Announcing!

The School of Music at the University of MN, will once again be
offering a course in Hindustani vocal music in Fall 2007, based on
the successful offering of a similar course in the Fall of 2006.



Please read below and see attached poster.


A follow-up course (Intermediate North Indian vocal music) will be
offered in Spring 2008, to enable those who took the introductory
course in Fall 2006 or Fall 2007 to continue their vocal training.



Please note: If you have questions about registering for
this course please call the U of M School of Music directly.
All phone numbers can be had by going to:
http://www.music.umn.edu/about/info.php
<http://www.music.umn.edu/about/info.php>



For more information on the course please call:
Pooja (612-709-1263) or Pavan (612-508-3716)

or email: goswa005@... <mailto:goswa005@...>



MUS 5950 Topics in Music

"Introduction to North Indian Vocal Music"

3 credits, 03:35 - 5:00 P.M., Tue & Thu (09/04/07 - 12/12/07)

Instructor: Dr. Pooja Goswami

Brief description:

This course in elementary Hindustani (North Indian) vocal music exposes
the student to the foundational concepts of raga and tala in historical
and cultural context, through hands on vocal lessons and exercises,
audio/video material, concert experience, classroom discussions and
writing assignments. My effort will be geared towards teaching the
rudiments of Indian classical music using voice as the principal
instrument. Through this course I will attempt to convey the essence of
one of the most ancient and complex musical systems of the world. This
course aims at turning the learners' eyes and ears to the source of true
enjoyment and understanding of the fantastic heritage of North Indian
raga music. – Pooja Goswami

Class Time: 30% lecture, 20% discussion, 50% singing

Work Load: ~10 pages of reading per week, 15-20 pages of writing per
semester, 2 paper(s), 3 written quizzes and one vocal quiz

Grade: 25% written report(s)/paper(s), 15% quizzes, 20% class
participation, 40% for vocal quiz

Exam format: multiple choice and short answers




More details below.

University of Minnesota's School of Music offers course in North Indian
Vocal Music

The University of Minnesota's School of Music will once again be
offering a course in North Indian Music in Fall 2007. Many thanks to
Prof. Mirjana Lausevic, Prof. Kelly Harness, Prof. Anna Schultz and
Prof. Noel Zahler (Director) at the School of Music, for making this
possible.

The course will be taught by Dr. Pooja Goswami, master vocalist visiting
from Delhi (see instructor bio below).

"Introduction to North Indian Vocal Music" is a one-semester course in
Hindustani vocal music for beginners, that also includes elements of
history, culture and theory as appropriate. The course is now listed on
the U of M Course Registration Website and is open for registration.
Please visit:

http://www.onestop.umn.edu/onestop/registration.html
<http://www.onestop.umn.edu/onestop/registration.html>



Please note: If you have questions about registering for this course
please call the U of M School of Music directly. All phone numbers
can be had by going to: http://www.music.umn.edu/about/info.php

Registration is limited to 20 seats for Fall 2007. Course number is MUS
5950.

No prerequisites are necessary for the course except the ability the
carry a tune and keep a steady rhythm.

This is a detailed description of the course:

Learn the cornerstones of North Indian Classical Music from a master
artist. Along with lectures and readings in the history and theory of
Hindustani music, students will also learn rudimentary exercises in
singing and spoken rhythms.

This course examines the classical music of Northern India in
relationship to Indian culture and history.

Students will learn the tenets of voice culture and foundational
concepts of rhythmic practice in Hindustani music through intensive
listening and hands-on practical exercises. These musical fundamentals
will be contextualized through a study of their relationship to
aesthetic and philosophical concepts, cultural practices and historical
developments in the region. Through this combination of practical
training and academic study in India's unique brand of
musicology/ethnomusicology, students should gain new perspectives on
music, its meaning and place, and a greater understanding of the
diversity and possibilities of human expression.

Prerequisites:

This course has no specific prerequisites. However, prospective students
will be expected to exhibit an appropriate level of musical aptitude.
The ability to carry a tune and keep steady rhythm is necessary.

Grading Option: A-F
3 credits (= 3 hrs per week)



Expected enrollment: 20 (~ 40% undergraduate, 60% graduate)
The course is intended for both majors and non-majors.

