SKANDA'S TEACHER AND THE ROLE OF MUSIC IN HIS LIFE TODAY

I was very fortunate to have a great teacher in my life - he introduced music to me in a way that was not traditional. When I hear how my friends learned music, it was very much, “I learned this book, and then I took this test, and I went to the next level.” My teacher had his own curriculum of music, and he would just encourage me to experiment with it as well He'd talk to me about how music can be used to improve yourself internally and work through challenges, and not just as an art form that you perform for other people With my classes, it wasn't just like, I go there, play what I learned last week, and then learn something new. It was very interactive and sometimes I’d hang out with the other students for a little bit, learn some music, we would listen to each other and learn something new about someone else's performance The thing is, there'd be some beginners and some very advanced-level students, so it'd be cool to see that maybe one day I could be someone who could perform at kacheris and concerts

I think the environment that my teacher provided was very nourishing for me as a young musician I feel that's why I'm passionate about music education because I think the way you are taught to learn and respect music has an impact on how long you stick with it Because I talk to people and they're like, “I did it throughout high school, and then it just got too much for me ” or “I chose another extracurricular, like sports.” I just feel like unless you have a teacher that really helps you see the value of music, students can end up treating music like work, but when you kind of ingrain it into your day to day, it just feels more natural. I almost personify my relationship with music I think, “How can I treat a hobby like a person?” So, if I do practice music too much or talk to someone too much, maybe I get sick of it [them], but if I don't keep in touch with them, maybe I lose contact with it So, it's kind of like building a healthy relationship with music. For me, it's like treating my violin like a friend

I go to a rigorous school academically, and even beyond that, when I do have free time, I'd rather just hang out with friends. So, my advice would be to try and make time for your passions Sometimes if I'm feeling bored, I'm like, “is there something I could be doing right now?” And it always comes down to music, so I just play then But if I need to make time, I think a great way to kind of just keep in touch with any sort of art form is to kind of get involved on campus in that way. So, if you dance, maybe join a dance team, if that's for you There are so many opportunities on campus to get involved For me, social media is that way for me to keep going at it So beyond just like, posting videos, I perform at weddings, and that's a whole experience, right? Working with the couple to figure out what they want, what kind of songs, the arrangement, etc So that's one aspect Another thing I've been doing is recording instrumentals for artists, and I started doing that in the last six months. I've posted less on social media just because of how busy I am, but I think I'm more inclined to go in the direction of creating records and providing music instrumentals for artists and stuff like that I remember that transition is crazy when you go from posting and posting, working hard online, and then when your work carries you offline, that's the craziest part. That transition is insane.