Watch Ileesha Patnaik Performing at Musical Concert

Ileesha’s musical journey began on her father’s shoulders when she was a few days old.. When all else failed to calm the newborn baby, he would hum his favourite songs and sit in the rocking chair with Ileesha till she fell asleep. Six years hence, those songs are still Ileesha’s favourite. We also started her on a children’s music program when she was a year old. The purpose was to spend time together as a family and the fact that she was probably getting introduced to different sounds and instruments was an added bonus. She has always been a hummer (sometimes to my annoyance, especially when she’s doing homework) and at around 5 years of age, her school teachers confirmed what we’d suspected for sometime.. This girl has an ear for music. She was already pointing out when I would mis-sing the lullabies or identify instruments from their sounds. We started with hindustani vocal training for her and her teacher sensed her interest in the piano around the same time. Strike COVID and a few months passed with no music classes/ training but she would sit and play the piano whenever she felt bored. That’s when we started virtual lessons with Lorraine Music Academy. We’ve never had to force her to practice or to attend for her class. She never wants to leave her music class at Lorraine Music Academy although she has never met any teacher in person, it seems like she knows them very well. We wish for her to sustain her love for all things musical and if she performs at say a Carnegie Hall, well that will be icing on the cake. To hear her sing and play the piano is one of the most calming and joy-giving experiences for us as parents knowing fully well she still has a long way to go.