Venuganapriya Academy of Music

My name is Suman Vanamali. I live in Maryland, USA. I developed interest in learning flute few years ago.I learnt Veena in my childhood, so wanted to explore a new instrument and flute seemed very different and interesting. Its very soothing to listen to flute music. So I began my search for a good tutor. Venugopal sir's name was highly recommended by one of my relatives, who was a student of him. He has a very systematic and planned approach to teaching. He was very patient with me, considering the fact that I was not able to put in enough hours of practice with my busy schedule. He taught me the minute technicalities and soon I was very comfortable playing it. Also , he is flexible with class times.  Soon I progressed from C to G#. I started improvisations on raag Hamsadhvani and then Yaman. It gives a sense of satisfaction and calms my mind whenever I practice flute. I would highly recommend Venugopal Sir for flute lessons.

First I would like to pay my heartfelt gratitude to God who initiated the love towards Music. In my very childhood Krishna’s flute touched my heart. It happened when I went to a fair and the love at first sight happened when first I heard one basuri seller playing flute, the Hero movie song. The flute music touched my feelings making its footprints in my heart and I started enjoying the flute music.  One of my Brother’s friend suggested me not to play flute without learning raaga from an able Guru and then he gifted one of his flute which was small sized and made of bamboo.  I was very happy to play bamboo flute and I lost interest in everything and spending most of the time with that flute , some time sitting on the terrace of my House playing for hours. I started searching flute guru but unfortunately i could not find any one in my native place and then joined the vocal classes of Smt Angarkar and learnt basic swaras for 3 months.  After finishing my pos...

|| Srinivaso Vijayathe || Our Academy's name "Venuganapriya" comes from Sri Govinda Namavali. In that, one verse comes as "Govinda Hari Govinda Venuganapriya Govinda". Meaning, "The one who loves the music of flute is Govinda (Sri Krishna)" By the Grace of God and my Gurus blessings I have been learning the beautiful Bansuri since last two decades. I always play Bansuri being in the remembrance of the Divine for the self elevation. My sincere thanks to all the students of our academy who are sharing their journey in music here. All the love my students have been showing towards me belong to the Divine and I present that to the Divine Lotus Feet seeking the blessings. Thank you  Venugopal S Hegde Dharwad, India.

My name is Ajeesh, and I am a software engineer based in London. I was fascinated by the bamboo flutes since childhood but never got a chance to learn it. As a child, I tried to make flutes from bamboo and tried to play many times, but it never worked. Around five years ago, I decided to commit some time learning it from a professional flautist and started searching for a teacher who can teach me remotely. That's how I met Shri Venugopal Hegde. Teaching lessons started with how to make proper note from a flute and then dived into Alankaras and continued that for almost a year. The first raga I come across was Hamsadhwani, and I practised it for nearly a year and a half. During this time, I changed my flute from C Scale to G# and F#. Also practised a Keerthanam "Vatapi Ganapatim" composed in Hamsadwani.  Now I'm practising Yaman raga, and familiarising with the E Scale and the D Bass flutes.  I felt trying with the D Bass flute made it easy to play the E Scale one...

I am Biju Balan Vakayil. By birth I am a malayalai but brought up in Mettupalayam, Coimbatore district - Tamilnadu. I had a great interest on music from my childhood days. Listening to film songs where one of my hobbies but I never had a chance to learn music at all. I always had great inclination to piano, flute, Guitar and Veena instruments and wondered about playing them. During my college days, I enjoyed playing my favorite songs in the keyboard. When I moved to U.K in 2009, all my dreams towards music became true. I learned western music in Keyboard for two years. I always had the thirst to learn flute but I don't know whether I should learn carnatic or Hindhusthani. One fine day in the year 2014, I came across Bansuri.com website and I contacted Venugopal sir about the Bansuri lesson to which he agreed. My Bansuri journey started on 26th September with Raag Yaman. Venugopal Sir, patiently taught me how to play each swaras and how a Raga is composed and played. I enjoyed ...

