The Shankar Mahadevan Academy has been set up with the aim of bringing NRIs closer to their roots and impart structured education in Indian classical music simply from the convenience of their homes.
The academy has tied up with a virtual learning software provider, Clood On, that will enable students to train from anywhere around the world.
"My vision is to make learning of all styles of Indian music easy, accessible, and exciting to people worldwide. My philosophy is simple - to impart high quality learning in music through innovative methods while having a great deal of fun," says Mahadevan on his web site.
The academy brings high quality Indian music education online for the first time, making learning easy, fun and accessible from anywhere.
On offer are certificate programs in Carnatic and Hindustani vocal as well as individual courses in Bollywood, folk, religious chanting and other styles.
"I noticed that in Indian classical music, the teaching methods are very unstructured. You cannot put it down in points anywhere. Whereas, if you go to Berklee College of Music or Juilliard School just to learn the trumpet for example, everything is structured," said Mahadevan.
Apart from the theory lessons, the composer has also roped in teachers to take live classes online."We are replicating two aspects of any form of learning when you go to a college, you have a textbook and you have a teacher standing in front of you.
"We have created a textbook OM (Online Music) Book, which can be accessible all the time, plus classes with a teacher are scheduled at a specific time so that you can virtually interact with her," he said.
Courses run for up to 12 weeks, and learning is achieved through a combination of the OM Book, virtual classes and assessments.