By Srijana, Jhamtse graduate

“How can I cultivate interest in foreign music when I am not familiar with my own music? First, I need to know the music of my own culture; then I can learn to enjoy other forms of music.” This is what our traditional music teacher had to say when I asked her why she chose to learn this ancient form of music rather than new trending forms of music.

Our new music teacher, Genla Pema Deki, recently joined our community. She belongs to our Monpa tribe, because of which I could easily communicate with her. Having a local teacher greatly impacts the children’s learning. Given the cultural proximity, the children are able to form a deeper relationship with them quickly and the teacher inspires the children to have higher goals for themselves. They get real-life examples to aspire high. Also, hiring locally helps improve the economic health of the region.

Genla Pema Deki always had a keen interest in music, especially traditional music. She sings and dances beautifully and knows how to play all the instruments. Our traditional music instruments consist of the Dranyen (traditional three-string guitar), Lingbu (flute), Piyang (violin), Nyagh (drum), and Yangtsi (traditional dulcimer).

Before joining Jhamtse Gatsal, she trained at TIPA (Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts) for one and a half years and was working at MIPA (Monpa Institute of Performing Arts). She was among the first people to form MIPA. There, she trained her students in all the art forms she had learned at TIPA because there is a lot cultural similarity between the Tibetan and Monpa traditional music. During this time, she also composed many songs. She composed a song about awareness of cleaning our surroundings and the environment in our local Monpa language. She has taught it to the children at Jhamtse Gatsal, who can be heard humming or singing it during our clean’up sessions.

When I asked her how she came to know of Jhamtse Gatsal, she said that she had known about it since her childhood and when she became a music teacher she wanted to teach at Jhamtse Gatsal. She told herself that if she got an opportunity to teach at Jhamtse Gatsal, she would stay for a long time.

We were without a traditional music teacher for a long time and all the children missed these classes. Our music classes not only teach the children the lyrics of a song and how to sing it, but also teach them how to play traditional instruments as well as the history and the evolution of traditional music. Music is not considered an extracurricular activity at Jhamtse Gatsal, it is considered an essential part of our learning to understand and respect our rich cultural heritage.

When I asked the children how they felt about having a traditional music teacher, they said they were very happy to have regular music classes again. One child told me that the best thing was getting to learn how to play different instruments. Another told me that the difference between traditional and western music is that the former is very calming and easier to learn. It is simple yet very touching and pleasant. A child who knew how to play the Dranyen (traditional guitar) and is now learning to play the Yangtsi (traditional dulcimer) shared that when she mastered one instrument, it pushed her to learn another one.

I got an opportunity to learn traditional music while I was at Jhamtse Gatsal and I am very happy that my younger siblings have the same opportunity with Genla Pema Deki. Today, I am at college and I get to share my rich cultural heritage with my friends. I would never have been able to do it had this learning not been available to me in my early years. I wish the same appreciation and learning for my younger siblings.

* Genla is a title of respect for teachers in the Monpa language. It is pronounced with a hard g, like get.

A conversation with our traditional music teacher, Genla* Pema Deki