New Delhi based Global Music Institute believes in working and promoting cross-cultural and more traditional folkloric styles of music. It also aims at developing well-rounded students who have a deep awareness and understanding of music. Thus, the institute brings together local, national and international faculties from diverse fields.

To understand more about the faculties at GMI we at Radioandmusic contacted Luiza Sales and Andrea Fraenzel. Luzia is a singer-songwriter from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She has already performed in Europe, Brazil, US and India. Her music has also been featured in two compilations of Brazilian music released in Japan by Rambling Records. Luiza is the creator of the video series Meninas do Brasil, with music videos and interviews to promote the work of female singer-songwriters, fighting for more visibility of women in music.

Andrea is an experienced acoustic and electric bass player who graduated from Berklee Valencia. She was the first student from Austria to be accepted into the Contemporary Performance Master’s Program. In July 2014, Berklee College of Music honoured her efforts and achievements by presenting her with the ‘Outstanding Scholar Award’. As a freelance artist, she enjoys working within a wide range of styles that include pop, rock, indie, classical and contemporary music, folk, world, blues, jazz and improvised music.

These talented women gave us a detailed brief on their thoughts on GMI Music Institute and a lot more. Excerpts.

How does it feel to stay with the students 24x7 and share your day-to-day life experiences with them?

Luiza: It feels great to be thinking about music all the time. It's a real immersion in music and being around students has encouraged me to practice more and work on my music.  Being in a foreign country brings some new habits - especially the food, which I am still getting used to. But the culture of India is very rich and the people are very welcoming. Even though I come from the other side of the globe, it feels like home.

Andrea: A 12 week semester is actually very short. The advantage of living on campus is that you automatically get to know each other well in a short period of time. I can see and hear who is practising what and can answer an urgent question in between and the students can also see us working and practising. I remember I once was writing a to-do-list while sipping tea in the canteen. A student asked me what I am writing and this led to a very interesting conversation about how to organize one's tasks. 

How different is the global audience in comparison to India?

Luiza: The audience in India isn't very close to Brazilian music and it is nice to see their reaction when they listen to new music. In concerts, I've played and in general, when I was teaching, everybody was very open to my music.

Andrea: I have not recognized a difference so far. 

Is there a cross-cultural connection between you and Balani Brothers that has brought you together?

Luiza: I met Aditya Balani when I played a Sofar Sounds concert in Delhi in 2016. We found out to have a lot in common, especially the fact that we are songwriters and share lot of the same musical references. 

Andrea: Music is a universal language that connects people and especially jazz, where a standard repertoire and improvised parts form a common ground. When we played our show in the Quarter I didn't feel that we come together from different parts of the world.  

What is your daily routine at GMI as a mentor and musician?

Luiza: The more I spend time with the students, the more I feel stimulated to make music. The daily activities include private and group lessons, rehearsals and practice. 

Andrea: I spend most of the days on campus, preparing and teaching the classes and do some of my own practise. A sip of chai in between is the best excuse to head down to the canteen, sometimes having a short chat.