Dear friends,
I am looking for some support to cover the tuition fees for my M.Mus. course in Ethnomusicology at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. I was offered unconditional admission to this course which starts September 2015.
Music and foreign cultures have always been my passion. I have learned Indian classical music since 1995 and have performed with my instrument in Germany, the U.K., France, Italy, Hungary, India (see above ;-) and Indonesia so far. I have been awarded an ICCR scholarship to study at university in India in 2010 and will finish my M.A. in Instrumental Music at Rabindra Bharati University in Kolkata this summer. So far, I have learned the five Indian languages Bengali, Hindi, Urdu, Tamil and Sanskrit.
At SOAS in London, I would like to learn about Central Asian music and Persian language. I believe that music and literature are important and powerful media of intercultural exchange that can contribute to the mutual understanding of peoples. I firmly believe that the study of foreign cultures is also essential to gain insight in the roots of cultural conflicts and to find solutions to them.
I am especially interested in the study of different forms of Sufi music and poetry, which are an expression of a moderate and tolerant interpretation of Islam that promotes the peaceful coexistence of world religions.
I am not able to cover my study fees of 10,000 EUR at SOAS in the U.K. on my own. I am a German citizen who has pursued his higher education in India and am therefore ineligible for many scholarships or exchange programs. These mostly focus either on persons having studied in Germany (the Germany-to-U.K. scholarship programs) or Indian citizens having studied and lived in India (the India-to-UK scholarship programs). Additionally, my chosen subject of study ethnomusicology is a rare and quite exotic one which does not receive much support from any public or private funding organisations.
Because I am tied up with the preparations for my final M.A. exams in India, I am also not able to raise any substantial amount by doing a job here at the moment.
The lack of funding opportunities puts me in a difficult spot. This why I chose Indiegogo.com as a platform to attempt raising a part of my study fees. Please support me and contribute if you can. It would help me to come a step closer to my dream of further studies in Ethnomusicology in the U.K.
I am grateful for any help you can give me.
Christian