I recently had an Indian student for only a month before she had to leave for college. She sings classical Indian ragas with the tambura (stringed instrument that drones in the background) and tabla (a set of Indian drums). I was musically familiar but not technically very knowledgeable about classical Indian music. She had learned her ragas from an Indian teacher in New Jersey, but had not received any clear help with her voice. She strained for high notes and had a fuzzy, breathy tone on the lowest notes.
Her father found me and scheduled as many lessons as possible before she had to leave. At the last lesson, she was singing so effortlessly and beautifully that her father was virtually jumping out of his chair. I told them then that her raga teacher in New Jersey would likely be taken aback by how much better she was singing.
A few weeks ago (September 2017) he called and told me my prediction had come true. Her teacher had even asked if she could call me to find out what I was doing to help students so much and so fast. I gave the permission and she did call me. She plans to Skype with me to find out more.
This young girl (17) was one of the most talented students I've ever had, but I had to give her the "right stuff" in record time. Otherwise such good results could never have occurred. This experience reinforced my confidence in my adaptability to any genre, since I had never worked with any Indian classical singer before.
