Tollygunge · Vocal and instrumental music
Learn music the slow way, which is the only way.
A music school in a two-storey house off N.S.C. Bose Road. Rabindra Sangeet and classical vocal upstairs, guitar, keyboard, tabla, harmonium and violin downstairs. Children from age six, adults of any age. The first class is free.
- Rabindra Sangeet
- Classical vocal
- Guitar
- Keyboard
- Tabla
- Harmonium
- Violin
Two kinds of singing, two teachers, one floor.
Vocal classes are taught sitting on the floor with a harmonium and a tanpura app, the way most of us learnt. A child who cannot yet hold a note sits beside a student preparing for a stage.
Rabindra Sangeet
Taught from the Swarabitan notation, song by song, with the words explained before the tune. Students learn to sing with the correct pronunciation and without ornament, as the songs were written to be sung.
Beginners start with the simpler Puja and Prakriti songs. By the second year most students can sing twenty songs from notation and perform at Pochishe Boishakh.
Hindustani classical vocal
Sargam, paltas and alankars for the first six months, whatever the age. Then raag by raag: Yaman, Bhupali, Bhairav, Kafi, in bandish and in alaap. Tabla accompaniment at every Saturday class.
Students who want to sing Bengali adhunik, Nazrul Geeti or film songs are welcome. Classical training is the base; what you sing with it is your choice.
Five instruments, taught one student at a time within the batch.
Instrument batches are four to six students. The teacher goes round, listens to each one, corrects the hand, moves on. Bring your own instrument from the second month; we have school ones for the first.
Guitar
Acoustic first, then electric if you wish. Chords, strumming patterns, Bengali and Hindi songs, then scales and lead.
Age 9+ · Mon closed
Keyboard
Both hands from the first month. Staff notation taught alongside, so students can read Western pieces and play harmonium parts.
Age 7+ · Wed, Fri, Sun
Tabla
Teentaal, Dadra, Kaharwa, Jhaptaal. Bols spoken before they are played. Our tabla students accompany the vocal classes on Saturdays.
Age 7+ · Tue, Thu, Sat
Harmonium
For singers who want to accompany themselves, and for anyone who wants to play at home. Scales, chords and song accompaniment.
Any age · Any day
Violin
Indian style, held low, taught on the Hindustani raag system. Bowing and tuning take the first three months. Patience is required.
Age 8+ · Wed, Sat
Pick a tab. The fee is the fee.
Monthly fees, paid by the 10th, cash or UPI. One-time admission ₹500. No charge for the first class, for the annual function rehearsals or for exam form help.
| Batch | Days | Time | For | Monthly fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rabindra Sangeet, childrenBatch of 8 | Tue, Thu | 5:00 – 6:00 pm | Age 6 to 12 | ₹900 |
| Rabindra Sangeet, adultsBatch of 8 | Sat, Sun | 9:00 – 10:30 am | Age 13 and up | ₹1,000 |
| Classical vocal, beginnersSargam and alankar year | Tue, Fri | 6:00 – 7:00 pm | Age 8 and up | ₹1,000 |
| Classical vocal, seniorRaag study, with tabla on Saturday | Wed, Sat | 7:00 – 8:30 pm | 2+ years training | ₹1,400 |
| Nazrul Geeti and adhunikOpen to all vocal students | Sun | 11:00 am – 12:00 noon | Any level | ₹600 |
Vocal students may sit in on one instrument class a week for ₹300 extra. Most pick harmonium.
| Instrument | Days | Time | Batch size | Monthly fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GuitarAcoustic or electric | Tue, Thu, Sat | 6:00 – 7:00 pm | 6 | ₹1,000 |
| KeyboardSchool keyboard for the first month | Wed, Fri, Sun | 5:00 – 6:00 pm | 5 | ₹1,000 |
| TablaPair available in class | Tue, Thu, Sat | 5:00 – 6:00 pm | 6 | ₹900 |
| HarmoniumGood first instrument for singers | Any two days | Morning or evening | 6 | ₹800 |
| ViolinStudent violin can be arranged on rent, ₹300 a month | Wed, Sat | 6:00 – 7:00 pm | 4 | ₹1,200 |
A second instrument for the same student is half price. Two children from one family: ₹200 off the second child.
| Preparation | When | What is covered | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Junior years (1st to 3rd)Vocal or instrument | Extra Sunday class, Oct to Feb | Theory book, practical pieces, viva questions | ₹500 a monthOct to Feb only |
| Senior years (4th to 6th)Vocal or instrument | Extra Sunday class, Oct to Feb | Theory, raag notation, history, practical, viva | ₹700 a monthOct to Feb only |
| Mock practicalTwo rounds, in front of outside examiners | January | Full exam format, written feedback | Included |
| Board exam fees | As per the board | Paid directly to the board; we fill the form with you | At cost |
Exam preparation is optional. Plenty of students learn for ten years and never sit an exam. That is also a fine way to learn music.
Year by year, from Prathama to Sangeet Visharad level.
Students who want a certificate sit for music board exams every year from the second year. We prepare them for the syllabus of the boards most Kolkata schools use. Here is what each stage looks like.
- Yr 1
No exam. Just learning.
Posture, breath, sargam or hand position. We do not put a six-year-old in front of an examiner.
- Yr 2–3
Junior years
Short theory paper and a practical of two or three pieces. Most children pass comfortably. Viva questions are practised in class from October.
- Yr 4–5
Middle years
Notation writing, raag identification, history of the form. Practical gets longer. Mock exams in January with teachers from other schools as examiners.
- Yr 6+
Senior and diploma level
Full performance plus a written paper. Students at this level usually teach the junior batches with us, which is the best preparation there is.
Sur Sandhya, the second Sunday of January.
Every student who has attended for six months sings or plays on stage. Juniors in groups, seniors solo, the tabla batch accompanies everyone. We hire the hall, the sound and the lights. Families get three passes each and the rest are open to the neighbourhood.
- 34thSur Sandhya in January 2027
- Sun 10 JanTollygunge community hall, 5 pm
- 96Students on stage last year
- ₹600Per student for costume and hall, once a year
From the classrooms and the stage.
What they tell us.
My daughter started Rabindra Sangeet at seven, bored and fidgety. Madhumita di never raised her voice once. Four years on she sang solo at Sur Sandhya and I cried in the third row.
I am 52 and started tabla two years ago because I always wanted to. Nobody laughed. I now accompany the Saturday vocal class, badly but happily.
A two-storey house off N.S.C. Bose Road, five minutes from Tollygunge metro.
23/1 Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Road, Tollygunge
Kolkata 700040
| Tuesday to Sunday, morning | 8:00 am – 12:00 noon |
| Tuesday to Sunday, evening | 4:00 pm – 8:30 pm |
| Monday | Closed |
Say the age and the subject. We will tell you which batch has a seat.
The first class is free. Come and listen.
Send the student's age and what they want to learn. We reply with a batch, a day and a time for the free class.