We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mytreyi Shastry Aravind. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mytreyi below.

Mytreyi , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

Landing in America as a newlywed with no close (familial) connections nearby was intimidating. Everything, everyone seemed new and unfamiliar to me.

It was a weekend sometime in April (2012) and a friend’s relative who lived in New York sent an email asking if I’d be interested in performing a Carnatic music concert at Staten Island for a religious event. I agreed and began preparing for the concert. People on the buses and trains gave glances of wonderment at my pink silk saree and smiled admiringly at the way I had draped it. I began the performance with a lot of nervousness but a lot of inner confidence too. The concert was very well received with great appreciation. A lot of people took my contact details to reach me to learn Carnatic vocal music from me. What began temporary became a full fledged school in 10 years. Today Ganamrutha Academy (Mytreyi Shastry Aravind School of Music) spans over 12 years of teaching across USA and Canada with students of several ethnicities and nationalities all across the two countries. Consequently, I moved to North Carolina in 2014 and since then, I’ve performed/ been performing concerts all across the state and the country. The exponential growth of the school often makes me thank the very first opportunity that gave raise to several consecutive ones expanding my prowess as a Guru of Carnatic music, the ability for which I never knew I had.

Mytreyi , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m a Carnatic vocal musician, trained in this art for 30+ years under several Gurus of eminence in India. I’ve been performing this art form for 22+ years now. It requires a certain meditative mindset to get into the discipline of learning this art and pursue practicing it. The biggest learning I’ve had from this profession is that the Guru has to stoop down to the maturity of the young learner and make them understand complex concepts such as Shruti (pitch), Swarasthanams (placements of notes), Taalam (Rhythm) along with retaining the sahityam (lyrical component of the song). The challenge is that everything is internalized and can’t be replicated on an instrument to show how it is done. So it is a work of observation and absorption by the brain and replication by the voice/ vocal cords.

Teaching this ancient and complex art form has several practical challenges. Something as simple as a lot of talking can take a toll on the musician’s voice and many people prefer to ask a lot of questions and talk about their progress/ their child’s progress in class. So musicians often seem very aloof in their social circle primarily to prolong their profession as a vocal musician. Most parents understand the occupational hazards that entail a musician’s life and respect it by resorting to other ways of communication with the Guru.

What I’m most proud of is the achievements of my beloved students in carnatic vocal music competitions. Training them from scratch to see them bag trophies and prize shields at National and International level platforms brims my heart with joy and a tremendous sense of accomplishment, like my own child achieved something. During my school and college days, I won hundreds of prizes in carnatic vocal music competitions and it boosted my confidence in the art to a large extent. I could also perform concerts with the experience and confidence gained from those experiences. So far, our music school had won 200+prizes in various competitions conducted at State, Regional, National and International levels. It taken unwavering commitment to the art both from the side of the teacher as well as the student to reach those heights.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Finding the right teacher/ coach/ mentor/ Guru is the hardest challenge today. People research about the backgrounds of medical professionals before seeking their help for their medical needs. Home builders are researched upon before we choose someone to build our beautiful homes. Similarly, it is important for people to do an in-depth research on finding the right Guru to learn an art as potent as carnatic vocal music. Understanding their pedagogy, school of thought and experience in the field can never be underrated. Many resort to lower cost alternatives to just mark a tick in the list of things they learnt in their life without realizing that its important to learn right rather than learn inexpensive. A person who has decided to pursue a full time career in the fine arts endures a lot of comparison, judgement and financial cripple and despite all these odds, they choose to do the craft they are masters in. So in my view, if the society is appreciative, supportive and welcoming of local artistes, there is nothing better or more to ask.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Teachers like me may not make much money. They may not have a lot of professional advantages like paid leave. But the unconditional love and affection of the students makes them feel that they have everything in the world. Another great blessing of being a creative is that, this is a limitless profession. There is so much joy in exploring unknown terrain and possibilities while being strongly rooted in your fundamentals. Creatives keep learning and learning thrives creativity.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ganamrutha_academy_usa?igsh=djY1dWxjdjNub3E2&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mytreyishastryaravindschool/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@GanamruthaAcademy

Image Credits

Black and white photo- Veena Kannan