The tune that gets them going: Shaiphali and Hritisha on music as self-care

This piece of writing might turn out to be music to your ears, literally and figuratively. Each of us has that one song or playlist we turn to when things are not going our way or when we are in a great mood.

Some guilty pleasures and some forever repeats, a name pops up in our head for every mood. It is clear that music has a great effect on us. But did you know it is a medium of self-care? There is a cord every beat strikes and that helps us correlate emotions to certain tunes and beats. Let’s meet one such brain who has been creating symphonies for various moods.

Shaiphali Saxena, a sound engineer and the founder of Angels Music Academy and Hritisha Rewadia also known as the Opera Queen of India. This student-teacher duo has managed to create wonders and an award-winning music academy. We sat down with Shaiphali to know more about her unique journey and how music is a form of self-care.

Q- How is music a mode of self-care for both of you?

A- As a child, I had epilepsy and migraine issues, a doctor even then suggested I turn towards music. Even Hritisha was crippled under stress in 11th as she was preparing for medicine. Soon realising that this is not where her passion lies, her parents supported her career change. Throughout this journey, we translate our lows into beautiful compositions and tunes.

In 2017, when Shaiphali started the academy, Hritisha had approached me for admissions. She was mesmerised by her singing. She introduced her to the world of western music, opera and more. Starting the academy with a mere 700 Rs. in her store, she now runs it from a 3 storey in Jaipur.

Q- What does music make you feel?

A- Music gave us freedom. When words fell short we turned to our instruments for expression. Having said this, we don’t listen to a lot of songs and not all the time. Don’t get us wrong but every professional needs a break from their field. You’ll never find us playing something in the car or our personal spaces.

Q- How difficult was it to convert music into a profession?

A- We didn’t have to face a lot of difficulties as our parents were very supportive. My parents never limited our career options to engineering or medical. They also helped to fund our further studies.

Q- Initially artists are not paid well. What do you have to say about that?

A- This is one of our favourite questions. We have always believed that we should be paid fairly. Both of us have invested a good chunk in our training days. So we only used to sign up if we were remunerated. We also tell our students to never work for free, exposure is not going to pay our bills.

Q-Advice for someone looking for a music career?

A- Go through every subject in music from copyrights to sound engineering and experiment within the fields. If you are an individual artist, also learning music production will help you. Most importantly, create opportunities.

Q-How do the two of you bring out the best in each other?

A- We share a very multidimensional relationship. From student-teacher to being soul sisters we started understanding each other really well. Respect lies at the core of all this.

Q- What does your daily routine look like?

A- Both of us together own multiple businesses. We have started Myeducos which is an app. We also have a music production company called Moksh and sound acoustic production and manufacturer. Most of our day goes into running these businesses. But we love our work so we don’t feel the need to stick to the social conventions around having fun.

Q-What are your thoughts on Music entrepreneurship? What challenges did you face initially?

A- We have introduced many courses that deal with every part of a music deal. We believe that a professional should have sound knowledge about what is happening and how things work in the industry.

We won’t necessarily call them challenges because they helped us understand our industry better.

Q- India’s 1st female Apple-certified sound trainer & India’s Opera queen. How did you deal with sexism?