Blowing a cornet in Labasa town

from w
A nice story from Labasa in today's Fiji Times paper and hooray for the Salvation Army who pick up people without worrying about status and background story.

Playing for his dream
By Theresa Ralogaivau
Monday, March 16, 2009

As Ananaisa Watisoni Qereqeretabua marched through Labasa Town blowing into a cornet, he could almost see himself taking a step closer to his dream job which is becoming a music teacher. It's a career that's a far cry from pushing wheel barrows in and around the market area.

He makes good money from it but the 16 year old has his eyes set on teaching the finer art of music.

Ananaisa a member of the Salvation Army Marching Band is in fact a high school dropout. In 2008 he was a Form 4 student at Queen Victoria School but an unlucky turn of events early into the first term of school saw him dropping out. "I was sick for a long time and was admitted at the CWM hospital," he said.

"My uncle from Vanua Levu took me with him feeling that a change of environment and weather would do me good."

"And I did get better but somehow I just never got back to school," he said.

Instead he took to operating a wheel barrow carting service at the Labasa market making as much as $35 a day.

"It was a beginning for me because now that I was out of school my other option was to work hard and try and make a living and help out at home," he said.

One day a pastor came along and invited him on a musical journey that would change his ambitions and probably his life.

"He said he was from the Salvation Army and that they were providing musical training for free," he said.

"But I didn't know anything about music except that which I heard on the radio."

"I didn't know how to play any musical instruments at all but I was interested in learning about it so I happily signed up for training," he said.

The training held over the two weeks early this month taught the 31 children most of whom are high school to read music and to play various instruments.

Ananaisa according to the office in charge of musical training Pastor Veu Jare at the church took naturally to the cornet. "It's a difficult instrument to play but he learnt fast in just 2 weeks," Mr Jare said. "He is now an instrumental player in the Salvation Army Brass Band," he said.

Ananaisa now has a Certificate in Music theory but he doesn't want to leave it at that and wants to continue on learning until he becomes a music teacher.

Like many high school dropouts that belong to the band music is more than just a form of entertainment for Ananaisa. It's a lifeline out of an impoverished life many of these kids are certain to experience having not completed their education. "Now that I have a certificate I'll continue learning until I get my Diploma in Music and than I'll work even harder so that I can teach music," he said. "Sometimes I do think about going back to school but have decided to stick with this because it's something that I am good at," he said.

On days when he isn't fine tuning his skills with other kids at church Ananaisa can be seen pushing a wheelbarrow at the Labasa market, making a dash for buses from far flung locations loaded with crops and competing for runs with other wheelbarrow boys. "I will continue to do this so that I don't get roped in to criminal activities that could happen to me if I am idle," he said. "It's brining in honest money for me and my family and I know that this is not something that I will do forever because I also got my music to focus on."

"Just a little while longer."

Music studio in Labasa

from w
Way to go - a recording studio for Labasa. There are some good Fijian singing groups in Labasa as well as soloists who sing qawali. Several years ago I studied the music of Labasa and taped hundreds of different songs - not for commercial use though as it was for a research project.

A version of this story was in the Fiji Times in May, even the same picture. Well, we all sometimes repeat ourselves!
from today's Fiji Times.

Music is the way to go
SERAFINA SILAITOGA
Friday, July 04, 2008

THE only recording studio in Labasa Town has become a favourite spot for local singers who had previously struggled to expose their singing talents because of financial constraints. Viliame Rabuka's recording studio, which opened early this year has bloomed and recorded about 10 albums of singers in the Northern Division.

Mr Rabuka who is from Namoli Village in Batinikama outside Labasa Town opened the studio after seeing what he felt was a "great need in the area" when he came for a holiday.

"For me it was about helping the people back home who have great talents in singing and playing music and this was something I saw during my visit back home so with the little money I had, I started the new studio," he said. "But it saddened me to learn that most of these talents were not exposed because there was no recording studio in Labasa or any town in the north," Mr Rabuka said. "Groups of singers or musicians could not afford to travel to Suva to record their new albums because it cost them big money and most of them are farmers and not working which made it difficult." Mr Rabuka said after seeing what the people in the north faced especially people from his village, he felt for them and decided to help expose their talents.

"I have experience in this field and after seeing the demand for such business in Labasa, I decided to stay on and I have seen an increase in bookings from music groups on a daily basis," he said.

Mr Rabuka said the first group to record an album with him was a group from his village, known as Suka Vulavula ni Lomai Labasa. Mr Rabuka plans to expand his studio business and plans to offer more opportunities for demanding customers in the division.