My name is Joya Shrivastava. I started learning Hindustani Classical (vocal) at the age of seven from very esteemed Gurus from the Gwalior gharana (school of music). They were the late Jai Ram Singh ji (disciple of the famous Rajabhaiya Poonchhwaalay ji), Shri Jugal Kishore Singh ji, Shri Murlidhar Bannerjee ji and Shri Vikas Bannerjee ji. I have a "Sangeet Prabhakar" (1980) in Hindustani light (vocal) music (bhajans, geets etc.) and a "Sangeet Vishaarad" (1989) in Hindustani Classical (vocal)music from Prayag Sangeet Samiti, Allahabad University, India. I also have a B.Sc . in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics (1990) from Ranchi University, India, and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering (1996) from George Mason University, U.S.A.

I have taken part in various talent competitions while in school and college and won numerous prizes for these performances. In the USA, I have performed on local TV shows (Namaste Asia and Darshan) and represented Rajdhani Mandir at the ICCC organised Indian Independence day celebrations, Diwali fund raisers telecast live on WNVC, Diwali melas organised by the Hindu temples of Virginia and Maryland, accompanied Purushottam Das Jalota, and more recently performed with my younger students at the opening ceremony for the Ram Katha by Sant Morari Bapu.

I have been teaching vocal music to children and adults for over 10 years at my home and started teaching the same at India International School in 2002 and at Academy of Indian Culture and Arts in February 2007. I love music and I love teaching and want to start teaching one 35 - 40 minute class at Rajdhani Mandir on Sunday evenings. I want to do this because my family has been associated with Rajdhani Mandir since its inception and I also want to be associated with the organization in this small way and give something of what God has graciously blessed me with - a love of music and a love of teaching.

I would be charging a registration fee to the students which would all be donated to the Mandir. I would be preparing my students to perform for at least one stage show per year.