Learn Quest Co-Founder Pradeep Shukla on Dreamcatchers

Summary

LearnQuest Academy of Music, founded by Pradeep Shukla, offers a diverse range of traditional and experimental music education, including vocal and instrumental training. Celebrating 21 years, the academy has significantly impacted the community, organizing concerts and music festivals that connect people through the universal language of music. Shukla, a math professor and physician, highlights the interplay between math and music, both rooted in patterns and the 'aha' moments they share. The academy's success is evident in its students' achievements, with many progressing to professional levels, and the goal is to preserve and pass on this cultural heritage to future generations.

Takeaways

• 🎵 LearnQuest has been teaching music in both Hindustani and Carnatic styles, covering vocal music and instruments like veena, sitar, and tabla.
• 🎼 The organization also teaches experimental instruments such as guitar, reflecting a blend of traditional and modern music education.
• 👥 LearnQuest caters to a diverse audience, including young kids, adults, retirees, and people of all skill levels.
• 🎤 Mr. Pradeep Shukla, co-founder of LearnQuest Academy, is featured as a guest, discussing the mission and history of the academy.
• 🏆 LearnQuest Academy has received the New England Choice Award in the art and culture category.
• 🎓 Mr. Shukla, besides being a co-founder, is also a math professor at Suffolk University, highlighting the connection between math and music.
• 🔢 The script suggests a relationship between math and music through patterns, with both disciplines involving the organization of patterns, whether they be sounds or ideas.
• 🎼 Music is discussed as beneficial for cognitive function, with references to the Mozart Effect and the idea that early exposure to music is beneficial for children.
• 👶 It is suggested that children can be exposed to music from as early as one year old, with the mother's singing being an early form of musical interaction.
• 🎶 LearnQuest Academy started as an after-school program but found that music was the most engaging part, leading to a focus on music education.
• 🎉 The academy organizes music conferences and festivals, starting in 2006, which have grown in size and popularity over the years.
• 🌟 LearnQuest Academy aims to pass on the heritage of music to the next generation and has seen students excel and perform at a professional level.

Q & A

What is the primary mission of LearnQuest Academy of Music?

The primary mission of LearnQuest Academy of Music is to connect people through music and to provide a learning environment for all ages and skill levels.

What styles of music does LearnQuest Academy teach?

LearnQuest Academy teaches both Western and Carnatic styles of music, offering lessons for vocal music and various instruments.

What instruments does LearnQuest Academy offer lessons for?

LearnQuest Academy offers lessons for traditional instruments like veena and sitar, as well as experimental instruments such as guitar and keyboard.

Who is Mr. Pradeep Shukla and what is his role in LearnQuest Academy?

Mr. Pradeep Shukla is the co-founder of LearnQuest Academy of Music and has been instrumental in its growth and recognition, including receiving the New England Choice Award in the art and culture category.

What is the significance of the relationship between math and music as discussed in the script?

The relationship between math and music is that both involve patterns. Music is about organized patterns of sound, while math is a pattern of ideas, and both can evoke an 'aha' moment of understanding or realization.

How did Mr. Shukla's musical education begin and who were his gurus?

Mr. Shukla started learning music at a later age and had several gurus, including Myth VV/HP, a disciple of a well-known performer, and later learned from other musicians when he moved to the USA.

What is the Mozart Effect mentioned in the script?

The Mozart Effect refers to the idea that music, particularly classical music, can activate certain parts of the brain and potentially improve cognitive function.

At what age can children start learning music according to the script?

Children can be exposed to music as early as one or two years old, with early communication and rhythm being essentially musical in nature, such as when a mother sings a lullaby.

How did LearnQuest Academy start and what was its initial focus?

LearnQuest Academy started as an after-school program in 1995 with a focus on various subjects including math, science tutoring, SAT preparation, and music. It evolved into a music school as the music part became very popular.

What is the significance of the conferences or festivals organized by LearnQuest Academy?

The conferences or festivals organized by LearnQuest Academy are significant as they span several days and bring together well-known musicians, providing a platform for cultural exchange and musical enrichment.

What are the future dreams and aspirations for LearnQuest Academy as mentioned in the script?

The future dreams for LearnQuest Academy include seeing children excel in music and other walks of life, and ensuring that they learn music not just as a hobby but to a level where they can perform professionally and carry on the tradition.

