In this final article of the series on India's evolving jazz landscape, we examine the growing role of contemporary Western music education in shaping new generations of musicians.

For generations, Indian music was handed down through the immersive guru-shishya tradition: students living with, or close to, their teachers, learning by ear, imitation and hours spent in the intensity of live, informal apprenticeship. Broadly, in post-independence India, this personalized relationship gave way to imported pedagogical frameworks dominated by the UK-based Trinity and ABRSM boards, whose graded programs emphasize technical mastery and polished recitals. While these pathways remain respected, they place less emphasis on improvisation, original composition and peer musical exchange.



However, the landscape is shifting. Today's musicians are increasingly shaped by the creative freedom of the digital age, drawn to hip hop, DIY production, and the ability to make and share music on their own terms. The online explosion led by artists like Jacob Collier, whose Instagram and YouTube explorations blur the boundaries between jazz, classical and everything in between, has made experimentation and collaboration irresistible for many young Indian players. As a result, music education in the eyes of India's upcoming musicians is much more about finding a personal voice in a rapidly expanding universe of online and physical platforms.

Below, we highlight institutions across India that are creating access points locally and nationally for musicians to engage with global sounds and shape their own musical identities.

GMI: Building International Pathways

Global Music Institute (GMI), on the outskirts of Delhi, is one of this new generation's anchor points. Founded by Berklee alumni