Start of School, New Beginnings

As we gear up for a new school year, we’d like to reflect back on the past year a little bit.  We had a great annual program last year, and we recognized our two graduating seniors, Raksha and Rohin.  This year we did something a little different, and had each of our seniors do three songs instead of the usual one.  It was really wonderful to see how accomplished they have become over the years.

Each of them gave a short speech at the recital.  As they begin their college careers, we wanted to wish them well, and publish what they said about their experience learning music.  Good luck to the both of you, and we hope music is a continuing part of your life.

Raksha’s Speech

I hoped you enjoyed my performance as well as the entire program. Thank you all being here to watch us today. I would like to thank Shanti Aunty and Shruti Aunty for providing me this opportunity. They worked really hard to put this program together and make it successful. I am a graduating senior and I will be attending Cleveland State University: Washkewicz College of Engineering this Fall as a freshman. I am planning to pursue a degree in Computer Science.

I started learning music from 7th grade and throughout this experience, I have learned that without practice you cannot achieve any good outcome and I learned that you have to be very patient. Learning music is a way to bring out your emotion and soul. You can think of music as a stress-reliever; it’s a way for you to calm down and brings out the ability to focus. Music can help you recognize patterns and manipulate them. Sighing out loud and rolling your eyes to your parents during practice, and whining and screaming ‘I hate this!’ is not going to do any good. Without practice, you won’t have the ability to perform a song smoothly by not thinking about what comes next. And in the end, performing music would bring out your inner self and you would be completely satisfied.

And lastly, I would like to thank my family for being supportive and  to thank Ragapriya School of Music for inspiring me to come this far.

Thank You!

Rohin’s Speech

I have been playing Carnatic violin for over 9 years. I was already playing the Western violin, so when I was in India during one summer, I started taking lessons. This was my first real exposure to Carnatic music. Everything about the music spoke to me; the intricate rhythms, ragas, and notes always produced a beautiful sound. When I returned from India, I started taking lessons with Shruti Aunty.

I have continued playing because I love the music, but playing Carnatic violin has also taught me very important lessons.  It’s amazing to think that I started off struggling to play simple scales and bhajans, but through practice, I have been able to advance. In addition, through playing violin, I have learned a lot about the Indian culture, particularly the famous composers. Playing violin has also helped me in my academics by improving my memory and concentration. Also, it has given me a greater appreciation of the music legends that play every year at the Tyagaraja festival. I am more and more amazed and inspired by their talent.

I have been lucky to have Shruti Aunty as my teacher. Her dedication and passion towards Carnatic music is inspiring. I admire her hard work, patience, and enthusiasm for teaching.

As I go off to college, I hope to find time to continue playing music. I encourage everyone of you to continue learning and enjoying music.

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