Someone San Diego Should Know: Shyla Lobo

Shyla Lobo and her husband, Denis, together with their two kids immigrated to the U.S. from India in 1973. They arrived with 4 suitcases, $400 and a dream. Shyla was a songwriter and had a dream of writing American hit songs.

Nevertheless, she achieved one thing way more rewarding.

Born in 1936 and raised in Pune, India, Shyla was interested in music at an early age. “I didn’t have formal music schooling apart from just a few piano classes,” she stated. “Mainly, I realized by means of my ear.”

She wrote her first music as an adolescent.

Then, she didn’t write for a few years. As an alternative, she raised a household and taught kindergarten out of her residence.

Within the late Nineteen Sixties, impressed by rock teams such because the Beatles, Shyla started writing songs once more. By the early 1970’s, she had written 14 songs and have become critical about songwriting.

After immigrating to the U.S., the household got here to Redlands and later moved to San Diego. Denis had been a doctor in India and had a fellowship lined up within the U.S. earlier than they left.

Shyla adopted her dream to Hollywood.

“Everybody I handled [in the recording industry] inspired me, but it surely was tough,” Shyla recalled.

Though she did have a ravishing music she co-wrote (“Afterglow”) recorded by an expert artist, Lobo (no relation) (AFTERGLOW – LOBO – YouTube), Shyla determined the recording trade’s peculiarities weren’t for her.

She returned to schooling within the late Eighties, educating first grade at a non-public faculty.

After a yr educating, she developed an thought to mix her songwriting and educating expertise. It was a way utilized by Sesame Avenue and others to show younger kids.

Shyla partnered together with her son, Vinod, who held levels in laptop engineering. “Mother had the concept that songs might train folks to learn,” he stated. “We wished to mix mother’s songwriting and educating expertise with my laptop engineering to create interactive instructional applications.”

Placing these items collectively, they created their first lesson program on a CD-ROM within the early Nineties known as “Sound It Out Land” geared toward ages 3 to six. This system was common and obtainable in retail shops nationwide.

Inspired by their early success, Shyla and Vinod took the following step — utilizing music, interactive video video games and animation to show youngsters and adults.

Towards that finish, they fashioned Studying Improve in 1998.

At present, San Diego-based Studying Improve offers on-line programs that may be accessed by means of computer systems, sensible telephones and different gadgets anyplace the web is obtainable. It’s notably useful for these searching for literacy and catch-up schooling, job preparation, English learners and people with particular wants.

There are presently 27 programs and greater than 1,000 classes, all of which use music, interactive video video games and animation.

Vinod says their applications are distinctive as a result of they’re geared toward youngsters and adults relatively than very younger kids.

Shyla has written about 600 songs for Studying Improve. The music, carried out largely by San Diego musicians, ranges from rock and Latin to nation and rap. “I attempt to attraction to all kinds of individuals,” Shyla stated.

Studying Improve has reached 3 million college students within the U.S. and overseas, about 60 p.c being adults. The applications are utilized in extra than1,000 colleges and 30 public libraries. Domestically, the applications can be found in lots of San Diego Unified colleges, Lakeside Center Faculty, Sweetwater Union Excessive Faculty, Sweetwater grownup schooling and the San Diego Metropolis Library.

The objective, Vinod says, is to finally attain 100 million folks worldwide.

The applications have gained a nationwide Grownup Literary Award and a $2.5 million grant from the Barbara Bush Basis.

Shyla Lobo got here to the U.S. searching for a dream to file music. She achieved that, however not in a approach she anticipated.

“I don’t assume the Lord wished me to achieve Hollywood,” Shyla stated. “That will have introduced me 5 minutes of fame.”

“As an alternative, He wished me to make use of my music expertise to show.

“That is way more rewarding.”

About this collection

Jan Goldsmith is an emeritus member of the U-T’s Group Advisory Board. He’s an lawyer and former regulation associate, choose, state legislator, San Diego metropolis lawyer and Poway mayor.

Somebody San Diego Ought to Know is a column written by members of the U-T’s Group Advisory Board about native people who find themselves attention-grabbing and noteworthy due to their experiences, achievements, creativity or credentials.