Outlines

00:00

🎵 Music Education and Cultural Connection

The script introduces LearnQuest Academy of Music, an institution dedicated to teaching both Western and Indian classical music styles, including vocal and instrumental training. The academy has been organizing concerts to foster a sense of community through music. The special guest, Mr. Pradeep Shukla, co-founder of the academy, discusses the importance of learning at any age and the joy of music. The conversation also touches on the academy's teaching of traditional and experimental instruments, highlighting the love for music that unites all learners.

05:01

🎼 The Interplay of Music, Math, and Humor

The discussion delves into the relationship between music and mathematics, with Mr. Shukla sharing his insights as a math professor and musician. He suggests that both fields are about patterns and ideas, with an 'aha' moment that is common to both disciplines. The script also mentions the cognitive benefits of music, including the Mozart Effect, and the importance of early exposure to music for children's development. LearnQuest's beginnings as an after-school program and its evolution into a music-focused institution are also recounted.

10:06

🎻 The Growth of LearnQuest Academy and Its Aspirations

This section of the script highlights the growth of LearnQuest Academy over 21 years, from its inception as an after-school program to becoming a renowned music institution. The academy's conferences, which have expanded from a two-day event to a multi-day festival, are a significant part of its success. Mr. Shukla expresses his desire to continue nurturing musical talent and to see students excel not only in music but also in other areas of life. The script concludes with a look forward to the academy's future and its commitment to preserving and passing on the rich heritage of music.

Keywords

💡Learn Quest

Learn Quest is an academy that teaches music in both Western and Indian styles, offering lessons for a variety of instruments and vocal music. It is central to the video's theme as it represents the educational institution that fosters a love for music and has been recognized for its contributions to art and culture with the New England Choice Award. The script mentions Learn Quest's mission to connect people through music and its diverse student body, including young kids, adults, and retirees.

💡Carnatic and Western Styles

These terms refer to two distinct musical traditions. Carnatic music is a form of classical music native to South India, while Western music generally refers to the classical music tradition of Europe and America. The video discusses Learn Quest's commitment to teaching both styles, emphasizing its comprehensive approach to music education and its ability to cater to a wide range of musical interests and backgrounds.

💡Instruments

The script mentions several musical instruments taught at Learn Quest, such as the veena, sitar, guitar, and tabla. These instruments represent the academy's diverse curriculum and its dedication to offering students a broad musical education. The instruments are integral to the video's narrative as they exemplify the tangible skills students acquire through their studies at Learn Quest.

💡Tabla

The tabla is a pair of hand drums used in Indian classical music and is one of the instruments mentioned in the script. It is significant to the video's theme as it highlights the academy's focus on traditional Indian music education. The inclusion of the tabla in the curriculum demonstrates Learn Quest's commitment to preserving and teaching cultural heritage.

💡Veena

The veena is a plucked string instrument used in Indian classical music. Its mention in the script underscores Learn Quest's dedication to teaching traditional instruments, which is a key aspect of the academy's mission to connect students with their cultural roots through music education.

💡Guitar

The guitar, mentioned as an 'experimental instrument' in the script, represents the academy's willingness to incorporate a variety of musical influences, including Western music. The inclusion of the guitar in the curriculum illustrates the academy's broad approach to music education, ensuring that students have access to a range of musical styles and techniques.

💡Concerts

The script discusses Learn Quest's regular organization of concerts, which serves as a platform for students to showcase their musical talents and for the community to engage with music. Concerts are a vital part of the video's narrative as they symbolize the practical application of musical education and the academy's role in fostering a vibrant musical community.

💡Pradeep Shukla

Mr. Pradeep Shukla is the co-founder of Learn Quest Academy and the special guest in the video. His presence is central to the video's theme as he shares his journey and the history of Learn Quest, providing insight into the academy's mission and achievements. His discussion about the relationship between math and music also enriches the video's exploration of the interconnectedness of different disciplines.

💡New England Choice Award

The New England Choice Award in the art and culture category is an accolade received by Learn Quest Academy, as mentioned in the script. This award signifies the recognition and appreciation of the academy's contributions to the field of music and culture, highlighting its impact and influence in the region.

💡Math and Music

The video explores the relationship between math and music, a concept introduced by Mr. Shukla, who is also a math professor. The script suggests that both disciplines involve patterns, with music being about organized patterns of sound and math about patterns of ideas. This connection is significant to the video's theme as it illustrates the interdisciplinary nature of learning and the shared elements between seemingly distinct fields.

