'Need for formalized music education in Goa'

PANAJI: It is not often that you find your teacher using a keyboard instead of a blackboard, but no one's complaining at Goa University (GU). Mark Troop shuttles between the lectern and the keys delivering a light and rhythmic lecture which is as "subtle" as his subject: Classical style in western music. Troop is in Goa as part of GU's visiting chair research professors programme under the Anthony Gonsalves chair of Western Music.
Speaking to TOI, Troop opined that theory in western classical music is not advanced, and education is rather mediocre as the courses offered at Kala Academy are not full-time courses. He says, "The infrastructure at Kala Academy is one of the best you will find in this country but the authorities that deal with the arts in the state should work towards making the classes more structured, regular and continuous. It is important to have a dedicated set of teachers and a syllabus to give the course direction and stability."
"This will provide for a steady and formalized education and not just a one-off lecture. There are some students interested in doing their postgraduation in western music, but it would be appropriate to also have a bachelor's degree so that aspiring students and amateur musicians have an opportunity to study music academically," adds Troop.
For someone who visits the state nearly three times every year, Troop is no stranger to the political scenario in Goa, but wishes that administration of music and the arts department be left up to the experts, so that children who desire to learn and build a career in music get all the professional help they need. He points out that the Goa University choir has been a great introduction and is just the beginning to many more things that can be achieved.
Claiming that it is "nonsensical" to label classical music as elitist, he asserts that what people need is an understanding about different genres of music. "People have probably heard music for 20 years of their life, but to identify their taste, they need exposure to different genres of music that may have been in existence for over 5,000 years, when there existed no recording or microphones or technology. Like music from Amazon calms me down, but it may not do the same for others. Music is a subjective art form and that is why it depends on how one can connect to a particular genre. We are not here to judge or condemn any form of music, but we are simply providing an opportunity to get acquainted with western music," says Troop.
"Youngsters need access to good music and then they will be able to make a choice and decide what suits them best. If the scope is limited, then the taste of music is limited," suggests the pianist, broadcaster and writer at the Chamber Music Company.
Troop doesn't shy away from commenting on the musical vibe in Goa. He says, "Music is what people do, it is a cultural practice and if EDM makes people dance then I suppose it is music, simply because it is what people do."
Ramrao Wagh, chief coordinator of the visiting chair research professor programme, says that other than a full-fledged degree, GU has proposed community college programmes that will involve certificate courses and diploma courses in western classical music. "The relationship between GU and Kala Academy is very positive and in all possibility, we want to make Goa the hub for music education. A degree course in western classical music is surely possible, but we want to start out with programmes that are more skill based," he says.
Troop, who along with his wife Patricia Rozario, run the Give Voice Society, is of the opinion that there is a dearth of home grown teachers of western music in Goa. "Our aim is to nurture aspiring students of western classical music so that they may travel abroad and study further, but most importantly come back and share the knowledge," he explains.
The husband-wife duo, who work with Indian singers in an effort to raise the standard of western classical singing, both art song and opera, would be presenting a staged performance of Dido and Aeneas on August 4, at Kala Academy, with an all-India cast and crew.