MMP_Score_Poorvi_An Evening Raga for Concert Band_Aakash Mittal copy

Warmup No. 3 Khayal is designed so that the band may play the khayal composition together in unison.
After playing through Warmup No. 3 Khayal, rehearse the band from measure 35-70. Ask the band to
identify the instruments that are playing the khayal composition. Ask the band to describe how the
arrangement of the khayal changes with each repetition of the melody. For a big project, assign the
students to create their own arrangement of the khayal melody.
If your students are struggling with the technical aspects of the raag chalan and khayal melodies in the
piece, the warmup is designed so you can rehearse the melodies slowly and with repetition in a way that
all students can participate. In raga music, rigorous and repetitive practice is called riyaz. You may use
this term in rehearsal such as, “Okay, we are going to do some riyaz with this melody.”
III. Aural Tradition
Raga music is learned through the aural tradition. You can bring elements of aural tradition learning into
your practice of Poorvi by teaching the students to sing and play each of the three warmups before
passing out any sheet music.
1. Prep your students by telling them, “To start our next piece we are going to learn some of the
melodies and scales from the music by ear. Does anyone know what it is called when you learn
music entirely by ear?” Once you have collected some answers, focus on the term Aural
Tradition. When I teach about aural tradition in ensembles that use western notation I like to say,
“Aural tradition is the method that most of the world uses to make music. In the Indian music
tradition it is common for a student to take multiple lessons a week with their teacher to study
the music. Aural tradition is just as rigorous and important as music notation. If you can learn
music aurally and you can read notated music it will open up numerous opportunities for you.”
2. Tell the students that each note in the scale has a syllable associated with it. In Indian music this
is called Sargam. In western music this is called Solfege. Write the sargam syllables on the board.
They are Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni, Sa. Practice saying each syllable together in unison as you
point to each one on the board.
3. Sing a Bb major scale together in unison using the sargam syllables. If you are using a sing and
play method you could follow this by having the students play the scale they just sang.
4. If it helps your students write the note names on the board below the sargam syllables. Now flat
the second note to B natural, raise the fourth note to E natural, flat the sixth note to F# or Gb.
Your scale is now Bb, B natural, D, E natural, F, F#, A natural, and Bb. Sing this scale up and
down using the same sargam syllables.
5. For warmup two and three utilize an echo song method. The conductor or a band member can
sing the first phrase of the raag chalan or khayal. If this is too much to absorb, even singing three
or four notes is a good start. Then have the band echo the first singer. You may need to do this
numerous times for your students to memorize the notes if they are not already used to this
technique.
6. The three warmups can potentially be a vocal warmup before the band plays the piece. If you
have the time, consider having the students learn all three melodies with their voice before
beginning rehearsal on the notated material. Any amount of singing the melodies with the
sargam syllables is valuable and will deepen the student’s understanding of raga music.