We were fortunate to enjoy a very special visit from the ‘East Meets West’ ensemble as part of our partnership with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra. Each year, an ensemble visits the school to perform for the children and introduce them to their instruments, but this year’s visit was especially memorable.

The ensemble featured a violin, sitar and tabla, offering the children a beautiful fusion of Western and Indian classical music traditions. Our students regularly engage with Indian culture, history, mythology and languages through their learning, including singing Hindi songs and studying Sanskrit. So, it was particularly meaningful for them to experience these cultural connections reflected through music.

The children were inspired by the talent, passion and dedication of the musicians. The tabla player, who has been playing for 33 years, captivated the students with an impressive demonstration of both performance and recitation of complex rhythms at remarkable speed. The children were fascinated to learn that the tabla has its own musical language, where each sound is represented by a spoken syllable, allowing rhythms to be both sung and played.

The sitar player was only 21 years old and already such an accomplished musician. The children were intrigued to learn about the sitar’s 20 strings and its ability to produce microtones — notes that exist between the notes of Western scales — creating its uniquely rich and expressive sound.

One of the highlights of the visit was when the children joined the ensemble in singing two Hindi songs, Hum Honge Kamyaab and Lakdi Ki Kathi, which we have learned at school. Sharing these songs together was a truly special musical experience and gave the children a wonderful sense of connection.

At the end of the performance, the children were full of thoughtful questions about the instruments, the musicians and their musical journeys — a clear reflection of how inspired they had been by the performance.

Sanaya Doctor, Head of Performing Arts