Last Sunday I spent my afternoon at the Jain Bhavan Auditorium bearing witness to the Safaricom Youth Orchestra Class of 2022 graduation. This was the first physical event in 2 years and the combined excitement of catching up with old friends and graduating was almost palpable. One graduand I spoke to said that it felt like coming back to a loving home.
This year’s graduation which had 15 graduands was the 8th in the SYO series which kicked off in 2014. It was heartwarming for me also to meet kids I’ve got to know along the way in my work on Ghetto classics projects under Safaricom Jazz.
Among the 15 was Johnson Osiyo, a 19 year old percussion player who has also just completed his fourth form at Our Lady of Fatima. I had a chat with the young man who has been in music all his life and it is easy to see where the influence came from. His two older brothers are singers and choir masters, and another brother plays trombone though not at SYO. Having grown up in this environment, he started singing in the church choir when he was just a little boy.
Osiyo joined Ghetto Classics when he was 9 years old and since then, he has never let music out of his sight. He joined the program to distract himself from the surroundings in the informal area where he grew up, and he felt that it was just the right shield for him to grow up under. Since he was the smallest at some point, he was loved and pampered by management and bigger kids and for this, Ghetto Classics is and will always be family.
Over the years, Osiyo has tried his hand at the violin and trombone before finally settling on percussion which he says has aways been attractive to him since even as a child, he was always ‘beating beating’ things.
Is music something you want to concentrate on for life?
Yes.
Osiyo wants to settle for architecture as a career but with or without that, his heart will always be in music.
What next after SYO Graduation?
To grow even more in music, to a point where I’m is the best version of myself.
Among the people who have been his greatest support system are his parents who believed in him from the word go and never came in the way of his music. They are very proud of him, especially for the double blessing of completing high school and graduating SYO at the same time.
How is the support you have been given by Safaricom in your musical journey?
It’s beyond words. The partnership between Safaricom and Ghetto classics has touched hundreds of people either directly or indirectly. Osiyo is ever so grateful to be a direct beneficiary, and to have his life shaped in a way he would never have dreamt. He can’t wait to be in a position in his life where he can give back by tutoring kids who are just starting out, and being involved in projects to improve the informal areas. He would like to see a loop where everyone who benefits goes back and gives back. That, he says, is one sure way to change informal areas where crime and drug abuse are high.
To kids who would like to join the music world, he says go for it and don’t give up. Low moments are there alright and even he has not been immune to these in his journey. But he did not give up. Be yourself and give your best to your aspirations.
Safaricom and the arts.
Safaricom has always had support programs for music and the arts, with initiatives like Niko na Safaricom Live, Kenya Live, Twaweza Live, BLAZE Summits, Groove Awards, Safaricom Jazz Festival and Safaricom Choir. Ghetto Classics and Safaricom Youth Orchestra also fall under this and my love for these two comes from the fact that they get talent from the little ones and build them up.
To the Safaricom Youth Orchestra Class of 2022, we say all the best in your future endeavors, and do not let the music stop. PLAY IT FORWARD.
