Foreword
Welcome to the Musicea Arts and Culture Council
Musicea Arts and Culture Council is a non-profit educational institution incorporated as a Section 8
Company of the Indian Companies Act, 2013. The primary objective of incorporation is to prepare
curriculum, offer examinations, create career and jobs, recognise, award and honour achievements and
promote young candidates in the field of music, dance, theatre, language, arts and sports. Musicea Arts
and Culture Council is a college of national and international educators sharing the common dream of
creating a world-class institution based in India to meet the requirements, demands and provide
solutions to students and teachers.
Musicea Arts and Culture Council have been formed to deliver an international standard grade-based
music education system along with designing the national framework of music education in India. Several
innovative and path-breaking measures implemented by the college council make it inclusive, holistic,
and apt for 21st-century music education. The pioneering measures have already transformed the lives of
thousands of educators and students and it is playing an active role in building a strong nation by assisting
millions of aspiring students and teachers. Several initiatives are in place to protect, serve, and empower
the teachers and students including a pension reward benefit. Musicea Arts and Culture Council have
set benchmarks in creating international standard curriculum, offering examination, and performance,
and by providing support, service, empowerment, inclusivity, decentralisation, growth, opportunity,
career, finance, earnings, livelihood, award, reward and honour to thousands of teachers and students.
Member teachers and students receive a series of direct benefits, honour and advantages from the
Musicea Arts and Culture Council. The details are mentioned in “Advantages of Musicea Arts and Culture
Council” and also in “Examination Guidelines”.
Musicea Arts and Culture Council is also committed to preserve, nurture, and promote the rich heritage
and traditions of both Indian and World Music and the Arts. The syllabi are refreshing and educational. All
aspects of the syllabi have been arranged in sequential order with due regard to educational merit
underlying each requirement. The prescribed list of pieces and songs has been carefully compiled, with
great attention paid to select interesting, well known, challenging, technical as well as timeless popular
pieces and songs, starting from the beginners to the highest grade. Breaking from the narrow-based idea
of a fixed book for examination, Musicea Arts and Culture Council broadens the scope of learning and
performing by prescribing a suggestive list of all-time favourite pieces and songs. Going with the vision
that learning can never be restricted to a narrow zone, Musicea Arts and Culture Council have opened the
curriculum where a candidate is free to perform his/her favourite repertoire for examination following the
standards and guidelines set through the prescribed pieces and songs. 21st-century learning demands a
fun-filled, open and broad-spectrum far beyond forced education. The Free Choice option allows a
candidate to perform pre-approved self-composition or arrangement. Modern subjects encourage a
candidate to embellish and improvise. The Musicianship is a pioneering inclusion that makes the
examination more interesting. Aural and sight-reading/ singing exercises are merged into one section
that blends freshness with challenges.
Musicea Arts and Culture Council have been at the forefront in preserving, nurturing and promoting
classical, traditional music and the arts along with developing modern music and the arts. Musicea Arts
and Culture Council will continue to research on improving and extending works on classical, traditional,
and modern music and the arts.
About Musicea
Musicea is a college of international music educators, professionals and artists connected to empower the
next generation of teachers and students. The primary objective of Musicea is to create a value-based
educational arrangement coupled with inclusive growth of all music educators. The Indo Italian college is
truly an international college complementing the experiences of many leading music professors, teachers,
and artists across the globe. Musicea offers conventional curriculum for Piano, Guitar, Violin, Vocal, Drum
Kit, and Electronic Keyboard. Musicea is also the first college council to offer a structured curriculum for
increasingly popular Bollywood Vocal. To promote, preserve and nurture the rich traditions of Indian
heritage, Musicea is the first college council to offer graded curriculum for Indian Traditional Vocal. Musicea
is also the first college council to offer the best of Kodaly children music education in a graded format.
Musicea is successfully preserving and promoting the rich heritage of western classical music along with
offering the new age music. In short, Musicea is the only college in the world that support and promote
music from India, Europe and the rest of the world, sustaining the values and the aesthetics.
Musicea annually presents the prestigious International Yuva Music Festival. Candidates, teachers, schools
and organisations associated with the Musicea Arts and Culture Council are selected to participate in the
festival presented throughout the year both in Live and Digital platforms.
