The Artiste and the Evolution of Learning
The Guru-Sishya Parampara was the norm of teaching-learning and Living in Bharatha Varsha of a 'long-ago' era. The foundation of such an ideology was the intimate relationship between Teacher and Student, a method of imbibing knowledge not only through studying written texts or through oral rendition, but also an empathetic understanding of one's environment and society.
It was replaced by western ideologies and concepts of education. While the study of science, language and mathematics became regimented within a system of graded school and college lessons; the Arts, for reasons unknown!, was largely kept out of mainstream education. With every passing decade, we grew further and further conditioned into a regimen of rote learning and very little creative thinking. So for the sake of the Arts, was it probably a boon in disguise that it remained alienated from other subjects of academia? Cocooned as it was within the Guru-Sishya Parampara, the Arts continued to grow, unhindered by strict timelines. It ensured that the artiste blossomed on his/her own accord. Readiness levels were not adjudged by examinations but by human observation and intuition (of the Guru's). It offered the security of being under the watchful eye of a Guru for as long as one wanted; not dictated by the end of academic year. The growth of an artiste remained progressive; not graded. The Art itself evolved and branched out into as many forms as artistes.
Today, several academicians and educationists reflect on the system of education that the world over has dived into. They wonder if it would do us good to move academic study to an informal environment of 'learning' as against 'studying' in order to retain the creative fire that is intrinsic to humans. While it seems to be a campaign to move back into the era of Gurukula; the Arts themselves have seen an evolution of learning methods. Teaching and learning art has moved from under the banyan tree to classrooms, studios and the virtual world. We are today looking at structured modules, college degrees in dance and music, proficiency examinations, e-learning tutorials and certificate workshops.
It would be foolish to doubt the foundations of the Guru-Sishya Parampara in the Arts- it is here to stay; but one cannot help but wonder why alternate modes of education evolved. Are we once again stepping in line with European/American ideologies of formal education or are we merely responding to fast globalisation: a need for Indian artistes to be recognised on par with musicians and dancers globally? Does the name of a prestigious university on one's CV confer a stamp of approval or are we genuinely in pursuit of in-depth theoretical knowledge? Are virtual modes of art education making the best use of time and distance constraints or is it merely fashionable to be teaching or learning online? Does attendance at workshops infer that an artiste will have the ability to engage a live audience or is the artiste merely adding numbers to his/her repertoire? Does pursuing formal education open up more vistas and opportunities for young artistes or are we blindly scrambling for suffixes and prefixes to one's name?
The answers to the questions above would seem rather straightforward! If art education has evolved over the past decades, it is worthy of our time to appreciate how it has benefited us and where they fall short of traditional methods.
With more colleges and universities opening up to include fine arts and performing arts as subjects to pursue degrees with, it has enabled several youngsters to delve deeper into theoretical aspects of dance and music. It has provided an objective forum for researchers to discuss, debate and deliberate. Texts, scriptures, translated modules and archived audio/videos are more easily available. Students have the opportunity to learn from the masters- not just one, but many. But with it comes the rather unfair system of grading students- where perspectives, likes and dislikes vary greatly from one person to another. Time becomes another constraint with vast syllabus being squeezed into one or two years, and students unable to spend as much time with teachers as they would like to. On completion of the course, who would mentor a young artiste remains an open question. Many youngsters admit that these courses are strong foundations in theoretical and analytical study of the Arts, but the beginnings they make in the performance arena will have to be honed under the tutelage of Gurus thereafter.
The digital domain has made its mark in almost every human endeavour. It is but natural that we feel its impact in art education. Dancers and singers are now able to learn from artistes who live half way across the world. Moving continents no longer means that one must start looking for another Guru living in the same neighborhood, to continue classes. Geography and time zones are no longer deterrents in the world of performing arts. The general public claims that online tutorials are probably easier for vocalists and instrumentalists, but can sessions and classes in dance be as effective as it is in person? Can a Guru truly gauge the merit of a student over a computer screen? It can, claim artistes who have forayed into the world of virtual performing arts education, if the system takes into consideration all these aspects. Blending e-learning with an intimate Guru-sishya connect is a challenge but not impossible!
