Fingersmith's Garage | Music Classes, Dodda Banaswadi, Bangalore

What we teach

Pick an instrument, we'll do the rest

5 acoustic pianos — including a B. Steiner upright grand in our exam room, tuned by Furtados 3× a year. Classical technique and sight reading from beginner through Grade 8. ABRSM, Trinity and LCM syllabus.

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🎸

Guitar

Classical, acoustic and electric. ABRSM, Trinity, and Trinity Rock & Pop syllabus. Chords, fingerpicking, music theory. Bring your own guitar.

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🎻

Violin

Posture, bowing and tone from day one. ABRSM grade pathway. Bring your own violin.

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🥁

Drumkit

Rhythm, coordination, groove. Drumkit provided at class. Bring your own sticks. All ages welcome from 5 upward.

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Unlock more — when you reach Grade 5

These instruments are available exclusively to students who have completed Grade 5 in a primary subject (Piano, Guitar, Violin or Drumkit). Enquire via WhatsApp — not available for direct new-student sign-up.

🎻Viola

🔓 Unlocks after Grade 5 Piano or Violin

The violin's deeper-voiced sibling. Ideal for ensemble and orchestral playing.

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🎹Organ

🔓 Unlocks after Grade 5 Piano

Viscount 3-manual organ with full 32-key pedalboard. A rare opportunity in Bangalore.

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🎶Xylophone

🔓 Unlocks after Grade 5 primary

Majestic 3.5-octave concert xylophone. Melodic percussion at a professional level.

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🎸Bass Guitar

🔓 Unlocks after Grade 5 Guitar

The foundation of every band. Trinity Rock & Pop grade pathway. Bass provided at class.

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🔔Glockenspiel

Coming end of 2026

Being added to the instrument lineup by December 2026. Watch this space.

How it works

No trial classes. Just start — stay as long as you love it.

1

Sign up via the app

Takes under 2 minutes. Pick your instrument, give us your details. Done.

2

We contact you

Our team confirms your slot and fees. No surprises, no hidden costs.

3

Book your classes

2 classes/week, 8/month. Book each session from the app — no WhatsApp chaos.

4

Progress. Perform.

Grade exams, recitals at city venues, choral festivals. Monthly renewal, no lock-in.

Sign up now → 💬 Ask on WhatsApp

Why Fingersmith's Garage

Everything a music school should be

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Authorised ABRSM Practical Exam Centre

Students sit their ABRSM practicals in the same rooms they practise in. No unfamiliar venue on exam day. 377+ passes across all instruments.

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Our own published piano curriculum

Piano students learn from a textbook written and published by the teacher himself — Beginner's Introduction to Piano and Keyboard by Santosh Baynes, available on Amazon. Not a borrowed syllabus; a purpose-built curriculum used from day one.

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Basel Mission Choral winners since 2020

Our choir performs at festivals across India with guest conductors, commissioned original music, and student-composed premieres. Real stages, real competition.

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A booking app no competitor has

Classes booked via our own student app. You pick your slot, the app handles the rest. No last-minute WhatsApp scheduling.

Our instruments

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5 Acoustic Pianos

Including B. Steiner upright grand in exam room — tuned by Furtados 3× a year

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Viscount 3-Manual Organ

Full 32-key pedalboard — rare facility in Bangalore

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Majestic Concert Xylophone

3.5-octave professional instrument

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Violas — 14″ and 15″

Available for students to learn on and perform in exams and concerts. No instrument purchase needed.

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Practice Guitars

1 classical guitar, 2 acoustic guitars, and 1 three-quarter size classical guitar for younger students.

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Concert Guitar

Yamaha classical guitar with jack output — used for exams and concerts.

★★★★★

"My 8-year-old has been learning piano for 3.5 years. A big fan of Santhosh's motto 'First master the fundamentals, nothing is complex after that'. Perfect teaching style. Fully satisfied with my son's progress."

K

Kishan Alamuri

Parent · Piano

★★★★★

"I enrolled for Keyboard classes and wasn't disappointed. Santosh's depth of understanding and patience opens a whole new world. I've now also enrolled my son to learn guitar."

G

George Mathew

Parent & self · Keyboard & Guitar

★★★★★

"My son thoroughly enjoys piano at FS Garage. Santhosh knows how to handle kids and keep up their enthusiasm."

