Ang 849 · Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji

We don't teach music. We pass down a 530-year-old conversation.

For twenty-five years, a school in Surrey, BC has taught the music of the Shabad — the Guru Granth Sahib's own melody — to 1,200 students across 45 countries. Quiet rooms. Long hours. No microphones.

Begin your studies Our story, since 2001

Portrait of Anindo Chatterjee — legendary tabla player and KOR Institute of Music teacher

1,200 students later, here's what we know.

Students

Countries

Instruments

International Workshops

Classes Per Year

Competitions Per Year

Four traditions. One school.

We don't teach music. We hand down a way of listening.

From the Guru Granth Sahib to Hindustani ragas to instruments you can take home. Four entry points. One lineage.

Tabla — North Indian percussion, the heartbeat of KOR

Raag · 60 melodies

Gurmat Sangeet

When speaking about Gurmat Sangeet, we must know that Raags are used in Sikh music simply to create a mood, and are not restricted to particular times. A mood can be created by the music of the raag regardless of the time of day. There are a total of 60 raags or melodies within the Guru Granth Sahib. Each melody sets a particular mood for the hymn, adding a deeper dimension to it. The Guru Granth Sahib is thought by many to have just 31 raags or melodies — which is correct of single raags. However, combined with "mishrit" raags, that total is 60.

Hindustani · Carnatic

Indian Classical Music

Indian classical music is the classical music of the Indian subcontinent. It has two major traditions: the North Indian classical music tradition is called Hindustani, while the South Indian expression is called Carnatic. Indian classical music has two foundational elements, raga and tala. The raga, based on a varied repertoire of swara (notes including microtones), forms the fabric of a deeply intricate melodic structure, while the tala measures the time cycle. The raga gives an artist a palette to build the melody from sounds, while the tala provides them with a creative framework for rhythmic improvisation using time. In Indian classical music the space between the notes is often more important than the notes themselves, and it traditionally eschews Western classical concepts such as harmony, counterpoint, chords, or modulation.

Cross-cultural · Global

World Music

World music is a musical category encompassing many different styles of music from around the world, including traditional music, quasi-traditional music, and music where more than one cultural tradition intermingles. World music's inclusive nature and elasticity as a musical category pose obstacles to a universal definition, but its ethic of interest in the culturally exotic is encapsulated in fRoots magazine's description of the genre as "local music from out there".

Bring home · Instruments

Buy Instruments

Kor Institute of Music encourages all its students and learned musicians to grab the best of quality instruments from us. For generating your order for various types of instruments, kindly visit our Shop on the website to check the available items and order them right away.

In their words.

What students say about learning at the school.

“My name is John, it has been a blessing for me to receive lessons from Gur. She is an excellent teacher. I like that I could feel her love for music and for humanity. I think tabla is one of the greatest instruments on this planet and Gur makes it look so fun and beautiful. Thank you so much — looking forward to exploring more of the magic of India through music.”

John

KOR student

“My name is Teghbir, and I am from Canada. I have been learning Tabla from Kor Institute for about 4–5 months now. I feel that my Tabla has significantly improved since starting classes. I would like to thank Kor Institute for all of their instruction and hard work for me to become a better Tabla player.”

Teghbir Singh

KOR student

“My Son Chetanbir Singh has been learning from KOR INSTITUTE OF MUSIC for the last 2 years. I liked many things about this institute — the professionalism, knowledge of teachers, the love for the music and teaching can be seen in KOR INSTITUTE of Music. I see my son growing in confidence in music abilities. I couldn't get better than KOR INSTITUTE of Music.”

Chetanbir Singh

KOR student

“What can I say? Learning from Kor Institute of Music is not just a class, it is time in heaven. The mood of the class is great. I wish classes never end. I feel blessed to be part of Kor Institute of Music. Other than music, I learned how to be a better person and I found new talents. The teachers are very friendly and they are great to interact with even out of classes. I hope this institute continues to shine and train students to become prominent musicians. THANKS FOR EVERYTHING!”

Angad Singh Purba

KOR student

“At Kor Institute, I have had a wonderful experience learning kirtan, meeting others, and connecting with Gurbani. It's been a year for me at Kor Institute and working with the teacher was awesome. All the kirtan I have learnt here is so blissful. I wish these classes never end. This feels like I am a part of a new family! THANKS FOR EVERYTHING!”