Guru Vandana

She was initiated into Carnatic classical veena at the tender age of 5 years. Having had her initial tutelage in Carnatic classical music under Guru Sangeetha Bhooshanam Smt. B Gnanambal, she furthered her 'senior' and 'proficiency' (vidwat) levels in Carnatic music (Veena and vocal).

Under the guidance of Guru Ganakalabhooshana Vidwan Shri R K Srinivasamurthy and Guru Karnataka Kalashri Smt E P Alamelu, she has also had the divine opportunity of being trained under Guru Shri R R Keshavamurthy on Dikshitar's navagraha kirthanas in vocal.

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Education and credentials

She has been enthralling audiences right from her first and full-fledged performance in 1994 and her panorama of research and achievements in the field of "Music Psychology and Therapeutic Intervention" further emphasizes her intense devotion and dedication to this extensive and rich heritage of the Classical music art form. In addition to having Masters in Computer Science and Masters in Child Psychology, she was awarded her doctorate at the age of 29, for her exclusive research conducted on the effects and benefits of sound, classical music, and rhythm while using them as a therapeutic intervention for neuro-diverse individuals.

Her study emphasizes the relationship of musical activities and the brain, and its benefits in stimulating not only motor therapy, speech and language therapy but also pain management and cognitive rehabilitation in areas of memory, effective function and attention. She has been the forerunner to create a niche platform for young music therapy aspirants to 'reinvent music towards holistic health and transformation based on scientific research'.

Her academic qualifications include

Research and Achievements

  • Psychology of Music and Music - based Therapy
  • Current interdisciplinary research study in the intersection of Clinical Psychology and Indian Music Therapy

Masters and Other Courses

  • Masters in Computer Science, Indo-American College
  • Masters in child psychology, Kuvempu University, Shimoga
  • Postgraduates diploma in Business Administration and Organisational Psychology, Bangalore University
  • Diploma in Special Education (Autism Spectrum Disorder) from NIPMED, National Institute for Empowerment of Persons with Multiple Disabilities (Divyangjan) and RCI, Rehabilitation Council of India.
  • Certified Rehabilitation Personnel from the Rehabilitation Council of India, a statutory body of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Divyangjan, Government of India.

Certificate Courses

  • Certificate in Special Education (ADHD, Autism, and Learning Disabilities) course offered by the Asian College of Teachers.
  • "Mental Health and Psychosocial issues in Covid 19" - Certificate course from NIMHANS digital academy.
  • Occupational health and safety for health workers in the context of Covid 19 - certificate course from World Health Organisation.
  • Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) Treatment Facility Design - World Health Organisation
  • Operational Planning Guidelines And Covid-19 Partners Platform To Support Country Preparedness And Response - World Health Organisation.
  • Psychological First Aid - John Hopkins University.
  • Great Experiments in Psychology - SWAYAM NPTEL.

Music credentials

A few of her notable performances have been concerts at Dharmasthala and Hariharapura (Navaratri), Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan, Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Indian Institute of world culture, Yavanika state youth center, Kannada Sahitya Parishad, The Bangalore Gayana Samaja, Kannada Bhavana organized by Directorate of Kannada and Culture academy, Seshadripuram College, Ananya sabhangana, Sri Rama Lalitha Kala Mandira, Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara Temple, RMV Sangeetha Sabha, Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanams, Kapaleeshwara temple (Chennai), Sri Krishna temple, Udupi, Sringeri Sharada Devasthanam (Sringeri), Hariharapura, Horanadu Annapurneshwari Temple and many more. She has performed at the Girinagar Sharadamba Temple for 25 consecutive years as part of the Sharnnavaratri festival. She specializes in Panchaveena, Dashaveena, Dwadashaveena, and other instrumental ensembles. She has been training many talented young students in a structured approach and encourages them to showcase their talents on esteemed platforms and ensembles.

