--- url: 'https://kalasudha.com/en-gb/indian-classical-music-certificates' title: 'Indian classical music certificates | KalaSudha' author: name: rajeevk url: 'https://kalasudha.com/en-gb/user/0f961cccc99524ed' date: '2026-10-26T00:23:38+00:00' updated: '2026-10-26T00:25:26+00:00' type: website summary: 'Indian classical music certificates from KalaSudha, level by level, each naming your discipline and skills. Open to learners of any teacher.' image: 'https://kalasudha.com/themes/custom/music_agency/assets/icon/logo.svg' published: true og: site_name: KalaSudha 'image:url': 'https://kalasudha.com/themes/custom/music_agency/assets/icon/logo.svg' 'image:secure_url': 'https://kalasudha.com/themes/custom/music_agency/assets/icon/logo.svg' 'image:type': image/svg+xml 'image:alt': KalaSudha --- For learners of Indian classical music and dance, with KalaSudha or any teacher # Indian classical music certificates, level by level KalaSudha awards its own Indian classical music certificates and diplomas, earned skill by skill on its online courses. Learners of any teacher can ask for an assessment against the same skills. [ Ask about an assessment ](/en-gb/form/learner-enquiry) ## How KalaSudha's levels and awards work KalaSudha awards its own certificate or diploma at each of three taught levels, in every music and dance discipline it teaches. On its [online courses](/courses), Foundation leads to the **Sthayi Certificate**, Intermediate to the **Antara Diploma** and Advanced to the **Sanchari Advanced Diploma**. Above them is the Abhog Fellowship, which KalaSudha awards and no course teaches. KalaSudha names these four awards after the four sections of a full composition in dhrupad, a classical form for voice and instruments, in order: sthayi, antara, sanchari and abhog. Each level has three modules of topics, and every topic credits named skills from a set of 18, grouped in four families such as craft and artistry. Your teacher closes a topic only after reviewing your work. A module ends in its module certificate once all its skills carry credit. Every award names its discipline and the skills you attained, as in a Sthayi Certificate in sitar. An award earned on a KalaSudha course also records your learning hours. It names your teacher and the tradition you studied under, as a record of where you learned. ## The awards and who can earn them ### Module certificates Every level has three modules. When your teacher has credited all the skills a module covers, you receive its module certificate. The three module certificates of a level lead to that level's award. ### Foundation: Sthayi Certificate Foundation is the first taught level, assessed through practical work and spoken questions. Complete its three modules and KalaSudha awards you the Sthayi Certificate in your discipline, such as Kathak. ### Intermediate: Antara Diploma Intermediate keeps the practical work and spoken questions and adds written theory to the assessment. Its three modules lead to the Antara Diploma, which KalaSudha awards in your discipline. ### Advanced: Sanchari Advanced Diploma Advanced is the third taught level. Its assessment adds theory papers and a judged stage performance. Complete its three modules and you receive the Sanchari Advanced Diploma from KalaSudha. ### Abhog Fellowship The Abhog Fellowship is KalaSudha's award above the three taught levels. No course teaches it, and like each of the level awards, it names its discipline. ### Assessment for learners of any teacher If you learned with another teacher, including a private one, you can ask KalaSudha to assess you against the same skill milestones as its course learners. You receive the KalaSudha award whose milestones you meet. Press Ask about an assessment to start. ## How you earn a KalaSudha award 1. You work through each topic of a KalaSudha course. Your teacher reviews your work, then closes the topic and credits its named skills. 2. Once your teacher has credited every skill in a module, you receive its **module certificate**. 3. Each level adds to the assessment. Foundation uses practical work and spoken questions. Intermediate adds written theory, and Advanced adds theory papers and a judged stage performance. 4. When you complete a level, KalaSudha issues its award in your discipline: the Sthayi Certificate, the Antara Diploma or the Sanchari Advanced Diploma. 5. Learned with another teacher? KalaSudha can assess you against the same skill milestones: press **Ask about an assessment**. ## Frequently Asked Questions How do online Indian classical music certificates compare with Gandharva Mahavidyalaya or Prayag Sangeet Samiti exams? KalaSudha's online courses lead to its own awards, separate from the exams of Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal (ABGMV) and Prayag Sangeet Samiti. Both boards set and award their own exams. You earn a KalaSudha certificate or diploma skill by skill, and your teacher closes each topic after reviewing your work. Later levels add written theory and a judged stage performance. KalaSudha's levels also prepare learners to sit the board exams. Can online lessons prepare me for Gandharva Mahavidyalaya or Prayag Sangeet Samiti exams? Yes, KalaSudha's online courses prepare learners to sit the exams of Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal (ABGMV) and Prayag Sangeet Samiti. The two boards set and award those exams themselves. KalaSudha's levels run the same way in every discipline it teaches. Each level also ends in KalaSudha's own award, such as an Antara Diploma in [sitar](/instrumental/hindustani-classical/sitar). Are there graded exams for tabla or sitar outside India? Yes, Prayag Sangeet Samiti runs graded exams in sitar and tabla, and holds exams outside India as well as in it. Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal (ABGMV) examines [tabla](/instrumental/hindustani-classical/tabla) and other instruments, and it too holds exams abroad. Both boards set and award their own exams. KalaSudha's levels prepare learners to sit them. A learner of any teacher, in any country, can also ask KalaSudha for an assessment against its skill milestones. Can Indian classical music grades count towards school qualifications? Whether Indian classical music grades count towards a school qualification depends on the exam body and on the qualification system the school follows. KalaSudha's certificates and diplomas are its own awards, with no exam-board, accreditation or school-qualification status. KalaSudha's levels prepare learners to sit the exams of boards such as Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal (ABGMV) and Prayag Sangeet Samiti. Can I get my Indian classical music skills assessed if I learned from a private teacher? Yes, KalaSudha assesses learners of any teacher, private teachers included, against the same skill milestones its course learners work towards. You receive the KalaSudha award whose milestones you meet, such as a Sthayi Certificate in sitar. KalaSudha issues the award itself, and it names your discipline and the skills you attained. To start, press Ask about an assessment. Can I earn a certificate in Kathak or another Indian classical dance online? Yes, KalaSudha's online courses lead to its own certificates and diplomas in [Kathak](/dance/kathak) and in any other classical dance it teaches. Dance runs through the same levels and module certificates as music, and each award names its discipline, as in a Sthayi Certificate in Kathak. In the UK, the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD) sets and awards graded Kathak exams. KalaSudha's levels prepare learners to sit them. How are students of online Indian classical music courses assessed? On KalaSudha's online Indian classical music courses, teachers assess students topic by topic. Each topic credits named skills, and the teacher closes it only after reviewing the student's work. Foundation assessment uses practical work and spoken questions. Intermediate adds written theory, and Advanced adds theory papers and a judged stage performance. A module certificate follows each module, and KalaSudha issues an award at the end of each level. What does a KalaSudha certificate show? A KalaSudha certificate shows the discipline and the skills the learner attained. A certificate earned on a KalaSudha course also records the learning hours. It names the teacher and tradition the learner studied under, as a record of where they learned. KalaSudha issues every award itself. The taught levels lead to the Sthayi Certificate at Foundation, the Antara Diploma at Intermediate and the Sanchari Advanced Diploma at Advanced. ## Find out which KalaSudha award you can earn Press Ask about an assessment to have KalaSudha measure your skills against its milestones, whether you learn on its courses or with another teacher. [ Ask about an assessment ](/en-gb/form/learner-enquiry?source_entity_type=node&source_entity_id=1170)