OffSet Out of the Box

Closing season 2, we thought it only appropriate to talking about, what we would like to call it, "songs of the soil" or Folk Music and it's standing in academic spaces. We invited the very eloquent and accomplished folk musician and composer, Shruthi Veena Vishwanath, who took us through the intricacies of the importance of folk music and why we need to continue to keep in alive through oral tradition. To every single listener who lent us your time and support, we really appreciate it. Stay tuned for Season 3! Credentials – Produced and Hosted by – Nush Lewis & Shanelle Rodrigues Edited, Mixed & Mastered by – Hersh Desai Executive Production by – Jai Dev Gupta Follow Offset Education on linktr.ee/OffSet Sign up for their emailer to get first exclusive announcements by clicking here

As music educators we see the human body react to music learning and listening in very different way than the rest of the world. And a lot of that is left to mystery. We probably know how things happen but we're never really certain of why it happens. In today's episode we speak to neuroscientist Dr. Srishti Nayak. Dr. Srishti Nayak is an interdisciplinary scientist of musicality and language at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, in Nashville, USA (affectionately known as music city!). She did her PhD in the Psychological and Brain Sciences at Boston University, where she focused on how children's cognitive environment (for example, how many languages they are exposed to) shapes their brain development. After grad school, she designed and taught college classes at Princeton University for a few years, and eventually landed at Vanderbilt where she works on uncovering the genetics of speech rhythm perception, and how this ties in with the biology of musicality in humans and other animals. Credentials – Produced and Hosted by – Nush Lewis & Shanelle Rodrigues Edited, Mixed & Mastered by – Hersh Desai Executive Production by – Jai Dev Gupta Follow Offset Education on linktr.ee/OffSet Sign up for their emailer to get first exclusive announcements by clicking here

Here we are on the 8th episode of Out of the Box and in this conversation we've got one foot in the door of education and one out. Today we’re talking about diversity in music production education. And obviously the education part of it impacts the professional world as well, which is also why we have a varied panel of guests today. Joining us today is Xylo Aria (musician, producer and founder of Music Production for Women which is a music production school for people who identify as women), Tarana Marwah a.k.a Komorebi (Musician and producer) and Zain Calcuttawala (Musician, producer and music educator) . Credentials – Produced and Hosted by – Nush Lewis & Shanelle Rodrigues Edited, Mixed & Mastered by – Hersh Desai Executive Production by – Jai Dev Gupta Follow Offset Education on linktr.ee/OffSet Sign up for their emailer to get first exclusive announcements by clicking here

In this episode we explore and learn more about the world of Music Therapy with music therapist, Pruvaa Sampath. Purvaa Sampath is the founder and director of Mayahs’ Universe and a graduate from Berklee College of Music. She is one of the few CBMT Board-certified music therapists and NMTs (Neurologic Music Therapist) in the country. You can learn more about her services here Credentials – Produced and Hosted by – Nush Lewis & Shanelle Rodrigues Edited, Mixed & Mastered by – Hersh Desai Executive Production by – Jai Dev Gupta Follow Offset Education on linktr.ee/OffSet Sign up for their emailer to get first exclusive announcements by clicking here

In a country where the bulk of music education lies in elementary education it is important to hear from the parents/guardians of the children who learn in these spaces. In this episode we spoke to three parents of varied backgrounds who gave us their perspective and their expectations from music educators. Credentials – Produced and Hosted by – Nush Lewis & Shanelle Rodrigues Edited, Mixed & Mastered by – Hersh Desai Executive Production by – Jai Dev Gupta Follow Offset Education on linktr.ee/OffSet Sign up for their emailer to get first exclusive announcements by clicking here

In this episode of Out of the Box we are in conversation with musician and music educator Karthik Sekaran. Karthik allowed us to explore his world of being a social media educator and his process of creating education content. You can get to know more about Karthik and find out more about his courses here. Credentials – Produced and Hosted by – Nush Lewis & Shanelle Rodrigues Edited, Mixed & Mastered by – Hersh Desai Executive Production by – Jai Dev Gupta Follow Offset Education on linktr.ee/OffSet Sign up for their emailer to get first exclusive announcements by clicking here

