Show Your Students That There Are Amazing Musicians Around The World!

Learning cultural music has a huge impact on students socially & reinforces the universal fundamentals of what you’re already teaching!

Pandit Sandip Burman entertains and teaches music students about the culture and artistry of Indian Classical music and how it relates to our Western music system. Don’t miss this wonderful opportunity to show your students that Bach & Stravinsky are not the end of the world!

LEARN HOW!

TWMF Infographic – Why Cultural Music_OPT

Beyond The Music

This infographic describes the benefits to students, even beyond the musical aspects, such as increased racial tolerance, cultural empathy, etc.

Research overwhelmingly shows that when done in a meaningful way, even a one-time exposure to music of a different culture can have a life-long impact.

Could your students name even one “non-Western” Classical composer? Our pre & post surveys show that the vast majority of students interpret our silence about music from other cultures to mean that they’re not advanced and that they’re not worth studying.

Thankfully post-surveys show that really experiencing that some music systems, like Indian Classical music, deftly handle things like seven-and-three-quarter time tends to quickly and meaningfully blow the lid off of that misconception!

Download Infographic

About the Artist

Pandit Sandip Burman a native of Durgapur, India, is an internationally touring tabla and sitar musician. In addition to his countless accomplishments as an Indian Classical musician, he also formed the band East Meets Jazz which included Jazz legends such as Jack DeJohnette, Jerry Goodman, Randy Brecker, Howard Levy, Paul McCandless, Steve Smith, Dave Pietro and Paul Bollenback. Additionally he has performed on several GRAMMY albums, as well as composed Western Classically for places such as the Nashville Symphony and the St. Louis Chamber Ensemble.

I definitely made me want to experience different cultures and music from other countries.

Sophomore flutist - Johanna Phillips , Saint Louis Post-Dispatch

“I wasn’t prepared for this to be so spectacular,” said senior flutist Juileann Stewart. “He really showed us that music is more than just notes.”

Senior flutist - Juileann Stewart, The Gainesville Sun

It was really cool to see this. I’d never heard Indian music before …Your eyes aren’t as open to the world unless you have opportunities to see these things and change your world view.

Ellean Zhang, a 14-year-old Blue Ash freshman, The Cincinnati Enquirer

“It’s the first time I’ve ever been introduced to a different culture of music,” said tenor saxophone player James Fahlgren. “I was watching the way he uses the tip and back of his tongue – I can try that with my reed.

Tenor saxophone player - James Fahlgren, The Missoulan

“Even though the look of his instruments were different, the sound of the instruments were different, what he was teaching us today was, it’s basically the same,” he said. “The fundamentals that he has learned translate to fundamentals that we have learned.”

Junior - Zane Rapp, Mellophone player in the band, Ironton Tribune

About The Event:

About the event itself, a lecture/demonstration runs for about an hour or so and gives a full perspective on Indian Classical music. It will feature a general discussion of the music system from India (Raga and Tala) and how that compares to the Western system. The performance is very interactive and allows for the audience of up to 50 students to participate with and get to know Indian music in a short time.

Topics include: practice techniques, counting, listening to each other across stage, practice, focus, “odd’ metered time signatures, discipline, practice, approach, improvisation, intonation and did we mention practice?! ….but most of all, the session can be tailored to your students’ needs and your goals for them.

Sitar & Tabla

The tabla is usually played as a rhythm instrument (Tala), which will be played with a complex rhythm cycle, like 5 and 1/4, 8 and 1/2, 7 and 3/4, etc. Sandip-ji will also play the sitar, which is a 20-stringed melody (Raga) instrument. Additionally Sandip Burman is able to play the tabla tarang, which consists of 12 drums tuned to a melodic scale (Raga). At this time Sandip-ji is the only touring tabla tarang player in the entire world.

Sandipji’s dazzling performances, combined with his rich and eloquent playing style, have enabled him to teach master classes and perform at prestigious institutions world-wide such as CalArts, San Francisco State, Stanford, UCSD, Brown, DePaul University, Texas Tech, Penn State, Dartmouth, University of Chicago, Drummer Collective (NY), the Peabody Conservatory, etc. and in Mexico, North Africa, Israel, the Rotterdam Conservatory in Holland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Sweden and Ireland.

Check Out Some Videos

Please be sure to check out a few of our videos and see how The World Music Foundation can help you and your students learn and experience a lifetime lesson.

We are always happy to answer any questions you may have.

Here is a short news clip from a school masterclass, which includes brief interviews with the band director and a student.

What Does A Visit Look Like?

Here is a video of Sandip Burman performing and explaining to high school students in Nashville

A band director and assistant band director share their thoughts after a visit.

What Are People Saying?

A band director describes the impact of a visit on his small-town students in a rural setting.