Musical roots
Ronojit is a talented musician currently pursuing a Master of Music in Piano Performance at Trinity Laban in London.
Hailing from a musical background, with both his mother and grandmother being violinists, Ronojit fell in love with music at the age of fourteen. The Assam Valley School, a boarding school in Assam where he studied, had several pianos and an excellent teacher. “I just started learning to play, and it felt natural,” he recalls. His journey took him from Assam to Mumbai, where mentors shaped his path to London.
The significance of graded music exams
Ronojit’s introduction to Trinity College London’s graded exams began at his boarding school, where Trinity's standards were held in high regard. He fondly remembers, “The school was deeply committed to the Trinity exams. Students often prepared collectively for them.”
However, his journey wasn't without its challenges. He started his musical journey relatively late, which meant he had to skip grades to catch up with his peers. Fortunately, Trinity's meticulously structured syllabus played a pivotal role in helping him make up for lost time swiftly. While he took a year to prepare for his grade 1 exams, he went from grade 1 to 8 within two years with a lot of hard work and practice. “It was quite intensive and I had to work really hard. I was very lucky to have great teachers.”
In the two years between his piano exams, Ronojit prepared and appeared for Trinity’s theory exams. Besides the hard work he put in between his piano exams, he also credits the theory exams with helping him make the giant leap from Grade 1 Piano to Grade 8 Piano. Ronojit found great joy in unravelling the 'why' and 'how' behind playing music. He acknowledges that the theory exams enriched his understanding and significantly enhanced his performance. “The theoretical part in Trinity’s syllabus helped me tackle the practical. It helped me learn a piece's harmony, structure, and compositional style that helped me understand it better.”
Subsequently, he achieved two diplomas, the ATCL, and the LTCL, underscoring their value by stating, “The exam syllabus instilled a robust foundation, vital for later professional performances.”
The Trinity touch
For Ronojit, it’s all about Trinity’s systematic approach. “Whatever subject you are interested in, you need a system to learn it. Trinity provides that approach for music.” The rich diversity of pieces it offers is a standout for him, from Bollywood tunes to Scottish folk songs. He encourages, “Don’t limit yourself and explore all your options within the Trinity syllabus.”
The syllabus's structured, precise, and user-friendly approach resonated with Ronojit’s academic leanings. Even now, as he works on his Master's thesis, he turns to his Trinity grade books for guidance. He asserts, “They lay out the basics, and you need to carry that with you always.”
London and beyond
Immersed in his music studies, Ronojit collaborates, teaches, and even performs solo across the UK. He believes in consistent hard work: "I understood at an early age that if you want to make music your life, you have to work hard at it every day.” He cherishes the role of his teachers and the depth of Trinity’s theoretical syllabus, which helped him make up for lost time.
As Ronojit wraps up his Master's in 2024, his eyes are set on a dual path: a professional musician journey and further academic exploration with a Ph.D. in musicology. “My aim is to excel both as a performer and an academician.”
“The theoretical part in Trinity’s syllabus helped me tackle the practical. It helped me learn a piece's harmony, structure, and compositional style that helped me understand it better.”