In Part 2 of this conversation, Saurabh talks to us extensively about what goes into putting his curriculum together. The drive to learn new skills such as basics in graphic design and animation to help enhance his lessons and videos. He also spoke about what's at the heart of putting education content on social media. Credentials – Produced and Hosted by – Nush Lewis & Shanelle Rodrigues Edited, Mixed & Mastered by – Ayan De Executive Production by – Jai Dev Gupta Follow Offset Education on linktr.ee/OffSet Sign up for their emailer to get first exclusive announcements by clicking here Credentials – Produced and Hosted by – Nush Lewis & Shanelle Rodrigues Edited, Mixed & Mastered by – Hersh Desai Executive Production by – Jai Dev Gupta Follow Offset Education on linktr.ee/OffSet Sign up for their emailer to get first exclusive announcements by clicking here

Saurabh Suman, founder of The School of Bass, is a high profile bass player in Bollywood and the Independent music industry. He has worked with some of the best names in the Bollywood sphere such as Vishal Bhardwaj, Shaan, Clinton Cerejo and Dhruv Ghanekar to name a few. He has also played in numerous TV shows such as MTV Jammin, The Voice and Coke Studio. He has performed live world over and has collaborated internationally as well. He has a Bachelors Degree in Hindustani Classical Music coupled with studies in Western Music forms such as Jazz, Funk, Soul, Metal and Blues. Saurabh's School of Bass has over 10,000 musicians who consume his tutorials to learn his method and up skill their playing. Tutorials that are conducted in Hindi. In this episode we explore the world of music education being taught through regional languages and the impact that has. Credentials – Produced and Hosted by – Nush Lewis & Shanelle Rodrigues Edited, Mixed & Mastered by – Ayan De Executive Production by – Jai Dev Gupta Follow Offset Education on linktr.ee/OffSet Sign up for their emailer to get first exclusive announcements by clicking here Credentials – Produced and Hosted by – Nush Lewis & Shanelle Rodrigues Edited, Mixed & Mastered by – Hersh Desai Executive Production by – Jai Dev Gupta Follow Offset Education on linktr.ee/OffSet Sign up for their emailer to get first exclusive announcements by clicking here

Episode 2 of Season 2 explores THE JOURNEY OF SELF LEARNING as Nush and Shanelle are joined by musicians Radhapriya Gupta and Keshav Dhar. Radhapriya Gupta aka Noni-Mouse is a left-of-center, electronica artist, film composer and sound artist, based in Mumbai, India. With curation, storytelling and synthesis of ideas at the center of her practice, Radhapriya likes taking inspiration from the most unexpected things, and creating sonic translations of the same. Keshav Dhar is an award-winning music producer, mix engineer, musician and songwriter. With a production career spanning over a decade, Keshav rose to acclaim with his breakout ambient metal project Skyharbor and has since produced several dozen records and singles for independent artist from all across the subcontinent, the UK and the USA, and is noted for his versatility with genres ranging from heavy metal to hip-hop, orchestral to ambient electronic, and everything in between. In this fun-filled conversation, the participants cover the process of self-learning and applying those skills in practice, as well as understanding the drivers of motivation in this particular educational space. The role of obtaining certifications in the industry, the influence of mentors or the community in guiding learning outcomes is discussed as well. Credentials – Produced and Hosted by – Nush Lewis & Shanelle Rodrigues Edited, Mixed & Mastered by – Ayan De Executive Production by – Jai Dev Gupta Follow Offset Education on linktr.ee/OffSet Sign up for their emailer to get first exclusive announcements by clicking here Credentials – Produced and Hosted by – Nush Lewis & Shanelle Rodrigues Edited, Mixed & Mastered by – Hersh Desai Executive Production by – Jai Dev Gupta Follow Offset Education on linktr.ee/OffSet Sign up for their emailer to get first exclusive announcements by clicking here

