User:Neogcabo

Hello All,

This is my user page.

About Me

Born in Pretoria, South Africa, an aspiring musician and social entrepreneur. Currently studying at Berklee College of Music. Interested in music and social change.

Musical background and outlook

Growing up I was fortunate to have the luxury that is music. My parents grew up loving music and shared it with my sister and I. My grandfather, a musician himself, sings, teaches and conducts a church choir in a township called Soshanguve, South Africa. He firmly believes I received all musical ability from him. In having a musical family, I was fortunate enough to begin my musical experience by singing in a choir at age 8. With the influence of my grandfather, I began to play the violin, with no interest; however, it certainly exposed me to music and the facets of it. Between 9-11 years, I realized singing was a strong medium for me and it seemed to have been received fairly well by those I was experimenting on. While I was in primary school, we usually sang hymns for masses and chapel services.

As I entered high school, that dynamic changed. No longer was the chorus just for the purpose of a service, it was utilized as a tool to teach young girls how to sing and to expand their musical repertoire. I was blessed with the opportunity to travel abroad with my choir as part of our tour in December 2006, where we travelled to Massachusetts to sang with a number of high schools and take part in festivals. At age 14, I realized my voice had the power to impact audiences significantly. That was a phenomenon I had not expected to experience. Two years later, I decided to get more involved with music by joining a youth choir in Pretoria which lead me to explore my voice as a soloist. We explored African-American Spirituals, Traditional South African Music and World Music. While I was heavily involved with chorus, the music syllabus at my high school required I receive classical vocal training from 10th to 12th grade which later propelled me to study music in university.

Part of my outlook is that music is a rare form of art; it is a healing mechanism, a medium that allows us to express and share a part of us that we deeply love and cherish. It’s a privilege to be able to share and teach others through this art form. Music knows no boundaries and continues to evolve with thrilling discoveries every step of the way; it is indeed a significant time to be alive and be part of this experience.