Jam Session at Soundtrack Cafe (Sunday 12th March 2023)

After a long break of three years, I recently organized an offline music event in a different venue- Soundtrack Cafe in PCMC. As it was exam time, I did not expect a lot of students to participate, but I was happy to have eight enthusiastic participants, along with their friends and family, at the event.

We had a full house at Soundtrack Cafe

The guests had to scan a QR code to get the program on their phones

The QR code. You can still access the program by scanning the cat

The primary aim of the event was to provide a platform for my students to perform and share their love for music with their loved ones in a friendly environment. I did not put any restrictions on their repertoire, and they were free to choose any genre they wanted to play, be it classical pieces, pop songs, themes from their favorite games, or their own compositions.

Aanchal performs Faded by Alan Walker as her mother records her performance

Hiya performing her own composition 'Arbitrium'

It was Akshay's first piano performance!

Mitali performing 'He's a Pirate' from her grade 4 keyboard syllabus

Bhavi performing Arkansas Traveller, an American folk song

Gargi introducing her piano pieces to the audience

Dhyanaa performing pieces from the Alfred's keyboard book

The setup was fantastic, with a well-lit stage, good speakers, and a piano and keyboard available for the participants to use. I am thankful to my friends who helped me plan and execute the event. I called it a 'Jam Session' instead of a recital, which made it less formal and more fun.

The second half of the show was an actual jam session where some friends, students and I played some tunes and even improvised some music. We ended the show with a singing+ piano performance (Shivangi Kale), which was a fitting end to the event.

Shivangi Kale (right) performed two songs at the end. 'Autumn Leaves' and 'Just the Two of Us'

Rohan played Eric Clapton's Wonderful Tonight (sorry for the blurry image)

Aniruddha and I jamming on a musical idea

Kashish played the theme from Interstellar at the jam

Shlok and I having an impromptu piano conversation

The aim is to have these events more regularly so that my students get more comfortable collaborating with musicians and performing for audiences. It will also help them build their confidence and improve their overall performance skills.

A picture with all the participants

Overall, the jam session was a resounding success! Guests had a wonderful time enjoying coffee and snacks from the cafe while listening to music. It was especially heartwarming to see how much everyone enjoyed the company of my sister's dog. I want to extend a special thank you to Gauri Shetye for her amazing photography and postcard design skills, which gave everyone a beautiful keepsake to take home. And of course, none of this would have been possible without the support of my family, and friends - Tanmay, Sunayana, Rohan, and Aniruddha.

My mother spending some quality time with Carbo, my sister's dog. Soundtrack cafe is a pet-friendly cafe.

The guests and participants could take home these beautifully designed postcards as souvenirs

Proud of the talented participants of the jam session! My father had nothing but kind words to say for their amazing performance.

I truly missed all the students who did not get to participate this time, but I hope to see you at the next event, and hopefully, you'll be able to join us then!