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Studio! Students Perform Piano Pieces At 3rd Recital
Nearly 30 students showcased their musical talents on Sunday, December 5th. The performers from Studio! played classical pieces, national anthems and compositions at the school’s 3rd annual recital. The program was at the Piano Works ballroom in Duluth.
Around 120 people filled the auditorium and embarked on a musical journey. The recital started promptly at 12:30 p.m. and concluded at 2:30 p.m. The show opened with the Indian national anthem, Jana Gana Mana, on the piano, and ended with the American national anthem, The Star Spangled Banner. Some students performed their own compositions while others played traditional Christmas songs including Carol of the Bells and Jingle Bells. Other popular favorites included Oh Suzanna, Ode to Joy, Old Macdonald and Auld Lang Syne. One student played a popular Tamil film song as well.
The program concluded with the Seshadri brothers, Archith and Ashwin, performing classical pieces and a Bollywood medley, respectively.
Archith and Ashwin Seshadri founded Studio! in April, 2007 to train students in western classical music and theory. The school has an enrollment of 40 students and focuses on the Alfred and Yamaha teaching methods with adaptations from the Associate Boards of Royal Schools of Music (London) and Australian Music Examination Board. Students learn repertoire pieces, scales, chords, warm up techniques and theory concepts. Students learn a variety of pieces, complete research projects, create their own compositions and take an annual exam.
“Teaching at Studio! is extremely rewarding because you play an important role in shaping a student’s commitment towards music. Our students have created their own songs, won at talent shows and learned popular Indian songs. This opportunity has helped us inspire the next generation of kids. Students who take music, do well in school and do well socially. And at the school, they not only learn songs and theory, but they learn discipline, goal setting, organizational skills, performance technique and test taking strategies. I am excited about the school’s growth over the last few years and look forward to introducing two new concepts next year: Bollywood and Voice,” said Archith Seshadri.
"This was our 3rd recital and I felt it was the best one since we had a full crowd and the songs were more challenging to the students. It was also fun to at the end to play for the kids and parents,” said Ashwin Seshadri.
For many students, the recital provided an opportunity to perform on stage for the first time, with a moment of triumph for the parents and teachers. Their hard work and dedication for classical music manifested itself at the recital where several music enthusiasts appreciated the level of talent from a group of elementary students. The recital ended with each student receiving a trophy and a group picture to commemorate their accomplishments.
Vinod Devlia and Raju Nagarajan served as photographers for the event.