💡Mozart Effect

The Mozart Effect is a concept mentioned in the script that refers to the idea that listening to music can enhance cognitive abilities. While the script does not delve deeply into the effect, it is used to support the idea that music education is beneficial and should be introduced to children at an early age, aligning with the video's advocacy for the importance of music in personal development.

Highlights

LearnQuest has been teaching music in both Hindustani and Carnatic styles for over 20 years.

They offer vocal music and instrument lessons including veena, sitar, violin, guitar, and tabla.

LearnQuest organizes concerts regularly to connect people through music.

The academy caters to learners of all ages and skill levels, from young kids to adults and retirees.

Mr. Pradeep Shukla, co-founder of LearnQuest, is the guest on Dreamcatchers show.

LearnQuest Academy has received the New England Choice Award in the art and culture category.

Pradeep Shukla grew up in India and started learning music at a later age.

He learned from several gurus including his first teacher, Mythili VV, and others in Bombay.

Shukla is also a math professor at Suffolk University and sees a connection between math and music.

Both math and music are about patterns - organized patterns of sounds in music and ideas in math.

There is a common 'aha' moment in music, math, and humor where a sense of relief or joy is felt.

Music has been shown to improve cognitive function and activate certain brain areas.

Kids can be exposed to music from as early as one year old, with the mother singing lullabies.

LearnQuest started as an after-school program in 1995 with various subjects including music.

The music program at LearnQuest became very popular, outpacing other academic subjects.

LearnQuest started organizing music conferences in 2006 to bring Indian music to the US.

The conferences have grown from 2 days to 5 days, becoming a major annual event.

LearnQuest has brought many famous Indian musicians to perform at their conferences.

They teach a variety of instruments at LearnQuest including veena, sitar, guitar, keyboard, and harmonium.

LearnQuest's goal is to pass on the invaluable heritage of Indian music to the next generation.

Many students at LearnQuest have gone on to perform professionally and carry on the musical tradition.

Transcripts

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Music]