My name is Arun Kumar. I am a Statistician currently based in Boston (MA) working for a Pharmaceutical company.  I wanted to learn flute (Indian Bansuri) since childhood. The sound of flute always sounded divine to me and drew me towards it. But I could not pursue it due to other priorities. In 2016, I finally felt that I could devote some time to learn flute. I wanted to learn flute from someone who is already accomplished and is willing to teach online. I learned about Venuganapriya academy of music after intensive web-search. I contacted Shri Venugopal Hegde Ji, and he agreed to teach me even though I could not even blow sound out of a flute at that time. I have now been learning flute from Shri Venugopal Hegde Ji for four years. The journey has never been easy for various reasons, but it has its rewards when one overcome those challenges. Even small things such as blowing a sound out of a flute, playing both low and high notes, and going from P to M, and M to P can be drai...

I started having a desire to learn flute but no previous knowledge or training. I have been learning Bansuri since last six years in  Venuganapriya Academy of Music . Shri Venugopal hegde has continuously and patiently guided me throughout these years and because of him I am able to play this wonderful instrument. Last year I did my first public performance and it was with immense pride I was able to say thanks to my teacher. "At last the notes of his flute come in, and I cannot stop from dancing around on the floor" -Kabir Radhe Khatwani - Panama

I have been taking lessons in bansuri in  Venuganapriya Academy of Music  for around last 3 years. In that time, I have realized that Shri Venugopal Hegde is a very good teacher and an excellent Bansuri artiste himself. I am glad to be one of his students. Nirav Patel Knoxville, USA

It is been three years that I have been taking lessons from Shri Venugopal S Hegde in  Venuganapriya Academy of Music , I already enjoy some of the music that I can play. This for me is a lot, considering that I am just a beginner with this beautiful instrument. Mr. Luigi Baccetti - Sacramento, USA

I have been learning in  Venuganapriya Academy of Music  for only a several months now, yet my playing has improved unimaginably. Shri Venugopal S. Hegde is a passionate Bansuri teacher with extraordinary talents. His knowledge, teaching methods, complemented by his polite, pleasant and friendly personality create an ideal atmosphere for the learning even though we are physically located thousands of miles away. I feel lucky to have the opportunities to learn from him and I look forward to continuing it. All the best, Gopalji! - Dr. Mahmudur R. Shaheen Ottawa, Canada

I have been learning under Shri Venugopal S Hegde ji for almost a year now and it has been a beautiful journey. Venugopal sir is a great artist and a teacher. He has been a great inspiration and my playing has improved a lot since i started. His humility portrays his knowledge in music and willingness to share it with the student. Gratitude fills me when I realise how lucky I am to have such a wonderful guru. Kaushik Sunder Singapore

I have been learning from Shri Venugopal S Hegde Sir from last 2 years in  Venuganapriya Academy of Music . Learning flute is made easy by your unique approach of teaching. Classes are very useful for a beginner, for an advanced learner and for an expert artist. Hope we all students make the best use of your sincere efforts of serving Ma Saraswati. Dr. Shailaja Amur Dharwad, India

It is been a year I have been learning bansuri in  Venuganapriya Academy of Music . Being interested in bansuri without any music background, Shri Venugopal Hegde has encouraged me to learn the passion of my heart. Shri. Praveen Anabalagan  - Chicago, USA

I still remember my first class, they started with very basic things, including how to hold the bansuri, the finger placements and the embouchure. I appreciate the patience of Shri Venugopal Hegde Sir, his incredible talent, limitless passion about the bansuri, and wonderful sense of humor. I found guidance, friendship, discipline, everything in one person :) Venugopal sir is giving so many information about bansuri through Venuganapriya Academy' website including audio clips and notes for practice. I am very happy being a student of him. I am learning bansuri from past one year. Thanks for being my teacher and guiding me towards the right path of life. I am grateful to him. Hope this relation will continue throughout my life. - Raghavendra Joshi   Bangalore, India