Mixed-Level Folk Ensemble: 10 Weeks, Two Dhols, One Khol
A higher secondary school starts a folk ensemble with 24 students: 10 beginners aged 11–13, nine intermediate aged 14–15, and five advanced aged 16–18. The school owns two dhols, one khol, three tals, two gogonas, one pepa and one flute; there is no sarinda. The principal wants a 20-minute showcase in ten weeks, with two 60-minute sessions per week, and insists that all 24 students appear on stage for the finale. The advanced students want to perform a Borgeet, but the only khol player is also the only student who knows the Borgeet repertoire. One student uses a wheelchair and cannot perform the standard Bihu footwork; another is hard of hearing and relies on visual cues. The beginners cannot yet keep a steady pulse.
1. Build a 10-week scheme of work with clear phases and repertoire choices.
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Weeks 1–3: pulse and posture. All students learn a shared clapping cycle and a simple repeated step. Beginners work on tal and gogona; intermediate students start dhol; advanced students work on khol and repertoire.
Weeks 4–6: section rehearsals. Teach two pieces: a group Bihu item and a short Borgeet-based piece. Give differentiated parts: beginners a vocal refrain or tal pattern, intermediate a repeated dhol pattern, advanced the lead and khol.
Weeks 7–8: combine and stage. Work on transitions, entrances, exits and the finale.
Weeks 9–10: run-throughs and assessment. Dress rehearsal, recording review, and a short viva on repertoire and ensemble behaviour.
Repertoire suggestion: a 6-minute group Bihu, a 5-minute Borgeet-based piece, and a 9-minute finale/processional that can include all levels. Do not attempt a full Borgeet with beginners on khol; use the advanced khol player and give beginners a vocal or tal role. Assess on pulse, cue-following, repertoire knowledge and ensemble behaviour, not only stage polish.
2. Solve the instrument shortage and the khol player's dual role.
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Two dhols for 24 students means rotation, not waiting. Set a timetable: dhol groups of three, 15 minutes each, with the third student on a practice pad or table-top tapping. The khol is reserved for the advanced student and one selected intermediate under supervision. The advanced khol player can teach the intermediate basic strokes, but the teacher retains quality control.
Use the pepa and flute for entries and interludes, not continuous doubling. For the Borgeet, the khol player can sing from the khol seat or hand over one piece to a second student after training. Record the khol part on a phone as a practice aid, but do not let the recording replace the player in performance. The dual role is a scheduling problem and a teaching opportunity, not a reason to drop the Borgeet.
3. Plan inclusive staging for the wheelchair user and the hard-of-hearing student while keeping all 24 students on stage for the finale.
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Keep all 24 on stage but change the choreography. Place the wheelchair user at the side of the formation as a seated percussionist with a tal or gogona, and write a short featured section where the group forms around that position rather than dancing past it. For the hard-of-hearing student, use a visual conductor at the front, a floor-tap cue, and a formation where the student can see the dhol player's stick.
In the finale, use a standing and seated mixed formation with simple arm movements so that footwork is not the only participation. Rehearse the entrances and exits with the wheelchair route clear; check the stage ramp and backstage space in advance. This meets the principal's request without pretending that inclusion is just placing everyone in a line.