Master classes and workshops have also taken up a large part of an artiste's calendar. With stalwarts taking the efforts to not only impart education at their respective institutes but also travelling to meet and engage students worldwide, students of the arts will definitely benefit from observing the masters, understanding their approach and analysing what they can adapt into their own thought processes. But if the purpose becomes mere imitation rather than learning, the purpose is rather misplaced! The rather unfortunate frenzy to learn songs for the sake of adding it to one's repertoire needs to be weeded out. Such a trend is not going to hold any artiste in good stead.
Modern methods of art education should evolve to complement and supplement the Guru-Sishya Parampara, not replace it. We must desist from creating an elitist attitude amongst those with formal degrees. Artistes should work and study, not for the sake of credentials on paper but for the unadulterated joy of learning. Virtual learning should fill the gaps created by space and time and bring the student closer to the teacher. It should not become yet another business model. The ideal world would consist of a 'Gurukula' that brings together the most earnest students and knowledgeable and generous teachers. It would offer the best resources and technology for academic study of performing arts. It would provide an atmosphere for open-minded deliberation and creative performance; where the role of the teacher(s) is to be a guide, mentor and parent-like figure; but one who does not chalk out right from wrong for the student but lays down foundations that can guide a student to build his/her own questions and answers.
The beginnings have been made. It is up to us to create more AND urge governing bodies to recognise and encourage such institutions of merit. A transparent system of grants, scholarships and funding for the artiste and the institutions is the need of the hour - for an artiste to pursue art in the ideal environment.
Acknowledgements: My thanks are due to Smt. Indira Kadambi, founder of eambalam.com - the world's first Online College of Indian classical Music, Dance, Yoga and Meditation , for her insights into the world of virtual arts education; to Sri.Vasanth Kiran for sharing his experiences as HOD- Performing Arts, Alliance University; to Shilpa Nanjappa for echoing the thoughts and sentiments of several young artistes; to Varsha RN, Supriya S, Ranjana Nagaraja and Aswini Viswanath- pursuing degrees in performing arts at Jain University.
Published in Ananya Kalasichana March 2016
Do not reproduce in part or in entirety without permission.
It was replaced by western ideologies and concepts of education. While the study of science, language and mathematics became regimented within a system of graded school and college lessons; the Arts, for reasons unknown!, was largely kept out of mainstream education. With every passing decade, we grew further and further conditioned into a regimen of rote learning and very little creative thinking. So for the sake of the Arts, was it probably a boon in disguise that it remained alienated from other subjects of academia? Cocooned as it was within the Guru-Sishya Parampara, the Arts continued to grow, unhindered by strict timelines. It ensured that the artiste blossomed on his/her own accord. Readiness levels were not adjudged by examinations but by human observation and intuition (of the Guru's). It offered the security of being under the watchful eye of a Guru for as long as one wanted; not dictated by the end of academic year. The growth of an artiste remained progressive; not graded. The Art itself evolved and branched out into as many forms as artistes.
It would be foolish to doubt the foundations of the Guru-Sishya Parampara in the Arts- it is here to stay; but one cannot help but wonder why alternate modes of education evolved. Are we once again stepping in line with European/American ideologies of formal education or are we merely responding to fast globalisation: a need for Indian artistes to be recognised on par with musicians and dancers globally? Does the name of a prestigious university on one's CV confer a stamp of approval or are we genuinely in pursuit of in-depth theoretical knowledge? Are virtual modes of art education making the best use of time and distance constraints or is it merely fashionable to be teaching or learning online? Does attendance at workshops infer that an artiste will have the ability to engage a live audience or is the artiste merely adding numbers to his/her repertoire? Does pursuing formal education open up more vistas and opportunities for young artistes or are we blindly scrambling for suffixes and prefixes to one's name?
