Name That Tune: Esha and Maya Bhavsar

This week’s Name That Tune is brought to you by siblings Maya and Esha Bhavsar, ages 10 and 13 years old, respectively. The two are often duet partners. But in this week’s Name That Tune, they will be playing independently. Read on for excerpts from our interview and watch their videos to see if you can name these tunes. 

Name: Maya
Age: 10
Profession: 5th grader at Condit Elementary 
Instrument: Piano and Voice
Watch Maya's clip here

Name: Esha
Age: 13
Profession: 8th grader at Lanier Middle School
Instrument: Piano
Watch Esha's clip here

How did you get into playing the piano?
Esha: I started playing piano 7 years ago [when she was around 6], I think.
Maya: We started at a private academy and then we moved into private piano lessons.

Was music a big part of your upbringing?
Maya: Yes! Our dad played violin.
Esha: He played violin, so that’s what introduced us to music. But we ended up playing piano!

What type of music do you enjoy listening to the most?
Maya: I like listening to classical music, but I tend to play pop music.
Esha: For me, it’s the opposite! I like playing classical more, and I like to listen to things on the radio. But I’m also playing some songs right now that are pop-classical crossovers.

I’ve never heard a pop-classical song. Can you describe that genre? 
Esha: Sure! It’s taking classical music, like Chopin, and pop elements, like the alberti bass (a common bass structure for pop songs) and putting them together. So, the right hand will be a classical melody and then the left hand will be a pop bass. So, it’s really just combining those two elements to create something new and fresh.

What are your goals as a musician?
Maya: I don’t really want to be a professional musician, but I definitely want to keep playing.
Esha: Me too! I think it is a valuable skill to have because it helps with development in other subjects. So that’s my main reason for playing music. Also, it’s really fun!

How have you seen it help your development in other areas? 
Esha: I’ve seen it help my hand-eye coordination greatly. Reading music makes you have fast reflexes because you must anticipate what notes are coming next. I am also a dancer, so playing piano and knowing how to read music definitely helps with timing, counting, and rhythm. That’s impacted my dancing a lot, so I’m glad for that.
Maya: Playing piano also helps me with musical theatre and voice. And like Esha said - it helps with choreography and also with being able to read music for productions.

What productions have you been in, Maya?
Maya: I participate in shows at Wildfish Theatre. I was a Bird Girl in Seussical and a narrator in Into the Woods, and I participated in Honk, but it got cancelled because of COVID.

Has quarantine affected your time spent playing piano?
Maya: We have a lot of time on our hands, so we’ve played a whole lot more!
Esha: Yes, definitely! We actually recently got a new piano, so it’s been a lot of fun playing around on it and hearing all its different sounds and capabilities. 

Is it fun to have a sibling that shares your same interest?
Esha: Yeah! It’s fun because Maya and I will sometimes play duets and we love talking about music together.

Watch Esha's reveal video here and Maya's reveal video here.

Editor’s note: Recently, siblings Bella and Kush Kalra participated in Name That Tune as well. See their Q&A and videos here. Play a musical instrument and interested in participating? Email [email protected].