Episode 1 of Season 2 breaks ground by featuring Dr. Luis Dias, where Nush & Shanelle discuss RUNNING MUSIC NGO’s IN INDIA. Dr. Luis Dias - A physician, musician, photographer and writer. Having relocated from the UK after a decade spent there, He is currently based in Goa, India. An ardent musician. He has played in several orchestras around the world as a violinist, and still continues to play with the Corinthian Chamber Orchestra, London. It is an intregral part of his life, his raison d’etre. He took lessons in conducting and orchestration with the late Alan Hazeldine, founder and conductor of the CCO; he was also on the teaching faculty of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Dr. Dias studied violin with Joseph Wolfe. Since his return to India, he has set up Child’s Play India Foundation (www.childsplayindia.org), a music charity that aims to impart teaching the playing of orchestral instruments to disadvantaged children, inspired by the Simon Bolivar project in Venezuela. Credits – Produced & Hosted by – Nush Lewis & Shanelle Rodrigues Edited, Mixed & Mastered by – Ayan De Executive Production by – Jai Dev Gupta Follow Offset Education on linktr.ee/offset Sign up for our emailer to get first exclusive announcements by clicking here Credentials – Produced and Hosted by – Nush Lewis & Shanelle Rodrigues Edited, Mixed & Mastered by – Hersh Desai Executive Production by – Jai Dev Gupta Follow Offset Education on linktr.ee/OffSet Sign up for their emailer to get first exclusive announcements by clicking here

Hey there, welcome to OffSet’s Out of the Box. Out of the Box is a music education podcast where we not only interview some of the most interesting and innovative music educators in India and around the world. But also share resources and comment on the current music education climate in our country. My name is Nush Lewis. I am the founder of OffSet Education. And I am Shanelle Rodrigues, founder and teacher at Shanelle’s Piano Studio. Together , Nush and I embark on a journey to understand and introspect the foundation and future of Music education. And we’re so glad you’re here with us. Credentials – Produced and Hosted by – Nush Lewis & Shanelle Rodrigues Edited, Mixed & Mastered by – Hersh Desai Executive Production by – Jai Dev Gupta Follow Offset Education on linktr.ee/OffSet Sign up for their emailer to get first exclusive announcements by clicking here

For our final episode of Season 1 of Out of the Box we have the very accomplished, Annette Philip. Founder and Director of the Berklee Indian Ensemble and Artistic Director of the Berklee India Exchange. Annette is someone who has always believed in whole music education in the form of group and community learning. She walks us through her production process for the Berklee Indian Ensemble and also stresses on the role of the student in such settings. Credentials – Produced and Hosted by – Nush Lewis & Shanelle Rodrigues Edited, Mixed & Mastered by – Hersh Desai Executive Production by – Jai Dev Gupta Follow Offset Education on linktr.ee/OffSet Sign up for their emailer to get first exclusive announcements by clicking here

We were lucky enough to host and curate a workshop with Vasundhara last year and after we experienced a workshop like that it was only fitting that we ask her to be a part of Out of the Box. In the episode Vasundhara talks at length about the technique that she teaches and practices. She talks about how the concept of "the mind is the body" plays an integral part in letting the body do what it has to do for the voice to work at it's best. Credentials – Produced and Hosted by – Nush Lewis & Shanelle Rodrigues Edited, Mixed & Mastered by – Hersh Desai Executive Production by – Jai Dev Gupta Follow Offset Education on linktr.ee/OffSet Sign up for their emailer to get first exclusive announcements by clicking here

