting it into practice. I have taken a sabbatical for a year after my first year of BMus. And I am currently working on a few interesting projects in India. Besides making background music of short films I am also learning sound engineering. I eventually aspire to make music for films. To pursue a career in music you need to go for it wholeheartedly. Immerse yourself completely into it. There are no shortcuts in this field.

As told to Tessy Koshy