Come December, and Chennai lights up with Carnatic concerts happening in various halls across town. Attending them makes you realise you wish you had taken music classes. But hey, it’s never too late, particularly when you have the passion. Here’s a low-down on Chennai’s music schools.

Carnatic music
The one place which is a paradise for music, dance and art lovers is Kalakshetra (Thiruvanmiyur). It has a normal school where students can study, while learning art forms side by side.

Hit the road and drive straight to Madras Institute of Music, Nungambakkam. You don’t have to be a pro to get in here. Shed your inhibition and just enrol. If you want to learn some specific songs, you could tell them and learn those.

Another place that is worth trying is Shruthilaya School of Music & Arts (Adyar). They have been around for decades now, imparting lessons in classical music and instruments. You could learn a few steps in Bharatnatyam as well. You can also check out Music School (Abhiramapuram).

Western music
For those who are more into Western music, and love singing along with Michael Bolton or Bryan Adams, there is John's Academy of Music (Anna Nagar). Here you get to learn to mould your voice and maintain the pitch, the art of controlling your voice, and a couple of breathing exercises to help you sing better. They also conduct guitar, violin and piano classes regularly.

Check out the swanky setting at Three Bs School of Music (Adyar), where you can watch people across age groups learn different forms of music. Western, rock, pop, and smooth numbers will be taught. The teachers help you keep up with the notes and fine-tune your voice.

Most of these schools try and accommodate you as per your convenience. In fact, they even send a teacher home to suit your individual needs.

Happy learning.