Musicea Arts and Culture Council offer several unique, pioneering and groundbreaking services. Musicea
Arts and Culture Council offer scholarships to examination candidates. The feature of the scholarship is a
historical first offered by Musicea Arts and Culture Council.
Examination Module
Musicea offers a diverse range of examination module. A candidate is free to select any one of the
examination modules according to his/her choice, objective and strength. A candidate may or may not
switch the examination module in the next higher level or grade examination. Followings are the
examination module:
Online and Physical candidate may choose to appear for either Musicea Regular or Musicea Recital
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examination.
For Musicea Recital examination, a candidate (both Online and Physical) will perform FIVE pieces
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or songs.
Musicea Regular examination for Online and Physical is slightly different.
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For Musicea Regular Online examination, a candidate should prepare THREE pieces or
songs, Technical Exercise, Study, and Musical Knowledge.
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For Musicea Regular Physical examination, a candidate should prepare THREE pieces or
songs, Technical Exercise, Musicianship or Study, and Musical Knowledge.
Indian Traditional Vocal
Syllabus, January 2021
Grade 8
Performance
A candidate may use live accompaniment or may sing with a karaoke track.
For Recital Examination, the duration of the performance should not exceed twenty-seven minutes.
For Regular Examination, the duration of the performance should not exceed sixteen minutes.
From the prescribed list, select songs by different composers or from the same standard songs from different
sources. Do not select more than one song by one composer.
Prescribed Songs
Na Ja Balam Pardesawa Thumri Raag Bhairavi
Peer Myanio J.N. Lone Kashmiri
Va Vaya Ne Vadal Umatya Folk Gujrati
Bipul Taranga Re R.N. Tagore Raag Bhimpalasi
Om Namoji Adya Bhajan Marathi
Babul Merian Ghodian Traditional Punjabi
Krishna Nee Beghane Devotional Kannada
Mehndi Malir Ri Langas & Manganiars Rajasthani
Baaje Re Muraliya Devotional Hindi
Or
Songs from mother tongue
For Regular examination, a candidate should sing at least one song in mother tongue.
For Recital examination, a candidate should sing at least two songs in mother tongue.
Song Links
Na Ja Balam Pardesawa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aysuZ7amZ_w
Peer Myanio https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HttjLOdpuM
Va Vaya Ne Vadal Umatya https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24cudshAjBk
Bipul Taranga Re https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcKivB22fZs
Om Namoji Adya https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNDt3sYt0Os
Babul Merian Ghodian https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_K1V9wC04A
Krishna Nee Beghane https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUPhSOWaZV4
Mehndi Malir Ri https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zumu30MgWCE
Baaje Re Muraliya https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3foxQDXCOo
Technical Exercise
Sing the Technical Exercise from memory. Tempo markings are suggestive. A candidate may sing a little
slower or faster. Perform the Technical Exercise using any Sol-Fa Syllables (ex. ‘lah’) or any consonant or
vowel sound(s) (Ex. ‘aa’, ‘ee’, ‘oh’) in legato. Technical Exercise may be transposed to suit the range of the
candidate's voice. Attempt to sing each note evenly in time, with clarity and precision.
The examiner will play the Key Chord for Physical Examination. For Online Examination, the candidate may
use any gadget or use a Keyboard or Guitar (played by the teacher or accompanist).
1. Scale
Tempo: MM = 88 (three notes in one beat)
Major: All 12 notes ascending or descending
Minor: All ( harmonic and melodic) 12 notes in two breath (without break)
For example: major: C D E F G A B C D E F G F E D C B A G F E D C
For example: harmonic minor: A B C D E F G# A B C D E D C B A G# F E D C B A
For example: melodic minor: A B C D E F# G# A B C D E D C B A G F E D C B A
2. Triplet Singing
Tempo: MM = 96 (three notes in one beat)
Major: All
For example:
I CFC, DGD I EAE, FBF I GCG, ADA I BEB, C - - I CFC, BEB I ADA, GCG I FBF, EAE I DGD, C - - I
Kindly note that for:
C major: C=Sa, D=Re, E=Ga, F=Ma, G=Pa, A=Dha, B=Ni
A minor: A=Sa, B=Re, C=Komal Ga, D=Ma, E=Pa, F=Komal Dha, F#=Sudh Dha, G=Komal Ni, G#=Sudh Ni
3. Arpeggio (extended)
Tempo: MM = 144 (two notes in one beat)
Changing tonality between minor and major
For example:
C Eb G C
C G E C
4. Broken Chord (extended)
Tempo: MM = 40 (six notes in one beat)
Changing tonality between major and minor
For example:
C E G C E C Eb G C Eb
5. Chord
A candidate should be able to sing all major 7th chord, minor 7th chord, augmented triad, and diminished
triad.
