A welcome change

Sheetal

Since ages, in India, there is no regular curriculum in the school for a child to inculcate the soft skills and enhance their acting skills. Natya Shastra, a Sanskrit text on performing arts was compiled somewhere around 200 BCE to 200 CCE, which explains the importance of theatre and musicals a long time ago. The sooner a child is exposed to many forms of art, the sooner his mind starts perceiving an art in a certain way. Which is why Ireland’s Leinster School of Music & Drama (LSMD), a branch under the Griffith College, has come up with full fledged syllabus, examination and degrading regime for the school-going children in Chandigarh.   

LSMD is a national examining body in Ireland and is a centre for excellence in music and drama education and training since 1904. Since it was founded, the school has produced an array of accomplished performers. Kevin Geoghegan, Director, International office, Griffith College, speaks about the talent and potential that Indian students hold, “The collaborative efforts of the expertise in syllabus and grading system and the school’s enthusiasm to develop overall abilities of the child will only bring better results in deciding their career in future.”   

Deepak Luthra, Head of India & South Asia, Griffith College says, “There is no franchise fees as such and the only amount charged will be that of the examination which will entirely be conducted by our college examiners as per their grading standards and will be valid globally.”   

 “Introducing these programmes at such young age will help parents to channelise their surplus energy into something positive and they will gain a greater perspective of life through this medium,” says Nisha Luthra, Head of Operations (India), LSMD and founder of The Narrators.    

“The learners from school itself will be trained to teach children the various aspects of drama, from prose and poet recitals to working on different plays, the syllabus is meant to be interesting for students, which is why last year, we incorporated Harry Potter into the curriculum,” adds Kevin.  

LSMD has already started its initiative assessing recordings of rehearsals of students who enacted ‘Thy Work is done’ - a stage play performed by students of Vivek High School. The play was directed by The Narrators, founded by Nisha Luthra. The participants were awarded a LSMD certificate. 

sheetal.dadhwal@tribunemail.com