On a musical note…discover teaching rhythm

On a musical note…discover teaching rhythm  

Prajakta Sachin Bhide

______________________________________________________

A quiet Sunday morning unfolded into three immersive hours of classical music by Aniruddha Aithal. The performance was deeply melodious, each note thoughtfully explored, leaving the audience completely spellbound. There was no rush, no excess—only presence, precision, and creativity.

What stayed with me was not just the music, but the thinking it sparked.

Every tihai - ( a rhythm technique in Indian classical music which perfectly concludes at the first beat of cycle) he rendered began differently, travelled a unique path, and yet arrived flawlessly on the same first beat. Structure remained constant, but expression evolved each time. 

It made me wonder, as educators, do we allow such flexibility within our classrooms? Do our classroom interactions tap both analytical and creative sides of the brain, or do we lean too heavily only on one?

Can our hobbies—music, art, storytelling—enter our teaching spaces, not as add-ons but as meaningful tools to deepen understanding.  When left and right brain thinking come together, learning transforms. It then turns out to be moving from knowledge acquisition to exploration.

Another powerful moment in Aniruddha’s music rendition was ‘the pause’. Between two notes, there was silence—not to invite applause, but to let the swar establish, to allow its impact to be fully felt. That pause carried as much weight as the melody itself.

It raises a simple yet profound question:

Do we, as educators, pause enough?

In our eagerness to complete content, we often move too quickly. But learning too, like music, needs space. A pause allows reflection. It gives meaning to what came before and prepares the mind for what comes next. And then, just as in the performance, comes the surge—a return with greater intensity, clarity, and purpose.

Perhaps teaching, too, needs this rhythm

Variation within structure, balance between logic and creativity, and the courage to pause.  

As sometimes, it is not the constant flow of information that creates impact, but the thoughtful silence in between.

Prajakta Sachin Bhide

Principal

PGKM school, Pune 

14th April 2026

#vikasitshikshak #vikasitbharat