THE AUDITION
I can’t boast of being a performing artist, a composer and a
choir trainer but am glad that I am what I am. The journey was not a smooth
one, but the grace of God, passion and dedication has brought me this far. This
is how it all started….
I vividly recall this day, the Audition day. Some thirteen
years ago, the cold Njoro town was cold as usual. That day went down the memory
lane as one not worth forgetting. A young man I was, in form 1x. Hopeful and
ambitious about the future that lay before me. With glaring eyes I looked
forward to a bright future of fulfillment and satisfaction. Fifteen years of
age, in a new environment, the first boarding school I attended.
It is here that I realized that I had a talent in Music.
Wanting to explore more about Njoro School, I took heed of the advice of the
deputy head teacher who during orientation asked us to join clubs and work on
our talents.
The first day I went to the school choir practice session, I
was warmly welcome alongside fellow form ones. Not knowing that this was a
grudge in the making. The Choir Patron The late Barongo (May his soul rest in
eternal peace) was there and welcomed us in the choir. The first few days were
full of laughter and fun in what I now called my talent.
We were trained on a number of songs for two weeks. It was
after the two weeks that I heard that we were supposed to represent the school
in the Music festival that was set to start from the district level, then
provincial then National.
Just a day to the District festival, we attended a long
practice session that started at 7.00 pm. All went on smoothly till about
11.00pm. it was at this time that the Patron Mr. Barongo said that the number
we had was far much bigger than the required number. Mr. Barongo then said, “We
must have ‘mchucho’ (mchujo) his accent for the word to mean auditioning was humorous.
Well, I thought I was brave enough but actually when the
name auditioning was mentioned my heart beat rose and the pulse rate grew
faster. I didn’t think I would make it to the finest of the fine and fit in the
school choir. Looking at my counterparts who were in form four and form three,
I became afraid.
In that whole episode of confusion of the mind, the process
started. I was singing tenor one. – The male voice with highest pitch. The trainer
Mr. Rutto grouped us in two’s whereby we would sing together then he makes the
selection.
Others went through the test; some were placed on one side and
others to the other. Finally, it was my turn to do the test. We were given a
line that we would sing. I took a deep breath and sighed first. This was going
to be a determinant of what I thought would be my life time talent. There we
go, Mr. Rutto flagged us off. We all struggled because we knew one of us would
be picked in the team to represent the school.
After putting all my effort in the test, Mr. Rutto did the
separation, just like others before us. The process went on with others until
now we had two teams. Mr. Barongo now came up again and broke the news. Guess
what? I was lucky to be on the side that would form the school choir for the
following day’s District festival. My counterpart whom we were tested together
became very bitter. He warned me of a thorough beating. I didn’t take it
seriously. At about 1.30 am, we left the dining hall for the dormitories at
least to take rest.
I went to my bed, took off my pair of trousers and slept
with a t – shirt and a pair of shorts. Before I could catch sleep, I heard some
footsteps coming into the dormitory. I raised up my head to see who it was. To
my surprise, I saw a man whose face was covered approaching my bed. My friends,
that man pounced on me squarely. He beat me thoroughly. As he was beating me he
was bitterly saying, “Form one, you come and deny me a chance in the School
Choir? You won’t go to the festival or if you do, you will be like a punching
ball” The beating went on for about 15 minutes as I was told not to scream or
make notice.
The beating left me with a swollen face and aching limbs.
The remaining of the night was sleepless as I struggled with the pain but dawn
broke anyway. The following morning, Mr.
Barongo found me in class and asked me to go to the hall where others were
getting ready to leave for the district festival. I told him to drop me from
the group and instead pick someone else. Mr. Barongo was dismayed with what I
said but he said there was no change to be made at that instance. Therefore, I
had no other option but to go prepare and join the rest of the group.
I went back to the dormitory to change where I found the
form four whom I displaced in the audition. He looked at me and asked, “Where
do you think you are going? We shall meet!” I became more afraid. I went and
sat on my bed. I don’t recall how long I sat there in deep thought. All I
remember is that Mr. Barongo sent some other boys to come for me.
We boarded the School bus famously known as the boo and off we went, to the festival. Every
time I recalled the other boy’s statement I would shrink and keep quiet. I knew
it was going to be worse than the previous night.
Outside there, we were able to perform a number of items.
All was well during the day. At least the panic and fear had gone for a short
vacation. Finally, the day ended and we had to go back to school. How I wished
it would not end. The words of the other student echoed vigorously in my small
head. What will I do when he comes for me? Anyway, all these thoughts would not
stop the bus from going back to Njoro.
In a few minutes time, the journey was over. We were back in
Njoro School. The other students had finished taking super and were now in
night preps. We were served with super and later joined other students in
preps.
The preps ended at 10.00 pm. I decided to extend abit so as
to evade the wrath of the other student who wanted to beat me up. I stayed in
class upto midnight. I told myself that now the enemy must have been tired of waiting
for me. I went to the dorm. From a distance, I could see someone seated on my
bed. I was very shocked. I wondered how this person would have been that
patient to wait for me for that long. When I reached the bed, I requested him
to leave so that I could sleep. To my surprise, he said, “Because you got the
opportunity, go on in peace and explore your passion in music.”
I was very surprised with what he said. I didn’t expect such
words from him. My heart felt relieved. It was indeed a sigh of relief. But, I
thought, could he be deceiving me that I may sleep then come back for me? That
still troubled me. I didn’t sleep well with fear that he may strike again. To
my amusement, he did not come back again.
It was from there that I seriously worked on my music
talent. My message to the world is, take
up the task, be on the move, your path requires only you to tread. Obstacles
before you are not meant to bar you from your dream but rather ensure that you have
something to do at every time. If you persist in the pursuit of your dream
nothing can stop you. All opposition will have to give way.
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