The answers to the questions above would seem rather straightforward! If art education has evolved over the past decades, it is worthy of our time to appreciate how it has benefited us and where they fall short of traditional methods.
With more colleges and universities opening up to include fine arts and performing arts as subjects to pursue degrees with, it has enabled several youngsters to delve deeper into theoretical aspects of dance and music. It has provided an objective forum for researchers to discuss, debate and deliberate. Texts, scriptures, translated modules and archived audio/videos are more easily available. Students have the opportunity to learn from the masters- not just one, but many. But with it comes the rather unfair system of grading students- where perspectives, likes and dislikes vary greatly from one person to another. Time becomes another constraint with vast syllabus being squeezed into one or two years, and students unable to spend as much time with teachers as they would like to. On completion of the course, who would mentor a young artiste remains an open question. Many youngsters admit that these courses are strong foundations in theoretical and analytical study of the Arts, but the beginnings they make in the performance arena will have to be honed under the tutelage of Gurus thereafter.
The digital domain has made its mark in almost every human endeavour. It is but natural that we feel its impact in art education. Dancers and singers are now able to learn from artistes who live half way across the world. Moving continents no longer means that one must start looking for another Guru living in the same neighborhood, to continue classes. Geography and time zones are no longer deterrents in the world of performing arts. The general public claims that online tutorials are probably easier for vocalists and instrumentalists, but can sessions and classes in dance be as effective as it is in person? Can a Guru truly gauge the merit of a student over a computer screen? It can, claim artistes who have forayed into the world of virtual performing arts education, if the system takes into consideration all these aspects. Blending e-learning with an intimate Guru-sishya connect is a challenge but not impossible!
Master classes and workshops have also taken up a large part of an artiste's calendar. With stalwarts taking the efforts to not only impart education at their respective institutes but also travelling to meet and engage students worldwide, students of the arts will definitely benefit from observing the masters, understanding their approach and analysing what they can adapt into their own thought processes. But if the purpose becomes mere imitation rather than learning, the purpose is rather misplaced! The rather unfortunate frenzy to learn songs for the sake of adding it to one's repertoire needs to be weeded out. Such a trend is not going to hold any artiste in good stead.
Modern methods of art education should evolve to complement and supplement the Guru-Sishya Parampara, not replace it. We must desist from creating an elitist attitude amongst those with formal degrees. Artistes should work and study, not for the sake of credentials on paper but for the unadulterated joy of learning. Virtual learning should fill the gaps created by space and time and bring the student closer to the teacher. It should not become yet another business model. The ideal world would consist of a 'Gurukula' that brings together the most earnest students and knowledgeable and generous teachers. It would offer the best resources and technology for academic study of performing arts. It would provide an atmosphere for open-minded deliberation and creative performance; where the role of the teacher(s) is to be a guide, mentor and parent-like figure; but one who does not chalk out right from wrong for the student but lays down foundations that can guide a student to build his/her own questions and answers.
The beginnings have been made. It is up to us to create more AND urge governing bodies to recognise and encourage such institutions of merit. A transparent system of grants, scholarships and funding for the artiste and the institutions is the need of the hour - for an artiste to pursue art in the ideal environment.
Acknowledgements: My thanks are due to Smt. Indira Kadambi, founder of eambalam.com - the world's first Online College of Indian classical Music, Dance, Yoga and Meditation , for her insights into the world of virtual arts education; to Sri.Vasanth Kiran for sharing his experiences as HOD- Performing Arts, Alliance University; to Shilpa Nanjappa for echoing the thoughts and sentiments of several young artistes; to Varsha RN, Supriya S, Ranjana Nagaraja and Aswini Viswanath- pursuing degrees in performing arts at Jain University.
Published in Ananya Kalasichana March 2016
Do not reproduce in part or in entirety without permission.
Comments
Post a Comment