From Vedic Chanting to Classical Music Pedagogy: Historical Perspectives on Music Education in India

This paper examines historical approaches to music education in India, focusing on the relationship between oral transmission, theoretical learning, disciplined practice and teacher-student apprenticeship. It traces selected pedagogical features from Vedic chant traditions to later forms of Hindustani classical music, including the Guru–Shishya parampara and the development of gharana-based stylistic lineages. Using a qualitative historical and textual approach, the discussion draws on secondary writings identified in the working bibliography and considers how musical knowledge has been transmitted through listening, memorisation,demonstration, repetition and guided performance. The paper argues that Indian classical music pedagogy cannot be understood through either textual theory or repetitive training alone: it has historically depended on the interaction of conceptual understanding, embodied practice, stylistic enculturation and sustained mentorship. At the same time, the historical record should not be read as evidence of one uniform or unchanged system across all periods and regions. The article concludes by considering the continuing relevance of individualized instruction within contemporary institutional music education, particularly where diverse learner aptitudes must be accommodated alongside shared curricular goals.