When Lura Lucia talks about music, the conversation is punctuated with the words “love” and “passionate”. She has been entranced by the violin ever since she became acquainted with the musical instrument at a young age.
Just recently, she sat her IGCSE music exam, and scored an A star. Her stellar performance was in part due to a routine that consisted of hours of practice during the school week, and even longer practice sessions with the Safaricom Youth Orchestra (SYO) on weekends.
“It was actually a bit anticlimactic the way I heard it,” she chuckles, as she recalls how the news was broken to her.
“I came home and I saw a message from my mom, which she had gotten from the Principal, that I had received an outstanding Cambridge Learner Award for music. And obviously, I was ecstatic. I was really excited because music is one of my favourite subjects, and yeah, it was the highest, score it was A star, 90 %,” she says.
Lura’s exam result was the top score in Kenya for the IGCSE Music Exam.
The SYO rehearsals were instrumental in giving her the time to master her skills as a concertmaster. They also helped her to prepare for her music exam.
The exam had three components: a listening paper, a composition, and a performance.
“I was more worried about my performance. I would practice a lot what I was going to play by myself, and also in the group, and I think, playing in SYO it also helped me practice playing,” she says.
At 16 years old, Lura is a talented concertmaster of the Safaricom Youth Orchestra.
Being a concertmaster for the Safaricom Youth Orchestra means that she has remarkable abilities as a soloist and has a deep knowledge of orchestra repertoire (pieces of music or collections of musical works she can perform). It also means she leads and tunes the orchestra along with the oboe and ensures that the whole group is ready to play before the conductor comes.
Getting that title was not easy. She had to be the most skilled in the section, learn the music quickly, lead the rest of the string section by bow gestures and know how to count rests accurately. Lura has spent about 10 years mastering the violin’s technique, learning and understanding the different depths and facets of compositions and, of course, a considerable amount of time practising.
“My family is a musical family. My mom loves music although she doesn’t play an instrument; she is a gigantic music fan. We’re always playing and listening to music. The reason I picked up the violin in Class One was because I heard that my cousin was playing the violin, and I wanted to be like her, so, I picked it up and I’ve been playing ever since,” she says.
Her mother Matilda Musumba, follows her musical journey keenly and takes her interests seriously by paying for lessons when Lura needs them. Her teachers too, have been a good support system.
Speaking of teachers, it was at school that one of her teachers spotted her ability, her incredible musical instincts and great potential that she asked her to try out for the Safaricom Youth Orchestra (SYO).
“I joined the Safaricom Youth Orchestra in 2019. I heard about it from my music teacher in school, her name is Miss Daisy. She just told me about the opportunity to join the orchestra and took me to the auditions. I really wasn’t expecting to get in after how I played in the auditions, but obviously, I was pleasantly surprised. I played two pieces,” she says.
Her performance in the audition was not the best, Lura says, but “I’m grateful that I’m here.”
At SYO, Lura demonstrated the skill and talent to take on a leadership role in the orchestra so it was an easy choice for Miss Bernadette, the SYO tutor, to pick her for the role.
Currently, Lura serves as a co-section leader (which she was before) and the concertmaster.
Regardless of Miss Bernadette’s confidence in her, Lura had a bit of self-doubt.
“Miss Bernadette has really helped in showing me that I am actually capable of this role. SYO has also instilled in me the discipline of practising every week because if I don’t, I will embarrass myself when we come on Saturday. So, I try and practice around two to three times a week, because it depends on what I’m doing in school. If it’s exam week, I can’t do much, but I make sure to prioritise it.” Lura says.
While music is a big part of her life now and takes up most of her time outside of school, Lura has yet to decide if she will take it up as a career in the future.
“I’m passionate about health sciences and music. Hopefully, when I get into university, I’ll still be able to play music and join the university communities. I do not plan on dropping it anytime soon,” she says about music.
