IT ALL STARTED IN THE CHURCH: A LOOK-BACK AT MY MUSIC CAREER

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Introduction, Growing Up, Early Beliefs

In this short article, I would tell about my music career story as it resonates that of many Nigerian youths out there who are trying to make a living, or a name, playing music.

Growing up as a kid was fun, even though I wasn't the most social kid with the most number of friends in the yard. As a kid I was made to understand that school was the most paramount thing in life, you could play around with many other things in life but not your education. And maybe this explains why most of my activities were centered around school while growing up. I had to pass the tests, I had to make it to the debate team and so forth. I was also taught that after school, the next important thing in life was religion and this can explain why most of my out-of-school activities was in the church.

Exposure To The Arts

I got fascinated by arts and music at a very young age, I remember how much I loved to watch Lagbaja sing and play his tenor saxophone and also how I loved the Nollywood actors, always wishing I could be given a chance to be one of them, for just a day.

I wasn't the kid who was very good at expressing himself or voicing out his needs, I was the quiet kid who dwelled in a fantasy world not because he so much loved it there but because he could not come out from there. Early in my primary school, I fell in love with the piano but we had no piano or electronic keyboard in my primary school. The only musical instrument we had was six pieces skin drums that we would normally fight over who is going to play at march exercises. Also were some percussions like the slit wooden drums and xylophone but it was kept only for very special occasions.

Early Challenges and Some Hope

We had no music teacher: Music wasn't as important as Maths, French or English language. Even at a very young age, I could tell that a lot of my friends loved music and would have loved to take a lesson in one or two musical instruments. In church we had drumsets, electric bass and lead guitar, saxophone, piano and trumpet and this was one of the reasons I was always looking forward to Sunday services as I would get a chance to sit and watch different players play their musical instruments.

I finally had the courage to tell my dad that I wanted to learn to play the keyboard, he was excited and he spoke to the choir director on my behalf. I was invited by the choir director but I went back dissatisfied after meeting with him as he wanted me to learn to play the drumsets instead and not the keyboard. I endured this frustration till I finished my primary education. I got into secondary school with high hopes. I wasn't totally disappointed as my secondary school was a missionary school and we had access to various kinds of musical instruments.

At there, even though we did not have a formal Music teacher, we had a lot of good players who were also very ready to teach whoever wanted to learn. I grabbed this opportunity with my two hands as I immediately started lessons on the keyboard. It was the happiest time in my life. But that excitement came to an end abruptly we started having power issues in the school’s chapel. The generator got spoilt and we rarely had power again except during church services in the chapel. Buying batteries for the keyboard was too costly for me and that is how my keyboard lessons ended after about just two months.

But it wasn't all for nothing, I learnt a lot within this two months. I learnt the names of the white and black keys, I learnt major and minor scale formulas and chord structure and also a little about functional harmony.

After three years in this missionary school, it was time for a change of school. There were no musical instruments in my new school, we clapped our hands instead, it was a public school and even the Science students had no laboratories. The big break came after completing my secondary education and was awaiting admission into the university. My church finally decided to employ a musician who would teach wannabe players how to play musical instruments. I went for the alto saxophone and guitar. It was a dream come true not for me alone but also for all of my friends.

This is usually the story of most young Nigerian musicians. The church not only provides music education opportunities but also platforms to exhibit what you've learnt. This holds too for now established and renowned musicians. That is why you will often hear them say, it all started in the church.