She began her musical journey at a very young age, which is key to her speedy matriculation through the bachelor\u2019s program, as she was able to translate her life experiences into prior learning credits<\/a>. Starting piano at the age of four, by the time Aarya was 10 she had completed the six-book Adult Piano Adventures<\/a> <\/em>series from Faber. \u201cI would wake up at 4 AM, before my parents,\u201d she recalls, \u201cI\u2019d put headphones on so I wouldn\u2019t disturb them, and before going to school, I\u2019d practice for two hours in the morning, and then when I came back, I\u2019d start practicing again.\u201d At the age of 12 she began to teach piano lessons and started to learn singing at the Pandit Jasraj Institute<\/a>, an Indian Institute of singing located in New Jersey, not far from where she lives. By middle school Aarya was giving live performances and participating in competitions, but she wanted to be even more involved, so she approached her music teacher. That conversation led to her accompanying the school choir on piano; the choir she was already a part of. \u201cSo not only did I take part in the school chorus program, but I also started accompanying this 150-plus-kid choir at just 12 years old,\u201d she says. \u201cThat was a real motivation-booster for me.\u201d Aarya also passed 14 exams in advanced piano practical and music theory from Trinity College of London<\/a>, many of which with merit and distinction. She has since encouraged many of her piano students to take exams for advanced piano and music theory certification, and all of them passed with distinction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aarya took her first Berklee Online course in 2021, when she was still a high school student. She enrolled in the degree program right after graduating from high school, and challenged herself to fast-track the process. \u201cLast semester I took eight courses at once,\u201d she says. \u201cThere wasn\u2019t a day where there wasn\u2019t any workload, but I think just having time management, not procrastinating, finishing everything before it was due was important. And the time that I had left for me, just for myself, I would spend that to completely relax and meditate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The downside of taking so many classes at once (besides lack of sleep) is that it\u2019s a bit harder to make time for friendships, but Aarya managed to make the most of her connections. \u201cWith the collaborations I\u2019ve done with people for projects in Berklee, I know if I ever go up to those people again and ask them to record something for a track, they won\u2019t say no,\u201d she says. \u201cThey will be there.\u201d It is worth noting that previous collaborators include Sparsh Shah<\/a>, who is also a Berklee Online student. However, they originally met outside of class, at a dance competition, years before either studied with Berklee Online. The connection led Aarya to begin studying with the Pandit Jasraj Institute and to the two collaborating on a couple of<\/a> videos<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aarya says she plans on focusing more energy towards her website and her own YouTube channel<\/a> in the future, where she covers songs from Indian films and piano arrangements of pop tunes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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