Check! 1... 2... 3... Young voices on air

Five students from Class IX were working on a short film, their first psychological thriller. “It will have background music and maybe a song that I will write,” said Diptanshu Raha, a Class IX student of Indus Valley World School (IVWS).

He and four other classmates were sitting in their school’s newly set-up soundproof studio, named Voice of IVWS, that offers them the facility to host podcasts, mix music, edit videos and learn about new career options in media. The studio is yet to be formally inaugurated. But students have already started using it since November 4.

The school has also started a new club, Media & Communications, whose members will be taught the basics of microphone technique, radio hosting and production, podcast hosting, creative and scriptwriting, video editing, dubbing and voiceovers.

The club members — about 35 students from Classes VI to X — will go through training under radio jockey and podcast host Saranya Shekhar Paul (RJ Shekhar).

“So many students want to host podcasts, become influencers or dubbing artists. They need to know the basics of how to face the microphone and the post-production work,” said Paul.

The soundproof studio, complete with a built-in editing system and facilities to mix music, is also accessible to students, who are not part of the club. “I just finished interviewing director Arindam Sil in our new studio,” said Srijato Banerjee, a Class XII student, who is a non-member. “I interviewed him for a thalasemia campaign. I hope to be a podcast host one day. Previously, I had to do this in the reception or audiovisual room. Now, I feel like a professional,” he said.

Prisha Moitra of Class IX plans to take up science and be an academician. But she already runs a YouTube channel on the side. “I interviewed alpona artist Ratnaboli Ghosh for a film that my friends and I are planning to make,” said Prisha. Classmate Aratrika Ray assisted Prisha. “This experience made me feel like a pro,” Aratrika said.

Principal Reshma Bhattacharya said: “They can also record content for their own social media page or channel, but under supervision. Education these days is about knowledge and skill. We don’t need to hire a studio facility to mix music for our concerts. Our students are being taught the basics of producing videos,” she said.

Added vice-principal and administrator Madhumita Seal: “The students will now have a platform to explore their passions and develop skills in audio production, interviewing and storytelling.”

While many schools in the city have audiovisual rooms, few have a full-fledged soundproof studio. According to Suman Singh Ganguly, academic director of Delhi Public School, Megacity, they are planning to build a recording studio this year. So does the NES World School. “We are getting the school’s interiors ready to build a soundproof studio,” said Mousumi Saha, founder-principal of National English School.

“Our western music room in the basement doubles as our recording room. We have done recordings and voiceovers there,” said Mahua Chakraborty, head of performing arts and marketing, South City International.

Seema Sapru, principal of The Heritage School, said that while their college has a big studio, the school has two smaller soundproof rooms where students record audio and visual content. “Our children use it to record songs. But I won’t call it a studio.”