A Foreigner Finds Music In Bangladesh | John Thorpe

Listen to an American music teacher living in Bangladesh as he narrates the story of how he fell in love with the soul and heart of a land so far away from his home that he stayed and built a life for himself there. Learning the language and exploring the rich cultural backdrop affected him so that he sends word to his friends back home to repaint the pictures of a impoverished third world country with pretty colors and soulful patina.

Recorded on the 19th April of 2019 at TEDxRUET: Changing Current.

John Thorpe completed his B.S. in music education from the University of Maine. Arriving in Bangladesh in 1980, he studied Bengali language and culture. He has performed both Western classical piano and songs of Tagore at the Goethe Institute and Chayanath in Dhaka, in Rajshahi University and Shilpakola Academy and at the Rossini Club in his home area of Portland Maine. He has taught 15 years in American pubic and private schools. In Bangladesh, he teaches piano, violin, guitar at the Varendra Musical Arts Center, a school that he founded in 2012. John Thorpe, an American music teacher living in Bangladesh,
completed his B.S. in music education from the University of
Maine. Arriving here in 1980, he studied Bengali language and
culture. He has performed both Western classical piano and
songs of Tagore at the Goethe Institute and Chayanath in Dhaka,
in Rajshahi University and Shilpakola Academy and at the
Rossini Club in his home area of Portland Maine. He has taught
15 years in American pubic and private schools. In Bangladesh,
he teaches piano, violin, guitar at the Varendra Musical Arts
Center, a school that he founded in 2012. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx