Brothers Bond Through Violin

Sophomore Akshay Dinakar breaths a sigh of relief as he turns in his Chemistry 2 test. After sitting back down in his seat and smoothing down his ruffled up hair, the girl next to him congratulates him. At first he is confused, not knowing what she is talking about.

“Congratulations on making the National Youth Orchestra!”

That’s when it hits him. Out of hundreds of other violinists around the country, he has been selected for Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra.

Making the orchestra isn’t just an honor; it’s an opportunity.

Making the orchestra isn’t just an honor; it’s an opportunity. As the prestigious Carnegie Hall brags through its website: these remarkable teenagers embark on a tour to some of the great music capitals of the world and serve as dynamic musical ambassadors.

Akshay sprints out of Mr. Ogdon’s class, running down the fourth floor hallway, unable to process all the thoughts racing around his head ranging from joy to panic. He made the age cut off date for the symphony by two days, and he was one of 30 chosen.

What am I going to do? I’m going somewhere, I’m traveling the world!

Thoughts are still swirling through his head as he runs to his dad waiting in his gold Honda Odyssey at the front circle drive to pick him. He climbs into the car and can’t find any words, all he can do is look at his dad who is trying to hide the grin on his face. Knowing exactly what his dad is thinking, Akshay’s thoughts sink in and his smile just gets larger, not leaving his face the entire car ride home.

* * *

Music has been a part of Akshay and his younger brother, Bhavish’s lives since before they were born. The brothers heard classical music for the first time when their dad, Deendayal Dinakarpandian, played it for them while they were still in the womb. The brothers started playing the violin when Akshay was four-years-old and Bhavish was three and a half. Dinakarpandian grew up in India and started learning about Indian classical music when he was 20-years-old while he still lived in the country. He also plays the violin along with several other instruments. Dinakarpandian decided to get his sons involved in music as well because he believed it would benefit the development of their minds.

“[Music is] almost a core skill or talent you need to handle stress in life,” Dinakarpandian said.

In their 12 years of playing, Akshay and Bhavish have performed styles ranging from country to rock. They enjoy playing the violin because it is one of the few instruments they can play several different styles on. They also have the ability to play several pieces by different composers ranging from the melodies Mozart to the numerous sounds of Coldplay’s music. They can play classic pieces by Bartok to the twangy notes of Garth Brooks songs. Their ears are so used to processing music they can pick up on almost any song just by listening to it once on YouTube. Both of the brothers enjoy playing jazz, one of their favorite pieces being Autumn Leaves with a piano in the background.

After hearing him play at a jazz camp a few years ago, local jazz artist Bobby Watson took a special interest in Akshay because according to Knight, it is rare to see a violinist playing jazz. Watson came to the Dinakar house a couple times, giving Akshay and Bhavish lessons in jazz and helping them find venues they can play at.

“[Watson] really liked me and he’s a great person with a wonderful personality,” Akshay said. “He’s just a really cool guy.”

The brothers practice the violin every day. Their practices last for half an hour to an hour. According to Dinakarpandian, a short practice for an hour is much better than an unfocused four-hour practice.

During these short practices Akshay and Bhavish make sure to focus on one or two pieces rather than just playing freely. According to Bhavish this can get very repetitive.

“Sometimes it gets really annoying because it’s playing the same thing over and over again by some guy that’s dead,” Bhavish said.

Akshay and Bhavish usually start practicing a piece about six months before they ever perform it. All the practice is a way to ensure that everything from timing to pitch will be perfect during their performance, but even then the Dinakar brothers are never guaranteed a perfect performance. Factors like pitch are often unpredictable.

This happened to Akshay a few years ago at the Topeka Symphony Competition, one of the only competitions he has ever competed in. He had been practicing his piece every day for two or three months, he was ready to perform. He had put in the preparation but as soon as he stepped on stage, his violin went out of tune, ruining his performance.

“It was just a big mess,” Akshay said.

The Topeka Symphony performance might not have been Akshay’s best performance, but he did not let it hold him back from performing again. He still continues to practice every day along with Bhavish. Both of the brothers try to make every performance the best it can be despite unpredictable elements. They also rely heavily on their parents’ support.

Their dad’s education in Indian classical music helps Akshay and Bhavish learn new pieces. In addition to knowing the music, Dinakarpandian’s doctoral degree and knowledge of the human body helps him give tips on playing posture and projection to his sons in order to improve their performances.

“[My dad] kind of knows everything,” Akshay said.

Their mom, Chrita Dinakar, also helps them by playing the role of general manager. Although she does not teach her sons any music, she makes sure everything from competition performances to communication with their violin teacher is running smoothly.

“She’s as important as any actual music teacher would be,” Akshay said.

Akshay and Bhavish also believe that their parents are the not the stereotypical “tiger parents” that some people would assume them to be. Although they do help their sons play the violin, they do not pressure them about grades or push them into too many academic activities.

“They want to me practice a lot of stuff [on the violin], but they say its really not about winning, its about the journey,” Bhavish explained.

Bhavish even uses his knowledge of violin and other aspects of music that his parents taught him to help him with his hardest class, Honors Pre-Calculus. He uses the same rhythms and counting beats in his head to change fractions and bases in his math homework.

Akshay also believes that violin helps him with one of his key interests, architecture. He uses the structures of musical forms and streams of melodies to understand how buildings are constructed and how they fit together.

He hopes to build on that interest this summer as a member of the Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra. Along with playing the violin in cities all over the world accompanied by 30 of the nation’s best violinists, Akshay is looking forward to seeing famous buildings and landmarks. He is specifically looking forward to traveling to London.

“I want to go to London. That just seems like a cool place and there is a lot of interesting architecture there,” Akshay said.

“I want to go to London. That just seems like a cool place and there is a lot of interesting architecture there.”

Those three weeks this summer will just be another step in Akshay and Bhavish’s journey with music. Although they do not want pursue music as a career, they know it will always be a part of theirs lives, acting as a common bond.