Kannada Film Composer Sai Somesh Joins ABRSM Programme to Diversify Music Learning

Kannada film score composer, music educator and producer Sai Somesh has been selected as one of eight musicians from across Asia to participate in the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music's (ABRSM) flagship composer mentoring programme, Writing for Music Education. The six-month initiative aims to develop composers' skills in writing music for educational settings while bringing greater diversity to the repertoire available to young musicians.

Based in Bengaluru, Somesh combines a background in music education and production with work as a film composer and mentor. Through the programme, he will work with ABRSM and leading educational composers to develop music for settings including examination syllabuses, teaching and youth ensembles.

For Somesh, the programme represents an opportunity not only to develop his compositional practice but also to learn from musicians working across different traditions and approaches.

“I want to understand the perspectives and creative approaches of other musicians and composers,” Somesh says, “not just to broaden my own thinking, but to honestly identify where my limitations lie and how I can grow beyond them.”

His interest in the programme is closely connected to his experience as both a teacher and music producer. He says he has long been interested in the reasons certain musical ideas resonate, why some compositions endure, and what distinguishes technical accomplishment from music that is genuinely moving.

“This programme feels like the right space to explore those questions,” he says, “particularly through the depth that classical music offers, technically, emotionally, and artistically.”

Bringing Different Musical Worlds Together

Somesh's career encompasses several areas of music. He leads Thunder Institute of Music, founded by his father, E. Sairam, carrying forward its mission of making music education accessible and meaningful for young learners.

He is trained in classical piano, classical guitar, keyboard performance, music theory and audio engineering. Alongside his educational work, he has composed music for Kannada feature films, mentored aspiring musicians and collaborated with independent artists.

That combination of education, composition and music production informs his approach to the ABRSM programme. Rather than viewing music solely as a discipline to be studied, Somesh believes it has a fundamental role in human development, nurturing creativity, confidence and emotional connection from an early age.

His participation also reflects the programme's wider aim of bringing a broader range of musical perspectives into music education.

ABRSM hopes the eight participating composers will develop the skills and confidence to write for music education, helping to diversify the music available to learners and teachers around the world. The programme brings composers from different musical traditions together while giving them the opportunity to work with composers experienced in writing specifically for educational contexts.

James Welburn, ABRSM's Deputy Head of Engagement, highlights the value of this exchange.

“The eight musicians taking part in the programme represent an incredibly rich range of musical traditions and it’s great to be collaborating with them,” he says, “both to share what we know about writing for music education and to learn from their experiences of working with such varied forms.”

Expanding the Repertoire for Young Musicians

The Writing for Music Education mentoring scheme was established by ABRSM in 2021 with the aim of helping to diversify examination syllabuses by developing the skills of talented composers from underrepresented backgrounds.

Since its launch, more than 60 works written by mentored composers have featured on ABRSM's examination syllabuses. These works have been played by more than 50,000 candidates in their examinations.

Initially run annually in the UK, the programme was expanded in 2024 to include composers from Asia, creating opportunities for musicians from across the region to contribute their perspectives to music written specifically for educational use.

For students, repertoire is an important part of learning an instrument. The music encountered during lessons and examinations can introduce young musicians to different styles, sounds and creative approaches. Broadening that repertoire can therefore broaden the musical experiences available to learners.

The programme also recognises that writing for education requires its own particular approach. The composers taking part are developing skills specifically for creating music that can work within exam syllabuses, teaching environments and youth ensembles, supported by bespoke mentoring from leading educational composers.

For Somesh, the opportunity is ultimately about learning how to communicate through music.

“Most importantly, I hope to learn how to create music that genuinely connects with people,” he says. “I believe the most powerful music lives in the balance between depth and emotion, and I'm here to understand how to find and hold that balance in my own work.”

His six-month engagement with ABRSM places that ambition within a wider international exchange, bringing together different musical traditions while considering how new repertoire can reach the next generation of musicians.

For a composer whose work already moves between classrooms, film, production and collaboration, the programme offers another way to connect those worlds, this time through music created specifically for learners.