Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Geeta Shreedar. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Geeta, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?
My mission in life is to live it happily, and to ensure that my work is my passion and not a daily chore. Since childhood, I gravitated to activities that I like to do and follow. My life has been an adventure growing up, seeing places and meeting people that have left a mark on me. Criticism, and negativity have shaped me to become a stronger person, and open to others, understanding we all have different paths and choices in life. My career is a hike: from event management, advertising, IT and now music teaching and mentoring, along with event management again! My daily routine in yoga helps me keep focussed on the positive side of life, while noting and working the challenging, difficult aspects as well.
I am a person blessed to have a perfect pitch that can range several octaves. I used to be the best soprano in my school choir. However, I had to deal with severe chronic asthma on a daily basis and I was told by the doctors that it would cause issues with vocal music training. When I was 15, I had to take a break from singing because it got so bad and I could barely breathe properly. In school I had several autographs from my friends wishing me the best and hoping to see me on radio or become a music star one day! I wasn’t sure if I could get back to voice training again.
Instead I delved into organizing musical events, still hugging music close to me, despite me not being able to sing daily. I did participate in one or two competitions where I won some awards, but it was just a passing euphoria to me. I surrounded myself with artistes, songs and events letting it fill my soul!
Life happened. I graduated with a bachelors degree in Economics, rose in my career in event management and advertising, got married, moved countries – from India to USA, bought a house, did my masters degree in Management Information Systems, worked in IT for several years, and had two lovely daughters. I sang to my family, friends and informally, at local events.
Then miraculously, a Mom(who over time became a good friend) heard me singing at the temple and requested I teach her daughter music. It is strange and unexpected when life offers us unique opportunities that gravitate back to your core values and passions, and I am glad I connected with that moment in time and embraced the path. I started teaching her daughter and by word of mouth, more children joined and I absolutely loved it, but I was also terribly apprehensive, because it had been more than a gap of 20 years since I had strictly practiced Carnatic music, one of the toughest genres of music. I discovered a wonderful teacher, Mrs. Vidya Subramanian and she was exemplary in her teaching and patience. I re-learned all my basic and intermediate lessons, and explored improvisation in Carnatic music called “manodharma”. Currently I run my own Carnatic music school and teach over 80 children and adults and my first rule of music is “Enjoy the singing”, the rest will be worked upon.
Over time, I modified my diet to natural and organic home-cooked food mostly and exercise and hike regularly. My asthma is completely controlled and it has been years since I used an inhaler. The pranayama or yogic breathing definitely helps and the singing is simply therapeutic. I continue to learn, my mind is wide open for new knowledge. I delve into music therapy, create unique events, using all the arts – visual, performing, digital, into a fantastic fusion in events and recitals. I syringe the enthusiasm from deep inside me and impart it to others, with the hope that they will share the excitement of living and wholeheartedly follow what they most love to do.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am a vocal Carnatic music teacher and Director of my school of music. Singing has been my passion since childhood and I made it my career choice. Along with singing, event management is my forte, and I have planned and implemented more than 100 events surrounding musical activities. Carnatic music is an ancient genre of music, which is also one of the toughest forms of music to learn. Songs are composed in 5 different languages and are primarily based on Hindu religion, Gods and Goddesses. Along with the aesthetics and finer aspects of singing, one must also put thalam or beats with one hand that indicates the speed and rhythm. It is a blend of precise mathematics, minute tonal oscillations, pronunciation of difficult words in different languages, well developed breathing techniques and posture, and improvisation or spontaneous creation of music. We have events every month and generally sing in temples or for fundraisers or events. It is a classical, serious genre of music that has its roots in Hinduism. In a nutshell, Carnatic music is an ancient piece of artistic history that is passed down from generation to generation.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
1) Passion 2) Perseverance and learning
3) Opportunity
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
Music has always flowed in my family. My father sang devotional and classical songs every day with great passion, and my mother encouraged my sister and me to learn Carnatic music and found us a wonderful teacher, Mrs. Annapoorni Bhaskaran who came home once a week and taught us. My parents also enrolled me in the school choir for 10 years under the tutelage of Mrs. Norma Gasper. Just being surrounded by music was enough to make me fall in love with it! My parents, despite struggling for money in those days, ensured that my sister and me learn Carnatic music which has been a family tradition for generations. My Dad, instead of asking us to practice would simply start singing and unconsciously we would join him and correct him, since he had never formally learned singing. That was our almost daily practice every evening! I am grateful to my parents for their contagious enthusiasm and passion for music and encouraging me to continue, even after I moved to the USA. The greatest memories of my parents are those that reverberate in my heart – the times we burst into song together, when we did an impromptu concert in a three day journey by train, my Dad and me singing on stage together for the first time, laughing at some of the funny sounding words, and my Mom even now, still by my side, goading me to keep on signing and teaching and passing the tradition along to other families.
Contact Info:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GeetaSchoolOfMusic
- Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/geeta-shreedar-aba24015b
Image Credits
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