Fulbright-Nehru Project Title:	“Research and Pedagogical Application of Hindustani Rhythmic Principles”
Field of Study:	Education
Home Institution in the U.S.:	New England Conservatory of Music, Boston, MA
Host Institution in India:	Integrated Development Education Association, Delhi
Start Date/Month in India:	August 2014
Duration of Grant:	Nine months

Brief Bio:

Mr. Derek Beckvold has performed music in North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East in a wide range of musical styles. He received his Bachelor of Music from the New England Conservatory in saxophone performance. In addition to an active performance career with a variety of recognized ensembles, he has taught at music schools in the United States, Afghanistan, India, and Sri Lanka. He has also taught with the American Voices YES Academy in Sudan, as well as with Musicians Without Borders in Palestine. He is an advisor to the organization Humanitarian Bazaar and has worked to promote music education both in the United States and abroad. He has also taught clarinet, flute, guitar, piano, and drums, as well as composition, conducting, and improvisation. Mr. Beckvold is studying tabla with Shailendra Mishra in New Delhi, learning both the simple and complex frameworks that Hindustani classical music is rhythmically structured upon. He is internalizing the language and technique of this drum in order to transfer this acquired knowledge into the development of a cross-cultural pedagogy. He is working with students at the Global Music Institute, who are the youngest generation of new teachers in India, to incorporate his methodology into practice with their own students. He is also working with the organization Music Basti to integrate these practices into their hands-on workshops throughout New Delhi for at-risk children.