A

Arya Rao

Parent · Piano

Read all reviews →

Exams & results

377+ grade passes — and counting.

We are an authorised ABRSM practical exam centre in Dodda Banaswadi. Students sit ABRSM practicals on-site — in the rooms they practise in every week.

About other exam boards: We prepare students for Trinity, Trinity Rock & Pop, and LCM examinations, and students can record their exam performances here for digital submission to those boards. We are not an authorised exam centre for Trinity or LCM — those exams are submitted digitally, not hosted on-site.

ABRSM — Exam Centre Trinity Trinity Rock & Pop LCM

See all exam results →

377+

Total grade exam passes across all instruments and boards

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Distinctions and Merits every session

G1–8

Full grade range taught

6+

Instruments with exam pathway

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ABRSM practicals in-house — same room, no exam-day nerves

Beyond the classroom

Recitals. Festivals. Real stages.

Learning music is one thing. Performing in front of a live audience is something else entirely. Our students do both — at heritage venues, city performing arts centres, and national choir festivals.

Our July 2026 Recital is at Samarthanam, Bangalore on July 25, featuring guest artists Sangeetha Santhosam and the Chikka Strings Band led by Grace Biswas.

Annual Recital 2026 — Samarthanam, Bangalore

July 25, 2026 · Guest: Sangeetha Santhosam · Chikka Strings Band (Grace Biswas)

FSG choir performing with South Asian Symphony Orchestra — Beethoven's 9th, PCPA Bangalore

South Asian Symphony Orchestra — Beethoven's 9th Symphony

Prestige Centre for Performing Arts, Bangalore · With performers from Europe & South Asia

Fingersmith Collective Christmas concert at Banaswadi Bible Church 2025

Christmas Concert, St. John's Church — conducted by Samuel Samson

St. John's Church Choir conductor · Bangalore · December 2025

Christmas concert with guest conductor Jonas Olsson — Bangalore Men and Capella Bangalore 2024

Christmas Concert — Guest Conductor Jonas Olsson

Conductor, Bangalore Men & Capella Bangalore choirs · 2024

Grace Michelle performing cello at Panchavathi heritage venue, Bangalore — FSG Recital 2025

Recitals at Panchavathi & The Sabha, Bangalore

Panchavathi — heritage home of Nobel Laureate Prof C.V. Raman · The Sabha — performing arts space · 2025

Benson Chacko performing at Madras Musical Association recital with FSG students 2024

Madras Musical Association Recital & YMCA Easter Concert

Chennai · 2024 · Guest artists: Benson Chacko, Shubhangi Das

Stop-Gaps Choir Festival

Mumbai · 2022

Basel Mission Choral Festival — Winners

Bangalore · Every year since 2020

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Recital Venues

Samarthanam · Panchavathi (home of Nobel Laureate Prof C.V. Raman) · The Sabha · Prestige Centre for Performing Arts. Not a school hall — a real stage.

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Commissioned & Original Music

James Welburn (Deputy Head, ABRSM) has arranged pieces for our concerts. Sarah Jenkins (Royal Philharmonic Society, UK) has composed original choral music for us. Last year saw our first student-composed premiere.

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Guest Artists & Conductors

Sangeetha Santhosam · Benson Chacko · Shubhangi Das · Grace Biswas & Chikka Strings Band · Jonas Olsson (Bangalore Men, Capella Bangalore) · Samuel Samson (St. John's Church Choir)

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Collaborators

Furtados Music · Bangalore International Centre · ABRSM India · St. John's Church · Banaswadi Bible Church · South Asian Symphony Orchestra · Royal Philharmonic Society, UK

Fingersmith Collective performing at St. Mark's Cathedral, Bangalore — full audience standing ovation — Fingersmith Collective at St. Mark's Cathedral, Bangalore

FSG choir rehearsing inside St. John's Church Bangalore — Christmas concert preparation — Christmas concert rehearsal — St. John's Church, Bangalore

Guest workshop with Isabella — FSG students with visiting instructor at Dodda Banaswadi studio — Private workshop with Isabella for the Fingersmith Collective

FSG student Kishan performing piano at Conrad Hotel Bangalore — Christmas performance 2023 — Kishan — Conrad Hotel, Bangalore · Christmas 2023

Artists who've visited FSG

In our studio — guest artists & ensembles

International musicians and ensembles have performed, workshopped and rehearsed with our students at FSG — exclusive to enrolled students.

