I would like to start by thanking the London College of Music, University of West London, and Examination Board for Conducting Diploma Exams in our Country so that people like us who don’t have the opportunity to study abroad get to do these Exams with your prestigious Board. Being the first person to be doing this Conducting Exams in India, I want to thank Sir Philip Aldred for a very supportive response to all of my queries on time without which I would not have any idea of how to prepare for this kind of Exam. I also would like to express my big Thank You to Miss Jovina Smith, The LCM representative for Karnataka who was always on call and ready to assist me with every doubt I had.
When I began preparing for my exams, I started picking up the pieces, chose people to sing in my Choir, and had intense practice not just to perfect the Choir but also to Master the Art of Conducting Skills as required. Having read some Conducting Books that I could get access to and watching a lot of professional videos in order to understand correct hand movement, posture, and expression, I felt fully prepared during the exams. The only Guide I’ve learned from in the past was Dr. Ken Henson of the Bangalore Conservatory who has been such a valuable mentor to my career in music and Conducting. It was a great time of learning and exposure to this subject. Finally, the experience during the exams was more relaxed than I thought because the Examiner, Ms. Wei Wong was very helpful and inspiring. She was a good guide indeed. In the interview session, I got to express before the Examiner how passionate I am for this subject even against all challenges that every Music Director will face. The Examiner was a little bit surprised that a young guy from this corner of India picked pieces from Mozart’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, and many other pieces of such high-level Classics in my repertoire for Exams and managed them with a small ensemble. It was a great experience not just for me but for the Choir as a whole. I am personally grateful to the Examiner for all her constructive comments and critiques over the performance in the exams, it helps me understand what the worldwide standard of requirements to become a Music Conductor are. I would also like to thank Ms. Wong for choosing me as a winner of the Kawai Rolling Trophy Award for Outstanding Musician Diploma (in all subjects) for the year 2017. It was such great honor and a milestone in my life as a musician. After this exam, I have gained more confidence as a Music Director and I am excited to learn more about the subject and looking forward to guiding others like me who want to pursue the subject of Conducting in my Country.