Graduate students enrolled in this class will be expected to produce a
15 page final research paper in addition to the coursework expected from
the rest of the students.

Course Outline:

I. VOICE CULTURE IN HINDUSTANI MUSIC

1. Musical voice and its cultivation
2. Vowel equalization
3. Foundation notes
4. Exercises for flexibility of voice (Sargam and Alankar)
5. Exercises of yoga and morning practice

II. RAGA: THE MELODIC FRAMEWORK

1. The musical alphabet: notes, their combinations, Shrutis (microtones)
2. Introduction to the Khayal: the principal vocal genre in Hindustani
music 3. Study of Khayal compositions in basic Ragas: Yaman, Bhairav,
Bhairavi, Bhoop, Kafi 4. Treatment of the Raga in various genres:
classical, semi-classical, folk and light-music

III. TALA: THE RHYTHMIC FRAMEWORK

1. The foundations of the Hindustani rhythm system

2. Study of basic Talas: Teentaal, Ektaal, Jhaptaal, Dadra, Keharwa etc.

3. Treatment of the Tala in classical, semi-classical, folk and
light-music

4. Introduction to compositions of rhythm: Kayda, Tihaai, Tukda in
Teentaal

All of the above will involve a significant amount of listening to music
- live in class, on audio/video recordings and via the Internet.

IV. LISTENING TO INDIAN CLASSICAL MUSIC

1. Typical concert format of vocal music (Khayal)

2. Typical concert format of instrumental music (Sitar/Tabla)
3. Listening assignments
4. Concert attendance assignments
5. Live demonstrations in class when possible

Text Book:

Sharma, Swatantra, Fundamentals of Indian Music, Pratibha Prakashan,
29/5 Shakti Nagar, Delhi, India, 1996. The instructor will provide
copies
of this textbook for a nominal fee.

Evaluation of student achievement:
There will be periodic quizzes on the lecture material and readings.
Students will also be given exercises in singing and spoken rhythms,
which they will be expected to practice daily. They will perform these
assignments in every class. The final will consist of a written portion,
based on the lectures and readings, and a performed portion, drawn from
the daily exercises.

About the instructor:

Pooja Goswami, Ph.D. (Music)

Dr. Pooja Goswami was born in a musical family and received her early
training in Hindustani (North Indian) classical music (vocal) from her
father Sri. Surendra Goswami.

She received her M.Phil from the University of Delhi and completed a
Ph.D. in Music in 2005, also from the University of Delhi. The subject
of her Ph.D. thesis was the life and music of Pandit Amarnath, the
foremost disciple of Ustad Amir Khan - an icon in Hindustani vocal
music.

Dr. Goswami is also trained in semi-classical music from the eminent
vocalist Smt. Shanti Hiranand, the reigning queen of Thumri and Ghazal
(semi-classical vocal genres) and the universally acclaimed successor of
the legendary vocalist, the Late Begum Akhtar. The versatility in Dr.
Goswami's repertoire is evident in her ability to sing Thumri,
Dadra, Ghazal, Bhajan and various folk genres (e.g. Chaiti, Kajri)
besides Khayals.

Dr. Goswami has received the prestigious National Scholarship awarded by
the Ministry of Human Resources. The many prestigious venues she has
performed at include the India Habitat Center (New Delhi), the Sopan
festival (New Delhi), Vietnam International Tourism Festival (Hanoi) and
the Sankalp music society (Jaipur). Dr. Goswami recently co-composed the
score for Pangea World Theater's "The Partition Project"
staged in June 2006 in Minneapolis. She has performed widely within the
USA, including performances at the University of Minnesota - Minneapolis
(MN), Indian Music Society of Minnesota (IMSOM) - Minneapolis (MN),
Amherst College - Amherst (MA), East Indian Music Academy - Queens (NY)
etc.

Presently Dr. Goswami is a visiting faculty at the School of Music,
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, teaching courses in Indian music
and culture.



Please note: If you have questions about registering for this course
please call the U of M School of Music directly. All phone numbers
can be had by going to: http://www.music.umn.edu/about/info.php
<http://www.music.umn.edu/about/info.php>



For more information on the course please call:
Pooja (612-709-1263) or Pavan (612-508-3716)



or email: goswa005@... <mailto:goswa005@...>



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