TBM guests performing at Fingersmith's Garage, Bangalore

The Bangalore Men

The Bangalore Men, conducted by Jonas Olsson, have recorded concert pieces at FSG — a full professional recording session with live mics, playback and production, right here in our studio.

Advent Brass

Advent Brass have performed with us on several projects — bringing trombone, trumpet and flugelhorn into the same space as our students.

Guest cellist Anup Thomas performing with The Fingersmith Collective at BBC Christmas 2021

Anup Thomas — Cello

Guest cellist Anup Thomas from Chennai performed with The Fingersmith Collective at our BBC Christmas Concert in 2021 — one of several collaborations with professional cellists across our performance history.

Guest artist Giselle Voights with strings ensemble at Fingersmith's Garage studio 2019

Giselle Voights & Strings Ensemble — 2019

Giselle Voights brought her strings ensemble to FSG in 2019 — one of the early examples of professional artists using our studio space for rehearsal and performance.

Guest artist Benson Chacko performing at FSG Annual Recital 2024 — Bangalore International Centre

Benson Chacko — Annual Recital 2024

Benson Chacko performed as guest artist at our 2024 Annual Recital at Bangalore International Centre — performing alongside our students on the Furtados grand piano.

Guest artist Shubhangi Das performing at FSG Open Air Recital June 2025 — Panchavati, Bangalore

Shubhangi Das — Open Air Recital 2025

Shubhangi Das performed at our June 2025 Open Air Recital at Panchavati, Bangalore — one of the city's most beautiful performance spaces, the heritage home of Nobel Laureate Prof C.V. Raman.

Guest cellists Grace Biswas and Michelle Simons performing cello duet at FSG Open Air Recital 2025 — Panchavati

Grace Biswas & Michelle Simons — Open Air Recital 2025

Cellists Grace Biswas and Michelle Simons performed as guest artists at our June 2025 Open Air Recital at Panchavati — a cello duet on an open-air stage surrounded by Bangalore's most storied heritage garden.

FAQ

Questions parents actually ask

If something's not here, WhatsApp us — we reply quickly.

Ask on WhatsApp →

What age can my child start?

We take students from age 5 (and in some cases from 4.5 — speak to us). The younger the better: children absorb music the way they absorb language, so starting early makes a real difference.

How many classes per month and how are they scheduled?

8 classes per monthly cycle — 2 per week. Students book each class via our app to fit around school, coaching and other activities. Classes run all year round — there is no separate "summer batch" or academic-year intake. The school closes for the last 3 weeks of December for the year-end holiday, and resumes in January. You can start at any other time of year.

Is there a long contract?

No. Monthly renewal basis — stay as long as you want. No advance lock-ins, no cancellation penalties.

Does my child need an instrument at home?

Guitarists and violinists need to bring their own instrument to class. Pianos, xylophone, organ, violas, and a solo classical guitar are provided by us — no purchase needed for these instruments.

We have a limited number of instruments available, so please always book your class in advance via the app so you know an instrument is reserved for your session.

Are there online classes?

Yes — for music theory and aural training. These are combined Zoom group sessions where students from different schedules and instruments join together. This makes theory class lively and interactive. Practical instrument lessons (piano, guitar, violin, drums) are in-person only.

Are you an exam centre for ABRSM, Trinity and LCM?

We are an authorised ABRSM practical exam centre — students sit their ABRSM exams here. For Trinity, Trinity Rock & Pop, and LCM: we teach and prepare students for these boards, and students can record their exam performances in our rooms for digital submission. We do not host those exams on-site.

What books and materials are provided?

400+ books in-house covering scales, technique, sight reading, theory, solos, duets and ensembles — available to all students during classes at no extra cost. For grade exams, we'll tell you which specific books to purchase for your curriculum year.

Can my child practise extra hours at the school?

Yes — practice rooms can be booked separately for students who don't have instruments at home. Rooms are limited so advance booking is needed. Talk to us and we'll find something that works.