Rahman's B'day gift to young musicians!

ar rahman, the legendary musician who turned 42 yesterday has decided to gift aspiring musicians an institute to learn music and music technology. Announcing the KM Music Conservatory and KM Music Symphony Orchestra, Rahman said, "Synthesizers and electronic sounds played a significant role in the evolution of music during the 80's and 90's. As this fresh sound captivated listeners, they began to lose appreciation and interest in live classical compositions. Should this continue, future generations will be deprived of the joy that is live classical music?"

The KM Music Conservatory is an attempt to recreate a world-class orchestra for the enjoyment for Indians. Currently Indian composers must go abroad to find orchestras to record. The vision of KM Music Conservatory is to eliminate this obstacle and provide an exemplary orchestra here in India.

Rahman further said: "I feel, as a modern classical musician, having the knowledge of both music performance and music technology is invaluable. Only having the skill to perform an instrument may not necessarily be lucrative, however having that skill as well as excellent music production capabilities will ensure many more career opportunities and financial security. That way they learn to use the best of both worlds."

The conservatory faculty will include Indian and International professors and musicians, who will educate students in Indian and Western Classical music. The school will currently be auditioning and accepting singers and students who play flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, trumpet, trombone, violin, viola, cello, double bass, and percussion. Courses will include Western Vocal and Instrumental Performance, Indian Classical Vocal, Western and Indian Music Theory, Music Appreciation, Ear Training, Piano, Audio Engineering, an Apple certified course in Logic Pro, and a Digidesign certified course in Pro Tools. Scholarships will be offered to deserving students from the ar rahman Foundation.