The Advanced School of Carnatic Music (ASCM)

In tune with one of the objectives enunciated by its founding fathers that the Music Academy should have a premier institute offering courses in Carnatic music, and produce performing musicians of excellence, the Executive Committee decided to start the Advanced School of Carnatic Music. Its objective is “to offer advanced professional education and grooming in Carnatic music to highly deserving youngsters, with the aim to make them performers and musicians of remarkable calibre, with a fine sense of music appreciation and aesthetics.”

Keeping this in view, an Academic Council has been formed with eminent musicians and musicologists, and the Advanced School of Carnatic Music (ASCM) was established. It started functioning from August 16, 2010.

Sangita Kalanidhi Smt. R. Vedavalli

Sangita Kala Acharya Dr. Ritha Rajan

Sangita Kala Acharya Suguna Varadachari

Sangita Kala Acharya Dr. R.S. Jayalakshmi

Dr. Meenakshi (Sumathi) Krishnan (Convenor)

It is an advanced Diploma Course for Three years, with Two Semesters in each academic year: Mid July – November end and Mid January – April end. Classes are held Five Days a Week and there are Two Sessions each day. Students between the age of 18 and 30 years, who have successfully completed their Plus Two examination, and who are able to sing a certain level of Manodharma sangita, are Eligible for Admission.

The student strength is restricted to 10 in each class. Aspiring students are examined by a duly appointed panel of examiners and the admission is based only on merit.

The Syllabus is purely practical oriented with focus on manodharma sangita. Along with regular classes, guided listening sessions are held in the Academy’s Archives. Students can also make use of the Academy Library.

The Advanced School of Carnatic Music is gradually emerging as a world class teaching institution. Substantial scholarships are awarded to students out of the income from the endowments instituted by M/s L Lakshman and L Ganesh, and the Mala Ramadorai scholarships.

The latest Convocation of the Advanced School of Carnatic Music was held on Saturday 31st August, 2024. Sangita Kalanidhi Dr. Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman was the Chief Guest. The students who completed their course received their Diplomas along with the title “Sangita Vidvat Bhushanam”.

The Advanced School of Carnatic Music, is housed in a building constructed about 25 years ago as an appendage behind the main auditorium. This building housed the Teachers College of Music which the Academy was running for over 75 years, but had to be discontinued because it had outlived its utility. In its place came this Advanced School aiming at high standards of excellence.

The structures at the rear of the property started to erode the ambience of the school. The noise from service activities concentrated in the area, were a severe disturbance to the classrooms which were not air-conditioned and therefore had to work with windows open. A decision was taken to upgrade the facility and bring it in line with the other buildings in the complex.

The four classrooms in the front block were air-conditioned and sound proofed. External noises were eliminated by providing air-tight UPVC windows and special doors. Ceilings and walls were covered with acoustic panelling to overcome the problem of reverberation and to improve sound quality. The floor was finished with a seamless PVC covering for the same reason. Each classroom now has ample storage space specially designed for storing veenas, mridangams and violins along the back wall and a small dais and a white board in the front. Lighting was also improved by installing LED lamps in keeping with the Academy’s policy of energy efficiency. Two additional rooms in the first floor of the block behind the school, but which are connected by an overhead link were also upgraded. Apart from a small lunch room for students and staff, there is a large room, also designed for good acoustics, which can accommodate an audience of about twenty persons. This gives the academy a wide range of music halls that can be used for different purposes.

This project has been made possible by a generous grant as part of their CSR initiative by Temenos India Private Limited towards the enhancement and upgradation of the building and classroom infrastructure of the Advanced School of Carnatic Music. This was completed in July 2016.

The architectural services and oversight for this project were provided pro bono by Sri PT Krishnan — a very fine and renowned architect with a passion for heritage conservation, who has been involved in all the projects relating to the upgradation of the Academy’s infrastructure and facilities over the last decade.

Admissions to the Advanced Diploma Course opens in the month of June every year. Applicants must send an Email of their Biodata with full details of their musical training in the Downloadable Prescribed Form and send it as an attachment to [email protected]

Sangita Kala Acharya Prof. Ritha Rajan – Director

Sangita Kala Acharya Dr. R.S. Jayalakshmi – Associate Director

Faculty

Sangita Kalanidhi Dr. S. Sowmya

Sangita Kalanidhi Sri Neyveli Santhanagopalan

Sangita Kala Acharya Smt. Suguna Varadachari

Vidwan Dr. Sriram Parasuram

Vidushi Dr. Sumithra Vasudev

Vidushi Dr. Baby Sriram

Vidwan Sri C.R. Vaidhyanathan

Vidushi Ms. Amritha Murali

Vidwan Sri Delhi Muthukumar

Vidwan Shertallay Dr. K.N. Renganatha Sharma

The teaching faculty of ASCM has been delegated to take up academic assignments of syllabus framing, students’ assessment, and conducting workshops at Kalakruthi, Melbourne, an institution which is affiliated to the Music Academy, Madras.

Semmangudi family gifts tambura to ASCM

As part of the 115th birth anniversary celebrations of Sangita Kalanidhi Semmangudi R. Srinivasa Iyer (born 25th July 1908), his family members gifted a tambura to the Advanced School of Carnatic Music of the Music Academy, Madras, on 17th July 2023.

Receiving the tambura are Sangita Kala Acharya Dr. Ritha Rajan (Associate Director of ASCM), and vidwan C.R. Vaidyanathan, flanked by vidwans Delhi Muthukumar, Sangita Kala Acharya Dr R.S. Jayalakshmi (all faculty members of ASCM) and Dr. Meenakshi (Sumathi) Krishnan (Convenor, Academic Council ASCM).

The tambura is being used by the students of the Advanced School of Carnatic Music of the Music Academy, Madras.