Source: University of Otago
Tomuri Spicer uses his music to spread knowledge of te Ao Māori, and remind people of their connections to the world around them.
Otago University’s very own Tomuri Spicer has written a song which will be performed by school children from across the world.
Sing Up Day! Is a global event in its 13th year that celebrates the power of music and singing for children’s mental health and aims to foster a love of the arts via a ‘digichoir’ (digital-choir) performance.
Sing Up’s website explains that since 2020 the organisation has been working towards new diversity and inclusion goals, specifically focusing on shifting who typically has access to the music industry.
Within this remit Sing Up decided to put out a global open call for songs to be performed by children in schools across the world during the 2023 event, with the theme ‘Global voice and the things that connect us, the earth the sea and the air we breathe’.
“We received a fabulous array of submissions and struggled to choose just one, so we decided to select three to develop.”
Third year MusB and BA in Māori studies tauira Tomuri Spicer (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Pākehā) answered the call, and was selected as one of the winners.
Tomuri’s song, ‘Blossom Out’ includes taonga pūoro and haka, with mellow lyrics based on whakataukī Māori that encourage tamariki to ‘stand tall like a tree, and blossom out like a flower’.
The other winners are Laura Bradshaw and Joseff Gnagbo, from Cymru (Wales) and the Ivory Coast, who have written Dreams Across The Ocean (Away, roll to sea), and Bongile Hlongwane from South Africa with his song Izwi.
Tomuri says he has been writing songs for as long as he can remember and doing it professionally since he was 15.
He has written scores for short films, won song writing competitions, written lyrics for waiata Māori and most recently was the recipient of the Six60 scholarship for his songwriting and performing abilities.
“One of the things I like to do with my music is to include te Ao Māori, and a little bit about who I am as a person.
“My song ‘Blossom Out’ is a way to tell people to liven up, and not take the world so seriously. To not be so fast paced all the time.
“Go out, feel the sun on you, take a breath in – touch grass.
“Because it’s an international competition it felt even more important to include Māori language and instruments – not only to promote te Ao Māori but also to encourage other indigenous people to grow into their own indigenous selves.”
Tomuri teaches kapa haka at schools around Dunedin, and recently competed with Te Poutūmārō at Te Matatini.
“Kapa haka has helped me to connect with my Māori self, and I want to help other people to do that too.”
Children from schools around Dunedin, and the whole world, will be performing Tomuri’s song on the 28 June.
Isaac, a seven-year-old primary school pupil in Dunedin, says that his class is loving Blossom Out ‘so much’.
“It’s a really great song, and the message is really good. The song is really inspiring to lots of people because it tells you that you can do anything and that is true.”
To keep up with what Tomuri is up to you can follow him on Instagram, Spotify, Youtube and Soundcloud, and to learn more about Sing Up visit their website.
Kōrero by Internal Communications Adviser, Alice Billington
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