Konnakkol (or South Indian vocal percussion) is an important part of the classical music curriculum in South India. In that tradition, every music student (instrumentalists and vocalists alike) must be familiar with its concepts and theory. The unique aspect of this pedagogical tool is that it is also a performance medium on its own. Classical concerts in India have featured a konnakkol soloist performing a vocal percussion solo in the same way that a jazz concert may feature a drum solo. As a student of mridangam (the predominant percussion instrument in South Indian or Carnatic music), I have discovered that the rhythmic ideas of konnakkol are very relevant for a global music curriculum and have used these ideas in my teaching of Western musicianship at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory (National University of Singapore). Although there have been books published specifically about konnakkol as a South Indian art, there has not been much written about how this art could be applied in the.....

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