Punitha Perinparaja picks up her violin and plays an ascending scale. A mixed race group of about 80 pupils from Elm Grove Middle School, Harrow, listens intently and then sings the notes back to her. An unexceptional classroom scene, except that they are not singing “doh, re, mi, fa, soh, la, ti, doh”, the familiar tonic sol-fa of western music, but the unfamiliar scale of an Indian raga.

“The words of the song are in English but this is a proper Indian melody,” she tells them, and repeats the scale on the violin. “Sa, ga, ma, pa , ni, sa,” they sing. Then they sing it again, this time as a descending scale. When they have fully mastered the notes, they begin to clap the rhythm to the song, written by Punitha Perinparaja for use in schools. It is called - straightforwardly enough - “Sing An Indian Raga”. Accompanied by 11-year-old Vishal Kanji, and 10-year-old Urmil Mehta on tablas, the ubiquitous drum found in Indian classical music, the class sings:

“Sing an Indian raga, A scale, a melody, Clap the rhythmic pattern, a tala it will be.

Every Indian melodic scale, it has a special name, Ragas have their own moods, No two are the same.”

“Indian music is very different from the music we learn in our other music lessons,” Vishal Kanji says afterwards. “It’s very peaceful to sing it.”

Leigh-Anna Beccles says:“The scales are different and it’s a bit strange at first. But it’s not difficult when you get used to the different emphasis of the notes. The main difference is that in Indian music the notes slur and slide.”

They sing further songs - “Deepavali”, which tells the story of Rama and Sita from ancient Hindu mythology, and “Let Us Celebrate Diwali”, a hymn to the traditional Hindu festival of light. “My Dad’s Indian and my Mum is English,” Tarika Vyas says. “They’re very happy because when I go home I tell them about learning about both their cultures.”

Punitha Perinparaja’s appro- ach is hugely effective, particularly with primary pupils, who are attracted by its simplicity. She teaches the unusual Indian melodic scales of raga and the complex rhythmic patterns and cycles of beats known as talas via her own songs, which she composes to authentic Indian classical structures. But she makes them accessible to multicultural classes through the shared language of English and western musical notation. “This approach provides an ethos of tolerance of each other’s cultures as well as aesthetic appreciation,” she says.

She studied Indian classical music in Sri Lanka up to teacher’s grade and has been teaching in Britain for 23 years. Two years ago she received a Millennium award to further her work and has since been conducting a projected five-year programme in 10 schools across the London Borough of Harrow. In March this year it led to the borough’s first schools’ Indian music festival and pupils are currently preparing for the second festival, due to be held next March.

She has also produced a book, An Approach To Indian Music, Song and Dance as a resource for non-specialist teachers. It contains not only an introduction to the principles of Indian music and its instruments, but 13 of her songs, including compositions for Diwali and Christmas. Another song, “Hands That Tell A Story,” teaches the symbolic hand gestures of Indian dance.

“I feel this is my life’s work,” she says. “I’m not teaching Indian music for Indian children - although that’s important in terms of their own sense of identity - it’s Indian music for everyone. It’s enriching for children of all cultures because it’s touching the roots of prejudice and tackling it through music.”

The benefits have been considerable, according to Sue McCall, music co-ordinator at Elm Grove. She has been teaching at the school for eight years and has been using Punitha Perinparaja’s songs from the outset.

When Sue McCall joined the staff, the school had a Madrigal Choir. Her first act was to change the name to the Magical Choir. “That was what they all called it anyway,” she says. “But cultural diversity is fundamental to the ethos of the school and the old name seemed exclusive rather than inclusive. We’ve got a very mixed catchment area. Music is a fantastic way to get a flavour of what makes each other’s cultures special.”

She sees other benefits across the board. “Indian music demands more because the scales are not familiar, so it’s a good discipline. There’s a lot of music in the school and a lot of it is really lively. Indian music is more reflective. There’s a unique excitement to it but it also has a tranquillity pupils perhaps don’t find anywhere else in the curriculum.”

* Indian Music, Song and Dance For Schools is available from Kal Anjali Publications, 135 Woodlands, North Harrow, Middlesex HA2 6EN. pound;8.50.