Bhaskar Gurung performing in the workshop conducted by ‘Rockschool’ at the Hope Centre for Excellence, Dimapur on June 27.
Morung Express News
Dimapur | June 27
Naga music scene is going to grow, according to Jack Thomas, Director of Rockschool India which is part of an international music exam board from the UK. Thomas is a member of the team that conducted a workshop cum seminar at the Hope Centre for Excellence in Dimapur today. This is the second time that a delegation from this board has visited Nagaland. With the recent surge of enthusiasm in the Naga music scene, Thomas informed that 250 students had registered with Rockschool in 2012. This was more than the number of students who registered in Delhi, when the board first ventured into India. He hoped that the number would increase this time around. The team consists of Jack Thomas (Guitar), Bhaskar Gurung (Guitar), Rueben Narian (Drum) and Prabir Shekri (Keyboard).
In a conversation with the Morung Exrpess, Thomas expressed his admiration for the passion that young Nagas have towards music. He, however, pointed out the lack of avenues for musicians as a major obstacle. “Ultimately musicians want to perform,” he stated. Commenting on the local scene, he expressed optimism that with the abundance of musical talent and the sprouting of music institutes like the Hope Centre for Excellence, a formidable music industry would develop. When asked as to whether a certificate is needed to become a composer or a songwriter, Thomas affirmed that songwriting skills are innate. He added that the purpose of Rockschool is to facilitate the honing of individual talent and to make musician aware of their technical proficiency.
Thomas informed that contrary to what the name denotes, ‘Rockschool’ is not a school in the literal sense, but a board that provides internationally recognized accreditation to musicians.
It also does not deal exclusively with rock music, but with various other genres like blues, jazz, pop etc. “We deal with all genres of music except classical,” he added with a smile.
At the workshop, participants were first given an introduction to the board, after which they were divided into groups according to their choice of musical instruments. Separate workshops were conducted for Guitars, Drums and keyboards by different members of the team. Bhaskar Gurung on Guitars, Reuben Narian on Drums and Prabir Shekri on keys enlightened students on achieving technical adeptness of different instruments. The team is scheduled to visit the Note Grid School of music, Dimapur on June 28. Thereafter, they plan to conduct workshops in Kohima, Shillong and Darjeeling.
