Institutes like the Saraswati Music College, Passion — The Music and Dance Institute and Florence Institute of Dance and Music in the Capital are ready with lessons on everything from holding the microphone to responding to the judge and, oh yes, getting your pitch, tone and timbre right. “This trend of schools training singers for television contests began about six months ago. Youngsters, even 10-year-olds, want to be trained for competitions,” says Vibhor Saini, head of the department for western and Indian music at Saraswati Music College, Safdarjung Enclave, which has just sent one of its handful of students for the auditions of K for Kishore on Sony.

Teachers say most of the youngsters who troop in for these courses are raw (bathroom singers in purist lingo) and that it takes around three to six months to prepare a student for an audition, the first month being spent in understanding the vocal quality and gauging the type of music most suited for him/her. “While students of classical music emphasise on notes and technicalities of music, television-show aspirants concentrate on how to improve pick-up, that is understand the tune and mood the music director wants as quickly as possible,” says Saini.

At Passion at Satya Niketan, they play pre-recorded tracks and have students sing along while a software program grades them on accuracy. “Teachers then guide the students on scale, tone and other intricacies,” says Ranjeet Ahuja, chief instructor at Passion that introduced the course six months ago. From the first batch of 20 students — 12-25-year-olds —learning the “Karaoke Course”, one has already auditioned for Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Little Champs on Zee TV.

While Passion goes the whole hog, using even strobe lights to simulate a set, centres like the Florence Institute of Dance and Music at South Extension I and Saraswati focus on singing and body language. Showmanship is as important as musical prowess since eliminations are largely decided through SMS votes. “One of the tips we give the student is to never admit that the performance was not good enough. If a judge criticises your singing, just lower your eyes. Never say that you were anything but good. There’s a whole world of SMS voters watching you out there,” says Ahuja. The sound advice does not come cheap. While classes at Passion cost Rs 2,500 a month (each course is for six months); at Florence it is for Rs 2,000 and at Saraswati it comes for Rs 1,800-2,600 a month.

But it is not just the television that the students are aiming at — Neha Dubey, a student at Passion, is thrilled to have cleared the auditions for a Miss Gurgaon music contest. Some centres are even offering lessons in contemporary dance, not surprising since it is the new big deal on television.

Contact:

Passion, Satya Niketan (9810678266)

Saraswati, A-1/226, Safdarjung Enclave (26167911, 26105611)