Ellora ’26 sees firsthand that music truly is a language that can bring people together while teaching children in a rural village in India to play guitar.
Reflecting on my two weeks spent in India, I am flooded with feelings of great joy and memories of an experience that will stay with me for life. There I participated in a Summer Program run by Pratham – a non-profit organization that addresses gaps in the education system of rural India. During the weeks, we would travel everyday to a nearby village spending time with children there as part of an after school initiative. Along with two other highschool volunteers I was assigned to the music group. It was then that I implemented my CSGC proposal to teach guitar.
Thanks to the grant I was able to purchase six guitars. In preparation I approached my plan academically; I had selected songs with simple chords with easy english lyrics and drew diagrams on paper to help visualize the correct finger technique. However the first day in Gadana (the village we spent time at) made it clear that I would have to go about it differently. As soon as we arrived they were so excited to touch the guitar, to hold an instrument they had never seen in real life before. It reminded me of my unique privilege, that I can play any instrument and that there are people eager to teach me. So instead of a traditional classroom feel, we adapted to learning with them, to do what felt natural in the moment. Additionally, our language barrier meant that teaching from a board would not be the way to go.
As a result, each person would strum the guitar how they wanted and I would help them hold it. Everyday this practice would snowball into more and more advanced playing. We would try a new chord and experiment with rhythm. Throughout the week I realized that it was actually more efficient to bring less guitars and go one on one with the kids, this way we could get the basics down. As the week progressed their passion and joy for the guitar only grew. I was in awe to watch them, kids who had never touched a guitar before develop a deep love for it. So much so that they would say “Next step, next step” to learn more. At the end we performed the song Wavin’ Flag together – while we sang I felt so happy and grateful to be in the company of such talented and spirited kids. They taught me what it means to be appreciative of what you have, and that music truly is the language of us all.
