Encinitas school promotes Indian music

Famed percussionist Aditya Kalyanpur started the New England School of Music on the East Coast to spread Indian classical music. And now the school is expanding west — to Encinitas.

“It’s my responsibility to ensure this is passed on to the next generation,” said Kalyanpur, who is known as a maestro of the tabla, or Indian hand drums. “I want to take this tradition forward and beyond the boundaries of India.”

The New England School of Music San Diego, which opened July 30, is at 1613 Lake Drive in Encinitas. There, students of all ages and experience levels can learn kaidas and relas, types of Indian music compositions that aren’t featured in other music schools.

Down the line, the school will also have lectures, performances and an artist-in-residence program, according to Kalyanpur.

Kalyanpur, who spoke over the phone last week while in Los Angeles, had just returned from touring India. He’s also staked out a Western audience, playing on Katy Perry’s song “Legendary Lovers” and recording with the Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards.

He said he chose Encinitas because he knows many eager students in this area. Kalyanpur added that the region has a well-established Indian music scene, citing sitar player Ravi Shankar, who relocated to Encinitas in the early 1990s and died in 2012.

“There is a lot of interest and energy in Indian classical music in the region,” he said.

The New England School of Music has six branches in Massachusetts, and this is the first school outside the state.

To learn more, visit www.newenglandschoolofmusic.org. Those interested in signing up and seeing lesson costs can email ak@newenglandschoolofmusic.org.