Realisation of the complete absence of proper music schools for young children in the country led the founders of Neemtree to start researching on the subject. They discovered that children were born with music – even before birth, babies in the womb are accustomed to hearing the rhythmic heartbeat of the mother; before they are old enough to even sit up, they love to produce noise (by banging things around). However, parents who wish for their children to develop musical interests do not take the initiative until they are at least five years old. What Rakhshee Niazi, assistant director of the project stresses on and what most people don’t realise is that the learning curve for children starts almost immediately after birth – by the first couple of years, they have learnt to walk vand talk on their own – and starts declining after the age of 12-13.
The steep learning curve at this age, coupled with children’s intrinsic love for music, makes it important to nurture this love as early on as possible, which is what the NSM aims to do. While Niazi acknowledges that very young children can not produce all seven notes, she believes that it should not be a hindrance. “Even if they are capable of producing only two notes,” she adds, “we aim to help the children develop those two notes.” Furthermore, they aim to teach the relationship between sound and music to the children.
The school plans to familiarise children with all kinds of music from a young age, so that they come to internalise its intricacies and mechanisms in time. There is a wide range of programs offered in accordance with age groups, starting at six months and going on to 12 years. For the younger classes, the focus is primarily on beats; as the students progress, they are introduced to rhythm and melody. The students can then choose to continue in two veins – to develop an appreciation for music by understanding its nuances or become a musician, under the careful guidance of the teachers. Dance is incorporated into the lessons throughout to help the students get a better grasp of musical rhythm and tempo.
Nurturing the intrinsic love that children share for music is the prime focus of the school. They do not believe in choosing any specific instrument or genre for the child to focus on; rather, they train the students to be able to enjoy music to its fullest. For this purpose, they employ not only musicians but qualified educationists as well. Niazi says, “A good musician does not always make a good teacher.” Moreover, Neemtree that started classes on 15th September is currently the only school that offers classes at an elementary level – most music institutes do not teach children younger than five years of age.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 3rd, 2010.
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