MAYO COLLEGE
	MUSIC DEPARTMENT
	An eight day workshop on the Dhrupad (A Genre of Indian Classical Singing) was organized at the Music School, from 28th Oct to 6th Nov 2011.
	The workshop was conducted by Ms Sunita Avani Amin, who is a Dhrupad singer of the Dagar gharana. She has been learning Dhrupad since 1998 from renowned gurus Ustad Zia Fariddudin Dagar and Shri Bahauddin Dagar. She holds a B.A. (High Honors) from Oberlin College.
	During the workshop 25 boys, both from Junior and Senior School learnt the basic technicalities of the Dhrupad style of singing. All these techniques were experimented by the boys in the composition which was taught to them in the workshop.
	Brief note on Dhrupad - Dhrupad is a vocal genre in Hindustani classical music, said to be the oldest still in use in that musical tradition. Its name is derived from the words "dhruva" (fixed) and "pada" (words). The term may denote both the verse form of the poetry and the style in which it is sung. Dhrupad as we know it today is performed by a solo singer or a small number of singers in unison to the beat of the pakhavaj or mridang rather than the tabla. The vocalist is usually accompanied by two tanpuras; the players sitting close behind, with the percussionist at the right of the vocalist. Traditionally the only other instrument used was the Rudra Veena.
	Mr Anurag P Vinayak HOD Music Dept
	Boys with Ms Sunita Avani Amin during the workshop