MILAP

Indian Classical Music Youth Ensemble

MILAP (Music of India – Learn and Aspire Project) is an exciting new initiative being launched by IPAP Seattle in 2024. MILAP provides a unique opportunity to students residing in the greater Seattle area to learn, share and present their art in a group setting. Being in the company of fellow students learning singing, melody or percussion instruments, creates a sense of belonging and serves as a catalyst to motivate and inspire students to continue to pursue their respective artform in the years to come.

In addition to instrumental ensemble, the initiative is introducing A cappella, a form of music that is performed by a group of singers without instrumental accompaniment. A cappella is rapidly gaining popularity both in the United States and South Asia. The MILAP project provides students an opportunity to explore intersection of A cappella styles with South Asian music (such as Bollywood, Hindustani/Carnatic classical, light music, etc.). Students will be exposed to various A cappella musical skills such as harmonizing, understanding Western choral techniques, and learning to sing in an ensemble.

Instructors

Sampada Bhalerao
Deepashri Joglekar
Sanika Joshi
Siddarth Kulkarni
Satyajit Limaye

Program Structure

  1. MILAP teams will be organized into 4 categories:
    • Groups A, B & C – Instrumental Ensemble
    • Group D – Youth A cappella (Age 13 thru 19)
  2. Team size, selection & composition:
    • Each team will comprise of 10 to 15 students.
    • For instrumental ensemble, there will be an even distribution of various instruments including Bansuri, Harmonium, Sitar, Tabla, Dholki, Sarode, Violin and miscellaneous instruments. Due to space and logistical constraints, we are not considering Keyboards/Piano entries at this time. Guitar entries will be considered so long as the student is able to play Indian Classical music on it.
    • For A cappella, the team will be divided into 4 to 5 sub groups (soprano, alto, tenor, bass and beatbox) based on their skill level and interest.
    • Students will be selected based on their skill level and commitment to attend all practice sessions and grand finale presentation. Grande finale will be held on 1st, 2nd or 3rd weekend in June.
    • For instrumental ensemble category assignment will be made by the MILAP instructor team. Decision will be based on demo video recording and the skill level of the student compared to other applicants.
  3. Each instrumental category will be assigned up to 10 songs that all students in that category will be expected to learn.
  4. Song notation, both text and audio will be available online at the IPAP Seattle webpage
  5. While students will learn all songs assigned to their category, they may not necessarily perform all songs at the grand finale performance. The decision on what songs the students get to perform will be based on:
    • Song orchestration
    • Student readiness

Timeline

  1. Application window: January 26 thru February 15
  2. Applicants will be notified about the selection decision by February 22
  3. Learn & Collaborate – March thru May:
    • In-person learning: Teams will get together twice a month on Sunday afternoons for 1 to 2 hours to practice assigned songs in a group setting.
    • Off-line learning: Syllabus will be available online in the form of text notations as well as audio. Students will be expected to listen & practice assigned songs using the online content prior to attending the group in-person session.
    • Additional in-person practices may be scheduled as needed to ensure students are progressing at the expected pace.
  4. Perform on stage – June:
    • A grand finale performance will be hosted by IPAP Seattle to give all enrolled students an opportunity to present their skills on stage.
    • Depending on the team size and song selection, instrumental ensemble performance for each team will last for anywhere from half an hour to one hour. A cappella performance duration will be around 15 minutes.

Fees

  1. Fee for the entire course is $300 per student. Fee will cover the following:
    • 2 monthly in-person group sessions, duration 1 to 2 hours spanning a 3-month window. (Total of 6 sessions)
    • Access to on-line learning material in the form of audio & text
    • Opportunity to participate in the grand finale performance. (Students will not be charged additional fee to participate)
    • Fee payment: Fees to be paid online after the student receives acceptance letter from MILAP team
    • Fees are reimbursable only if MILAP initiative gets cancelled due to unforeseeable events. Exact amount to be reimbursed will depend on the nature & date of the event.
Milap 2024 Ensemble

Enrolled Student Expectations

  1. Enrolled students are expected to attend all in-person group sessions. In the event a student is unable to attend a particular session, student is expected to put in the extra effort at home to keep up with the rest of the team’s progress. Missed lessons are not reimbursable.
  2. It is important that each student practice assigned material at home prior to in-person session.
  3. Students are expected to bring their own music instrument to the practice & grand finale. Students may have to either tune their instrument or purchase a new instrument (typically applies to Bansuri) to ensure they are able to play in the same key as the rest of the team. Instructors will be providing guidance in this regard.
  4. Students are expected to memorize all songs assigned to their group. For practice sessions, students may bring printouts as a temporary aid.

Enrollment Steps:

Instrumental Ensemble Applicants:

  • Step 1: Submit your information along with a 3 minute video of your solo performance using this form. Guidelines for video recording:
    • You and your musical instrument (does not apply to singing) need to be clearly visible for the entire duration.
    • You have the option to perform any genre of India music including classical (raga), semi-classical (Bhajan, dhun) or light (bollywood) song. We are looking for your ability to play/sing a melody with ease in tune and on the beat.
    • You have the option of recording a mix of different genres of music so long as the total duration of the video does not exceed 3 min
    • Limit your video to 25MB
  • Step 2: Once you receive approval from MILAP team, pay the fees using the payment button that will be available on this page effective February 15. DO NOT MAKE THE PAYMENT until you get a confirmation email from the MILAP team.

A cappella Applicants:

Auditions for the A Cappella ensemble will be split into two rounds: a virtual round of recording submissions, and an in-person callbacks round. You may choose to audition for one of the following positions: (1) singer or (2) beatboxer. *Beatboxer: a musician who produces sounds of drum beats and/or other rhythmic elements with their voice

Round 1:

  • Singer Audition: Submit video recordings of two song excerpts (a verse + a chorus OR roughly ~1 minute per song) with your basic information using this form . While we recommend you sing songs of different genres (Bollywood, Hindustani/Carnatic classical, semi-classical, English, etc.), you should pick songs that demonstrate your strengths as a singer.
  • Beatboxer Audition: Submit one recording of a beatbox solo (~1 minute long).

Round 2:

  • Round 2 details will be sent out after Round 1 auditions have been completed.
  • After Round 2, you will you receive an email notifying you if you were selected. If you have been selected, please go ahead and pay the fees using the payment button that will be available on this page effective February 15. DO NOT MAKE THE PAYMENT until you get a confirmation email from the MILAP team.

Questions? Email us at [email protected]