1.  What Grades or Levels of certification Sangeet Bharati offers?

Sangeet Bharati examination is planned to help all varieties of disciplines in both music and dance with four levels of examination – Praveshika, Madhyamika, Vivardhit, and Vidwat. Each major level is divided into three minor levels to help students to take exams every year progressively or plan at their convenience. This caters to a total of 12 years, a typical timeframe to master any Indian fine arts.

2.  What are the examinations currently offered?

Sangeet Bharati is planning to cater to maximum disciplines in Indian fine arts like Hindustani music, Karnataka Music, Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi. As the organization is new and growing, we are starting with Karnataka classical music at junior grade called Sangeeta Praveshika (at all three levels), both in sushravya sangeet and tala-vadya for the year 2022. We progressively include other areas and levels.

3.  Can one take multiple levels of examination?

It is best answered by understanding the levels and sublevels. Each major level Praveshika, Madhyamika, Vivardhitam, and Vidwat is subdivided into three minor levels Prathama, Dwiteeya, and Truteeya. The examination can be taken in sequence like Prathama, Dwiteeya, and Truteeya and progress with each major level. This is more ideal if one wants to align his or her practice to his or her academic year.

Another way is to pick and choose any minor level within a major level when one is ready with enough content. Here, one can appear for any order of minor level within a major level. But major levels should be taken in sequence and the previous major level needs to be completed before appearing for the next major level.

4.  What is the mode of examination?

Will be virtual with proctors, or in person. The decision will be made based on the number of registration from a given city. For now, the idea is to have Praveshik – Prathama in virtual mode, Dwiteeya, and Truteeya both virtual and in-person based on logistics available in the city where the students reside.

5.  Are my or my student’s email ID and other contact information confidential?

Sangeet Bharati’s initiative is to spread Indian classical music and dance in North America and elsewhere. With such a higher purpose, Sangeet Bharati makes all efforts to safeguard the contact information of students, their parents, and the Gurus which we have collected as part of the examination.

A student is recognized by the judges/examiners and other concerned people in the process of examination only through the registration number. No name, place, parents, gurus are asked from the student.

6.  What is the age limit?

No age restrictions for Sangeet Bharti examinations. This is because anyone can start on this art form at any age based on the available opportunity and interest. Not having this restriction helps to encourage all. Anyone who is confident in the syllabus at a given level can appear for the examination. If a child is too small, he can appear for the practical only examination (Praveshika – Prathama) and wait for other levels until he or she is good enough to answer in writing.

7.  Any music school affiliation or Guru is needed?

Just like there is no age limit, there is no school affiliation or any such thing necessary. It is purely based on one’s confidence in his learning.

8.  When is the examination?

Examination starts on December 25th each year and is planned to wrap up by December 31. 

9.  Which location are the examinations conducted?

The examination is conducted in person in Dallas, TX, Austin, TX, and  Birmingham, AL where Sangeet Bharati has chapters. Sangeet Bharati volunteers are willing to put extra effort to conduct online examinations for the students from other cities until we have volunteers Sangeet Bharati has in other locations.

Students and their parents should have additional steps to follow in case of remote exams. Proctor will be monitoring the whole exam. In the case of a written examination, once the exam is done, the proctor will provide a 5 digit number. This is to be written on all the answer papers, scanned, and send it immediately to sangeetbharatimusic@gmail.com putting the proctor given five digits number and student registration number.

People interested to volunteer can certainly reach out to us.

10.  Will the syllabus change? If so, how often?

Sangeet Bharati is a people’s program. Examination initiatives will change as per change in time and demand keeping the fundamentals intact. This may be revising the syllabus every year if needed. If the change in the syllabus, that will be put on our website on Sankranti and will be effective for the examination from that year onwards.

11.  What materials should a student refer to?

For a given syllabus, students are free to refer to any books or not to refer to any books (who are learning in shruta-madhyamam). Sangeet Bharati is working to create textbooks for each level. No timeline yet for the Sangeet Bharati books. Interested students can write to us for any unpublished work if they are in need of practice materials.

12.  If I need the Sangeet Bharati book, how to buy it?

Sangeet Bharati books are available for free downloads on the sangeet-bharati.org website. If anyone needs a hard copy, they have a few options –  print the downloaded PDF on Letter size paper and two sides and make it spiral bind, or get it printed from a professional printing press like https://www.bestvaluecopy.com/ or buy it directly from Sangeet Bharati by writing to sangeetbharatimusic@gmail.com. As Sangeet Bharati doesn’t sell books online, we let you know the printing, shipping, and handling cost.

13.  What is common in the syllabus between tala-vadya exam and sushravya sangeet exam?

Shastra (theory) portion is common for both the exams from Madhyamik level and onwards. This point is still under discussion and we have a final resolution by the time we launch Madhyama level.

14.  Do all the levels be given certificates?

Yes.

15.  If I have scored a low grade and need to re-appear, what is the fee for retaking the examination?

To reappear for Sangeeta Praveshika – Truteeya is $151.

16.  Can my previous certification from other institutes qualify me for the next level of Sangeet Bharati certification?

Yes, as long as the certification is from a competent authority like Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board (KSEEB) and covers a minimum of 80% of the syllabus Sangeet Bharati has set at.

16.  What are the minimum criteria to be eligible for Madhyamika?

One should complete Praveshika with a minimum of grade ‘C’.

18. Is this Examination a Degree or Diploma?

This is neither degree nor diploma, wherein lessons are taught. Sangeet Bharati conducts only examinations and awards the certifications based on the levels completed.

19.  What is the contact information if I have more questions?

You can reach Sangeet Bharati using the email ID sangeetbharatimusic@gmail.com.