Nagaland Chamber Choir gears up for Harmonic Surge 2

Short interviews conducted by the organisers with the four performers were issued to the press on Thursday. We are reproducing the interviews here: Asin Shürhozelie Do you agree that Nagas are musically inclined and that singing is a flair? Nagas are gifted in many ways and Music is not an exception. More so because we have a huge influence of using folk tunes as a means of communication even in the olden times when our forefathers would have tunes for different seasons of cultivation and harvest, folk tunes when a groom approaches his bride etc . However to be recognised at a certain level , music like any other field has to be harnessed and groomed with hard work and dedication. What are the gray areas that we need to work on and improve our performance? Performance is the medium of interpreting our story through music . I think we can really improve when we have a deeper knowledge and understanding of why and what we are singing about . It starts with all the minute details right from the way we present ourselves, how we are able to translate the message and the lasting impact we create through it . What impact will this workshop (your sessions) have on performers and musicians? There are many unrecognized and unique areas of performance that we are not even aware of. Through the sessions, I want to enable individuals to identify these areas and express themselves . I believe this will not only strengthen their performance but be able to relate better to their audience. LOUISE SHISHAK What will be the focus of your workshop sessions? We shall begin with what makes a strong technical base, the essential skills for violinists to flourish. Then we shall explore group playing skills and the use of improvisation and harmony in a range of musical styles. Though the focus will be in playing worship music, both contemporary and traditional, we will also explore some classical music. Why should students already learning violin attend your sessions? We all know musicians need perseverance and commitment to personal practice. But playing with others is a wonderful way to develop musicianship and a whole range of skills. We can share expertise, develop confidence, be part of a different sound, and have fun! I hope it will be an inspiration to explore the beauty of the violin creating music at all levels. What do you think are the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges for string players in Nagaland? Undoubtedly the love for music here is a fantastic encouragement to any musician. There is a growing availability of instruments and awareness of different musical styles. So many people recognize musicianship as a skill to be valued, music schools are flourishing. However for many of our string players who start playing late into their teens, to practice using the amount of repetition needed to establish a strong technique is a big challenge! There is more access to good teaching materials and music, butstill limited availability of Western Classical Music. Perhaps the biggest challenge is for us to create more opportunities for ensemble playing. Solo violins are indeed beautiful, but to play alongside others is also a great experience and opens up another world of music. Another big challenge here is the availability of instruments. Purchasing violins, violas and cellos, and even bows and good quality strings, is a major hurdle I hope will change in the near future. Opportunities however abound for students and teachers willing to put time into developing their musicianship and technical skills as the demand for music and tuition continues to grow. Nagaland, now with 3 colleges offering music at degree level, is surely the place to be, both for developing Rock and Classical music skills. The Nagaland players of the string family, versatile and used expressively in so many musical genres, hopefully will continue to grow. If we can have more viola players and cellists, and more skilled teachers from the current students, surely we will be seeing string ensembles and music groups flourish, bringing joy and beauty into lives. MHATHUNG ODYUO Wind instruments are relatively new in the music scene in Nagaland. Why do you think Nagas still have not capitalised in this area? I should not say it is new, but it is rare. We have only few people who play wind instruments. According to my observation, we haven’t invested much of our time and money into these instruments, perhaps, due to the lack of trained musicians to teach. Within this one year after I came to Nagaland, I have found that there are many people who want to try and learn these instruments. There are 4 to 5 of my students who have given their time and are really doing well. What are various wind instruments that can be introduced to add variety to the existing popular musical instruments in Nagaland? There are lots of Wind instruments which can be introduced. Initially, we can start out with the common ones ~ Flute, Bamboo Flute, Recorder, Saxophone and Clarinet. Who should attend your sessions and what is the projected outcome that you expect after the workshops? Anyone interested in learning new instruments can join the workshop sessions.But preferably one who has some basic knowledge about standard music staff notation inorder to catch up with the lessons and learn fast. Through this workshop, I hope there will be many willing to take up Wind instruments seriously. And I am positive that within 3-4 years we will have Wind instrument players easily available for an enriching music experience. Noel de la Rosa: What are your convictions that made you agree to be a resource person in the 2nd edition of Harmonic Surge? Since I arrived in Nagaland last November 2013, I was rendered speechless and astounded by the natural giftedness of the Nagas. That led me to realised that I was sent here by our great God with one purpose and one purpose only - music education. I imposed upon myself that every opportunity or chance I get, I will make it my mission to share my knowledge and experiences in music to whoever knocks at my door. Harmonic Surge is one venue or opportunity where I can reach out to more music enthusiasts and share them the wonderful world of music.A venue where I am able to encourage and empower others to take on music making into the next level so we are able to share excellent music making to the whole world. So we can share the richness of the Naga culture to rest of the world. We should boast about it to the four corners of the planet. Considering your wide range of experience and exposure to performance and music in general, what in your opinion are the essential qualities that Naga musicians need to imbibe? Despite great giftedness in music, only few Nagas really excel in it. Now I have met a lot of great talents from child prodigies to multi talented singers, most of them did not make it to the scions and icons of the musical world because they lack some very important aspect of this profession: generosity, discipline and hard work. The most generous, disciplined and hardworking are ones who made it. I don’t mean to insult anyone but the ones we admire so much amongst the Naga artists are the most generous, disciplined and hardworking. They know what it means to put their lives and whims at the back seat and priorities their art. No matter how difficult or sordid that maybe. If one wishes to become great at one thing, one has to be willing to sacrifice anything... or anyone for that matter. What are the aspects/ areas that you will be focussing in the workshops? Focus will be on technique, concept of sound and musical understanding. A lot of us in the musical profession get stuck with making music to the perfection without really knowing that it involves a lot of technique, how understanding of great sound is achieved and why we need to understand the music first before we even talk about perfection, which is to be honest will never be achieved. I always tell my students: we may never achieve perfection but on the way towards achieving perfection you will happen upon excellence.