For example: C major 7th chord- C E G B
A minor 7th chord- A C E G
C augmented triad- C E G#
C diminished triad- C E G
Kindly note:
All examples of major are shown in C major.
All examples of minor are shown in A minor.
Musicianship
Test 1. Clapping:
The examiner will display a eight bar rhythm in compound time, and the candidate is expected to slowly clap
the rhythm with a steady pulse. For example:
Test 2. Aural Intervals:
The examiner will play two notes, first separately and then together. The candidate is expected to recognize
whether the interval is a major or minor second, major or minor third, perfect or augmented fourth, perfect
or augmented fifth, major or minor sixth, major or minor seventh, perfect or augmented octave. The
examiner will ask two set of aural intervals. For example:
augmented 4th augmented 5th
Test 3. Interval Singing:
The examiner will ask the candidate to sing two sets of intervals. The examiner will play the tonic
(C major or C minor) chord. The test includes the knowledge of the previous grades. The followings are
add-ons. Any interval between an octave.
Kindly note: The examiner may ask both Sudh and Komal Re, Ga, Dha, Ni and Kori Ma. The examiner
will play C major chord for intervals with Sudh Ga, Dha and C minor for intervals with Komal Ga, Dha.
Test 4. Chords:
The examiner will play a chord twice, and the candidate is expected to tell the examiner whether it is major,
minor, augmented or diminished. For example:
augmented diminished
Test 5. Taal Pehchan:
The examiner will play a Taal from the previous grades or Chautaal or Dhamar. The candidate is expected to
identify the Taal.
Study
A candidate may choose an unaccompanied folk song. The duration of the song should not exceed five
minutes.
A candidate may select a technically challenging etude, exercise, piece, or song as Study. The length (the
number of bars) of the Study will be equal, a little more but no less than the pieces or songs performed. As a
general guideline, the standard of a Study will be that of a piece or song one level or a grade higher. A
candidate may select the Study from the prescribed list of pieces or songs one level or a grade higher.
Musical Knowledge
For practical examinations, examiners will ask candidates questions on the following aspects from the list of
performed pieces (excluding study list, if any).
The examiner will ask four questions on the following aspects. The questions include knowledge of the
previous grades. The following are add-ons.
? Recognition of chords I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi in the tonic key
? Knowledge of other works by the lyricist, composer and artist
? Taal bol
For example:
Question: Discuss about the setup of the song.
Example answer: Na Ja Balam is a Thumri based on Raag Bhairavi.
Question: Discuss the Thumri form.
Example answer: Thumri is a North Indian music form connected with dance, dramatic gestures, evocative
love poetry and folk songs mostly from Uttar Pradesh. The text is romantic or devotional in nature, the lyrics
are usually in the dialect of Awadhi and Brij Bhasha. Thumri is characterized by its sensuality, and by a greater
flexibility with the raag.Thumri is also used as a generic name for some other, even lighter, forms such as
Dadra, Hori, Kajari, Saavan, Jhoola and Chaiti, even though each of them have their own structure and
content—either lyrical or musical or both—and so the exposition of these forms vary.
Question: Discuss one special feature of the third song.
Example answer: Baaje Re Muraliya is based on Raag Patdeep. Use of Shuddha Nishad in Raag Bheempalasi
makes it Raag Patdeep.
Question: Recite the bol of Chautaal or Dhamar.
Vocal Skill Guide
A candidate will demonstrate the followings in addition to the previous grades:
? Accurate and fluent performance
? Further development of intonation and consistency of pitch showing a well-developed aural awareness
? Further development of formation of vowels and articulation of consonants
? Developing rhythmic stability and vitality
? Aiming for clear and even tone throughout the range
? Developing ability to control dynamics as specified
? Developing management of a range of tonal qualities for expressive purposes
? Developing a confident projection of the style and character of chosen works