Episode 6. We had the pleasure of interviewing the very accomplished Rudy David of Thermal and a Quarter fame. A songwriter and composer who has worked with some incredible names in the industry. But here with us, he is the founder and creator of Hum Drum. An incredible music program built for neurodiverse children and adults. He walks us through his journey of how Hum Drum was created and how it was the autistic children and adults who pretty much told him how they learn. Note from Nush Lewis: What stood out for me while interviewing Rudy was the fact that he WAS NOT a special educator. He took help from special educators, therapists, parents and most of all the children themselves. Learning how they learnt was what gave rise to Hum Drum. In my experience as a music educator, I've seen a lot of music institutions deny education for children/adults with special needs because they didn't have anyone "qualified" for the job. The point I'm trying to make is, it doesn't take much to equip yourself to teach neurodiverse people specially when we have the internet at our fingertips. I hope this interview inspires you as much as it inspired me. Credentials – Produced and Hosted by – Nush Lewis & Shanelle Rodrigues Edited, Mixed & Mastered by – Hersh Desai Executive Production by – Jai Dev Gupta Follow Offset Education on linktr.ee/OffSet Sign up for their emailer to get first exclusive announcements by clicking here

For our fourth episode we had the lovely Kamakshi Khurana, co-founder of The Sound Space. The Sound Space is music school that has changed the way Hindustani classical music is taught. Inspired by the Kodaly and Orff method they make learning Hindustani classical music more fun and approachable for children. Here Kamakshi gives us an insight into how they came up with this concept and today lead a fantastic team of teachers who teach at various schools all over Mumbai. In the student performance segment we're showcasing a performance from their student recital, "Aamad", with Taufiq Qureshi. Credentials – Produced and Hosted by – Nush Lewis & Shanelle Rodrigues Edited, Mixed & Mastered by – Hersh Desai Executive Production by – Jai Dev Gupta Follow Offset Education on linktr.ee/OffSet Sign up for their emailer to get first exclusive announcements by clicking here

Our guest for this episode is drummer and educator, Karun Kannampilly . Karun is an experienced drummer who is currently a part of The Koniac Net. He also plays with artists such as Raghav Meattle, Kamakshi Khanna, Bhrigu Sahni and freelances for multiple other projects. Karun began his teaching career at the Mumbai based True School of Music, and then in 2017 he founded Drum House, an educational enterprise that provides unique residential-format drum camps and drum classes. Credentials – Produced and Hosted by – Nush Lewis & Shanelle Rodrigues Edited, Mixed & Mastered by – Hersh Desai Executive Production by – Jai Dev Gupta Follow Offset Education on linktr.ee/OffSet Sign up for their emailer to get first exclusive announcements by clicking here

For our second episode we spoke to the lovely Shanelle Rodrigues who is an incredibly innovative classical piano teacher. She is known for her quirky approaches to teaching not just kids but adults as well. She spoke to us very candidly about examination trends and advocating for students, because lord knows we didn't have anyone to advocate for us. She was also kind enough to put together a bunch of resources, which are below: Websites: ://www.playfactile.com/https://www.teachmusic.online/https://composecreate.com/https://www.teachpianotoday.com/Facebook Groups: Credentials – Produced and Hosted by – Nush Lewis & Shanelle Rodrigues Edited, Mixed & Mastered by – Hersh Desai Executive Production by – Jai Dev Gupta Follow Offset Education on linktr.ee/OffSet Sign up for their emailer to get first exclusive announcements by clicking here

Meera Fernandes is a trumpet player and elementary music educator from Melbourne, Australia who is currently based in Mumbai, India. She is the founder of Music Generation, a music education company that has done a significant amount of work between Melbourne, India and Nepal. For the first episode of Out of the Box, which was recording during the first wave of the pandemic, we thought it fit to speak to an educator who works with a very young age group. We discussed challenges of moving from offline to online classes with young children and their parents along with how children adapt quickly to a new model. Credentials – Produced and Hosted by – Nush Lewis & Shanelle Rodrigues Edited, Mixed & Mastered by – Hersh Desai Executive Production by – Jai Dev Gupta Follow Offset Education on linktr.ee/OffSet Sign up for their emailer to get first exclusive announcements by clicking here