learn quest has been teaching music in

both in the Stanny and Carnatic styles

for both vocal music and instruments

such as veena sitar written gum and

table and has also been organizing

concerts in the barre textile on a

regular basis with a mission of

connecting people through music of

course learning never stops in addition

to young kids we have adults retirees

men and women of all skill levels

learning at learn quest at learn quest

they teach traditional instruments such

as veena and at the same time they also

teach experimental instruments such as

guitar as a rod or as teacher Phil

Kaplan calls it get a rod but they are

all here for the sheer love and joy of

music

welcome to dreamcatchers our special

guest today is mr. Pradeep Shukla

co-founder of Leung Crest Academy of

Music an organization which is very

close to our heart and also the

recipient of New England Choice Award in

art and culture category let us meet him

today and learn about his journey and

the history of learn quest academy

but if jake namaste welcome to the show

so let us start at the very beginning I

know you from

you grew up in you pianned my dear

Pradesh as well

what date did you start learning music I

started learning music that later as an

SP ninja okay

usually when kids start learning music

we started the age of six I mean that's

that's a good age to start laughing why

I would say I stuck a little okay

tell us about some of your gurus I know

you've learned from you've had a lot of

special people in your life

so my first guru was a myth VV / HP

regen he was a disciple of when when I

grew up and went on a very well-known

visible a distant performer and then

when I moved to Bombay for my studies I

got an opportunity to learn from okay

and then for a brief period from but

welcome son

so these are the Guru's I learnt from

formally and then when I came back to

came to USA I got to meet several

musicians and often are not be learning

from them you know you teach house for

an hour late but that's my time you try

now you are also math professor at

Suffolk University and of course as a

physician one of the subjects which is

very close to our

is the relationship between math and

music I read once that I even Einstein

when used to get stuck long enough not a

problem you know he used to play music

and oh you could just get through that

so do you think there is a relationship

between math and music yeah absolutely

there seems to be and I find that a lot

of my colleagues metal not medical

colleagues they are very interested in

music so there seems to be some

connection and I think the connection

the connection that is between math and

music is that both are about patterns

okay music is about pattern or sound and

organized patterns of sounds notes it's

organized by notes and mathematics is is

a pattern of ideas it expresses

different kinds of that yes and I would

say this I can include one more thing in

the math music and humor okay I think

there's at least one thing which is

common among these three things is in

music in mathematics and humor there is

one common moment and aha moment okay on

music yeah the musician is building at

something a team and they will come a

point where there's a sense of relief or

aha

joyful joyful moment and similarly in

mathematics also so there this is a

common element I think which exists in

all these three disciplines you can call

it a punch line

now we see that you know music has

actually been shown to improve the

cognitive function in the brain as well

then there is all this talk about the

Mozart Effect where the music activates

certain portions of the brain but age do

you think we should enroll our kids in

music class as early as possible I mean

role meaning if let's say creating

learning I think four or five years old

yeah but kids can be exposed to music as

early as one year older two years old

and say that the early communication

rhythm with one's mother is essentially

musical in nature okay so when the

mother is singing a lullaby that is

exposure to media I think one of the

first structured actually one of the

first exposure to music is from one's

mother that's true that's true

let's find mythology also there are so

many stories about women should sing to

the children while they're pregnant so

it makes the right kind of development

so talking of teaching music brings me

to learn Crest Academy because now it's

21 years so tell us a little bit about

how you got started actually I should

not I cannot say that we started

non-persons in music school okay it

happened okay it was a coincidence some

of us we wanted to start an after-school

program of which music was

in terms of engagement so we had math

classes science tutoring SAT preparation

music vocal music and so basically I

asked my friends to music table classes

piano yoga

it was evolved mixed back yeah mixer

phone and we started as a beacon school

so this was in 1995 we incorporated 94

December and 95 we started the school

involvement and within a year or so we

found that the music part was very very

level Wow and other academic Park math

classes sign up there few students that

was not going and so we thought that

this seems to be music seems to be the

need of the community expecting so

together with some of the teachers

Michigan welker Durga Krishnan

they will some of the oldest teachers

side now pod so we decided that now of

course you do some of the best music

conferences in the United States you

have brought some of the most famous

musicians so tell us a little bit about

the conference's that you don't want any

early basis so these festivals or we

call them conferences yeah we started in

2006 okay and again friends were

passionate about music and this

what'd he miss far away from our country

India so we decided we should have an

extended festival acting a monkey they

think there used to be concerts we used

to organize and meet us but there wasn't

an event spanned over several days so we

decided okay we should do something

about it so it started with an idea of

having an all-night one second but then

we thought about it then we decided no

all night may be too much for some

people how about having over a beacon

Saturday and Sunday and so that's how it

started so our first conference the

festival was for two days Saturday and

Sunday and then it's going to three days

five days now it's something we won't

look forward for the whole year yeah

somehow it has captured the imagination

of the people feeling like it we are

very pleased about it now are they

robbed I know you brought most of the

well-known musicians is there anybody

that you haven't brought to your

conference that you really want to bring

I think if we include all the music

organizations like Mitas chinma Center I

think our community fortunately has

listened to all of them here the fourth

fortune of listening to all this hardly

and even when left out and that makes me

also to the next question what kind of

music do you teach at learn quest so we

have several instrument no not not all

but in our offering several instruments

I represent

so of course we have understanding them

can I didn't go then we have C power

guna sorrow harmonium in keyboard we

used to have flute and violin we don't

but there are several good teachers but

flute is missing so somebody was

listening yes okay so learn quest

Academy has done so well in the last 21

years

do you have any dreams for future yes

definitely

okay it is heartening to see our

children music and do so well absolutely

and also not only music in other walks

of life is what we would like to see is

when they learn music

they don't learn just as an

entertainment or as a side hobby they

get somewhere and it is already have so

some kids I can leave them

hello cat Raju he's in college so he

started a little and learned quest and

now he is performing at professional

level he is brilliant and similarly the

flute player play it's not nothing so

time he also started learning can flute

at length with then flute Robin he was a

well-known food here he used to take a

lot so he is also playing very well and

there are other students vocal students

such as Lucia called garden

she gotta see des embiez another student

was in college and she finished the

program and later aligator um for ten

years

it's wonderful Selina energy another yes

yes as well very heartening to see these

are our stars and you would like these

children to learn music and a high level

I'll be able to perform on stage in

forums like our festival and carry other

traditions carry on the tradition thank

you sir yeah one of our goals is to pass

on this invaluable heritage to our next

generation that's so thank you and at

our end we look forward to honoring the

quest Academy's music and noon then

Choice Awards

thank you my dear October so we look

forward to seeing you then thank you so

much for your name

[Music]

you