Music Therapy and Psychology Intervention: She has successfully implemented music therapy as a positive and alternative mode of therapeutic intervention across various neurological impairments like multiple sclerosis, autism, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury and various disorders and disabilities like down's syndrome, dyslexia, intellectual impairments, and emotional disorders. She has also extended her music therapy interventions to cancer survivors and cancer patients at the Cytecare Cancer Hospital and Karunashraya in Bengaluru. Her articles on education, psychology and music therapy have been published by leading newspapers such as The Indian Express, The Times of India, The Deccan Herald, Prajavani, The Vijay Times (the Bangalore mirror) and in magazines Kalasinchana from Ananya, The First Melody from Bharatiya Samagana Sabha, SamYoga from Ranjani Fine Arts, Lalitha Kala Tarangini from Sri Rama Lalita Kala Mandira and many more. Her knowledge-sharing talks and presentations at various schools and Colleges, Bharatiya Sangeetha Sammelan, Sri Satya Sai Grama, Muddenahalli, Academy of Music-Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Ideas Conclave (RFA) at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, TEDx talk at Jain (Deemed-to-be) University, Cytecare Cancer Hospital, VHD Central Institute for Home Science, Global Autism Convention-St John's Hospital, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeeth, Nightingales Enrichment Center for Senior Citizens, Nadamanthana Conference at Jain College, Ananya, Malleshwaram, Bharatiya Samagana Sabha has gained her a lot of appreciation. She adds to her credit by conducting several awareness and sensitization programs on child safety, abuse alertness, parenting and counseling for slum children, rural and backward children apart from children from various international schools and convents. Many of her interviews and programs have been aired on All India Radio, Bengaluru and TV channels like Praja TV, Doordarshan, Ayush and Udaya TV. She is associated with institutions and NGOs catering to autism and related developmental disabilities in children and adults and has also collaborated with rehabilitation professionals in the employment of Indian classical music in music therapy as a successful mode of deriving positive outcomes in treating children and adults over a range of non-musical goals.

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Affiliations

  • Member of the National Academy of Psychology (NAOP)
  • Official Individual Associate Member of World Federation of Music Therapy (WFMT), North Carolina, U.S.A (The World Federation of Music Therapy, Incorporated is a non-profit corporation organized under the laws of the state of North Carolina, USA. It aims to promote music therapy throughout the world)
  • Full Associate Member of BAMT, The British Association for Music Therapy (BAMT), the professional body for music therapy in the UK, Membership No: 11889
  • Member of IMTA (Indian Music Therapy Association)
  • On the Advisory Board of the World Yoga Organisation (WYO). WYO is an independent Non-Profit foundation that acts as a platform to connect a growing community of Yogis.

Titles/Accolades/ Felicitation

With close to three-plus decades of dedicated practice of the veena, Geetha's passion to perform concerts at prestigious platforms and noble initiatives is no less. She is the blessed recipient of,

  • A divine blessing to receive "Lalita Kala Suma" Title and Award from Sri Rama Lalita Kala Mandira yesterday (9th Sep 2018) at Bangalore Gayana Samaja, in the presence of His Holiness Sri Sri Sri Yadugiri Yathiraja Narayana Ramanuja Jeeyar, Sri G.V.Krishnaprasad, Vidushi Smt. M.S. Sheela, Dr. Raghu Nanjundaiah.
  • "Dr. Parameshwara Memorial Creative Music Therapy Award" from Meera Centre for Music Therapy, Education and Research under the aegis of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bengaluru.
  • "NadaJyothi Puraskar" in Feb 2020 by NadaJyothi Sabha at Sri Rama Mandira, Bengaluru. (55th Nadajyothi Sangeetha Sambhrama-2020).
  • "Women's Achievers Award" by the Global Workforce Management Forum (GWFM) and JGI (Jain Group of Institutions-2019).
  • Inner Wheel Club, South Parade, 2021
  • Felicitated by flutist Sangeetha Kalaratna Sri B. Shankar Rao during the 32nd Tyagaraja and Purandaradasa Aradhana celebrations Feb 2017.
  • Felicitated by Padmavibhushan Smt. Sudha Raghunath, Padmashri Smt. Arundhati Nag, Shri B R Ravishankar at the valedictory function by Bharatiya Samagaana Sabha on 19th Feb 2017 at the Chowdaiah Memorial Hall.
  • Blessed by Dr. D. Veerendra Heggade, a philanthropist and hereditary administrator / Dharmadikari of Shri Kshetra Dharmastala Temple in Oct 2016 during Navaratri celebrations.
  • Felicitated by Sangeetha Kalaratna Prof. Mysore V. Subramanya at Seshadripuram College, Bengaluru on 26th Nov 2014 during Vainika Shikamani Veene Seshanna Memorial Program.
  • Felicited by Tuluverenkulu, Dakshina Kannada, under the aegis of Kannada Sahitya Parishad in 2014.
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