Thursday was a prime example of the benefits of experiential learning for an academic class. Taking the tube, we rode for nearly 50 minutes to a distant stop where we then walked to the Asian Music Circuit. Greeted by an Indian man named Viram Jasani, an amazing man of high intellect and musical skill, we entered the world of Asian instruments, music, and philosphy. It was all experiential learning at its finest and reminded me of the flaws of education in the abstract. Too often we as educators spout facts and information without providing reasoning nor concrete examples of the relevance and significance of the information. When we have an opportunity to demonstrate and experience the learning, then we should not subjugate that chance for something in the abstract. Talking all day long about a topic is not as strong nor impacting as experiencing it, touching it, hearing it, and subsequently knowing it.
Instead of talking about Asian music, we suddenly had a chance to experience it, to hear it, to see it, to touch it, and to feel it. Approaching Eastern music with a Western mentality however, is to miss the entire point of the music and to be disappointed with its result. But it is imperative to accept it as an outgrowth of the culture and the religion from which most of it springs. Without dwelling extensively on Hinduism, it is necessary to understand the basics of the practice in order to digest the music. We need to keep in mind that Hinduism is not a religion requiring declarations of faith or creeds, but instead it is an umbrella kind of concept derived and encompassing the Vedic tradition. Summing it up is weak and is risky in the sense that an oversimplification could result in ignorance rather than true knowledge, in sweeping conclusions rather than full understanding. But in brief, Hinduism and its music is about finding the centre and the balance in life. One must embrace the juice of life or the Maha Ras or the Amrit Ras in the sacred mood of the sound. Ras is a broad term referencing music and its intended or accompanying emotion. One cannot separate the sound from its effects nor the sound from the spiritual intent of finding the juice of life. Whether it is dance, prayer, grief, joy, peace, love, beauty, or friendship, the music becomes an integral expression and determinacy of the mood and the inner balance sought.
In the broadest sense, our Western musical world is not that different with its emotional intent and power of sound. Regardless of the style or the venue or the purpose, music in our modern culture continues to have a major influence on our individual and corporate attitudes. From Country/Western to religious choral music to folk music to hard Rock or Classical, music both expresses our emotions and often shapes them.
Back to the Asian Music Circuit. We were given a chance to hear many instruments and to learn about their origins and usage in the various Asian culture. The modern facility was replete with a kind of old and new philosophy demonstrating our need to know and understand the heritage but to progress forward in culture. Taken upstairs, our guide showed us a high tech system of using a computer guru to teach us pitch, rhythm, and style. As the guru develops the ability of the user, the goal is to find independence from the mechanical guru. Our guide pointed out that Hinduism is a process of education that seeks to develop the individual to the point of not needing help. Again, this seems to me to be the broadest purpose of education. I teach with the ultimate goal of telling the student I am no longer needed. Our guide then played us a video using an Asian instrument with the Rock band Led Zepplin. It was fascinating, timely, and mesmerizing. We may not have found the juice of life in that experience, but we saw a glimpse of it at the end of the journey toward knowledge of the culture and the music.
An hour at the Circuit was a drop in the ocean of what we could have learned, but our time was short and we had to move onward. What a blessing it was to be at the Asian Music Circuit, learning a philosophy and music that is foreign, meaningful, and beautiful. We said our thanks and goodbyes and headed around the corner for another hands-on experience. It was the Tech Music School and it was a kick. Without fanfare or even much interest in us, the man at the main desk immediately handed us passes to allow us into the school. We were then ushered through several rooms containing guitars, computers, sound boards, microphones, wires, cables, and a couple dozen students with headphones either playing practice pads or listening to something.
The Tech Music School has over 600 students hoping to become rock musicians or to work in the industry of rock music in some capacity. Unlike a traditional university, we saw very few books or scholarly interest of any type and instead were thrown into a world of practical training and accomplishment. With a type of get it done attitude, the school has rocketed forward and become one of the top training grounds in London and perhaps in the Western world. Boasting of catapulting Radio Head and Bjork, the School is committed to excellence in all respects and is very selective in its acceptance rate.
We found ourselves in a small room sitting in chairs in front of a large television monitor and a substantial drum set. In walked Les Davidson who proceeded to rock our world. Having played with Leo Sayer, Pete Townshend, Sniff 'n' the Tears, and Tina Turner, we were given a chance to talk with an experienced, highly successful, working Rock guitarist. He was full of energy and information talking about practicing, soloing, getting gigs, traveling, copyright (he believes one of his songs was stolen by a successful well-known band), and what actually takes place on stage. He reminded us of the "other" personality that must happen on stage and the transformation of performance that occurs. Without that entertainment side, a skilled musician cannot be successful. He laughed when he told us that his role as a lead guitarist is to solo well but otherwise to stay a little in the shadow of whoever is the lead singer. It was quite an hour and we wished it could continue. But he was scheduled to work with a band and had to leave.
In about two hours, we experienced music on a level that would normally take weeks to achieve. It was experiential learning at its finest and we were all blessed by the time. And now, as I complete this little blog, I am going to experience some London orange juice without the trans-fats I get in Texas. Pure unadulterated juice, I hope to find my mood in its flavor and to keep balance within me. It is fun to write about the juice and to think about it, but it is best to experience it.
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