My answer:

Dear Leratho

You are good. You have a wonderful voice. You surprised me.

It is difficult for me to advise you on where to go from here. I have not followed a singer's career. I would suggest that you concentrate on your singing itself for now: sing spontaneously whenever you can. Sing songs that appeals to your heart. Make your own songs, even if you have no accompaniment. Find joy in what you have NOW. Build your enjoyment in singing, even if it is only for yourself. In fact, this is the most important foundation for a good singer: to learn to enjoy it for your own self first. Because only then can you truly give enjoyment to others. Learn to sing from your heart. Not from your head. Like you sang when I was there. You remember how everybody responded? They went crazy! You did not try too hard. You just let your natural ability and enjoyment loose. Don't worry too much about what comes later.

You're still at school. I found that my best opportunities came along without me searching for them. You be the bird that sings to heaven. The rest will follow.

Of course, find out as much as you can, listen to others, talk to singers that is in the business. Learn from all these. But do not rely on it. Rely on your enjoyment. Rely on the moments of electricity when your body rocks with your voice. When you feel you BECOME music. That is your best advertisement, that is your best promotion. That will lead you on. I wish you the best.

Tshenelo, of course it is better to do only music if you want to make it big. But food on the table is more important. So do whatever it takes. If you have to do silly jobs to keep alive in the beginning, do it. Do it as a sacrifice for your dream. Let your dream grow stronger, and trust that it will be able to stand on its own feet eventually. It is better to earn your living with what you love. It is better when it is not so easy. The rewards in the long run will be better and more reliable. Don't give up.

I'll see what I can do

You got me. I have little to no knowledge of the DJ world. There must be DJ's in Mafeking. Go ask at a club for names. I am sure you'll find a nice DJ that will give you some advice. See if you can go where this DJ works some time and ask that you can watch how it's done. Make friends with a local DJ. That would be best.

I'll be in touch!

Perhaps in August. Mrs. Lewin will let you know

The music itself. It breathes through my whole body. I get high on sound! But life experience is also part of the inspiration. For me, the people I meet and the places I visit on my travels form a big part of my inspiration. They evoke feelings in me, let my heart beat stronger. But mainly, while I play, it is like an energy field that builds around me. And I allow myself to be energized by it.

As I said, I feel electrified, also, I feel like I go into a very focused state. Almost like praying. You close your eyes and you allow yourself to be transported, to be taken a little away from the real world. And it is the sounds that surround me, form a kind of a shield.

When I was a little boy of three, I discovered the piano. We had a piano in the house. My mother was a piano teacher. But my father also played, although he never took any lessons. And it is from him that I got the idea that I can discover music for myself. So I started playing with the piano, discovering the sounds it makes. Later on I made my own little pieces.

I had a natural ability, a talent, as they say. I think everybody has a talent for music, it is just that some has it more intensely than others. And then you like it more than any other thing. So it was with me. I could lose myself in music. I had something to show other people.

So at first nobody taught me. My mother started giving me lessons when I was five and then I went to other teachers once my schooling started. I started playing cello when I was seven. I was never scared, no. I loved music too much to be scared. But I was scared when I had to start playing competitions and exams. I did not like that very much, although it taught me a lot of things, made me stronger.

I think the fact that my mother was a music teacher made a difference for me. There was always good music in our house to listen to and we sang a lot together. This was long before there was any TV.

I have been doing music for more than 30 years now. The more I do it, the more it becomes part of me, the more my joys and my sorrows are expressed in it.

So, talent, my upbringing, and just doing it - these things made me the musician I am today.

I travel a lot. Most part of the year. My travels grew to take me overseas as well. I am writing this while in Switzerland. As I said, I get a lot of inspiration from seeing new places. Yesterday I went up a very high mountain in the Alps with a cable car. Fantastic.

But travel is expensive. And don't think it has always been like this. I started playing on the streets in Cape Town to stay alive. This was when my career started. I was playing cello on the street, waiting for people to throw coins in my bag. I did not have a car, no property, no computer, just a backpack and my cello. It has been a long road getting where I am today.

I have traveled most of Europe, North America, South Korea, and all of South Africa. And yes, I visit a lot of other schools, also overseas.

I grew up in Johannesburg. I did not go to a music school. I took lessons from teachers nearby.

I love it, yes. Some days I love it a lot. Other times, it is hard and I start to panic. But I love it enough to keep on doing it. I put everything in it, yes, I suppose, because I love it.

The cello and violin sounds similar, but the violin has a much higher and thinner sound. If you can play the cello, you cannot also play the violin and the other way around. They are quite different. It is difficult to get used to the cello, yes. That is why it is better to start when you are young and your muscles are still growing and forming themselves. But then, it is not too difficult if you just want to play for the fun of it.

I have met some famous South African stars like Gloria Bosman, Steve Hofmeyr and PJ Powers. They are just like us, but more nervous because so many eyes are on them

Mood is very important. Also the place I am in. Also the instrument I use. A good instrument turns me on. The place provides the atmosphere. Sometimes I feel very inspired but cannot find the reason for it. Sometimes my inspiration is low and again, I cannot find the reason for it. It also has got to do with eating. Bad food puts you in a bad state inside.

When I think too much about it, the magic slips away. It is better to go with your inner flow.

 

The stage is like home to me. I have been there many times. In the beginning it was still strange. I was still very aware of other people and unsure of myself. Nowadays I am very comfortable. On stage, if you do not feel well or play well, it is bad, because you know everybody is watching you and probably feel that you are not well. But to me there is few things so good as when you make great music and everybody enjoys it, gets swept along. If they clap a lot, I feel it's all worth it. If they shout, that is even greater. If they come afterwards and say they have been touched, it touches my heart too, and I have courage to move on.

It is a great feeling to be able to use an instrument well. But one always finds new challenges. So today I feel good about my playing, tomorrow it is not good enough anymore and I seek to make it better. Although, when I seek it to much, it gets worse. Sometimes it is better to say: I play bad, it feels bad, and that is the end of it. You tell yourself: now play badly! And somehow it gets better.

It depends on the song. Some music that I play have hardly any rhythm. It flows more smoothly. But the stronger the rhythm of a song, the more, yes, I feel it. I also learnt to feel it more and more with my body and not my mind. Like playing from the hip.. Only when it runs through your body, the rhythm becomes stable and reliable, and other people feel it too.

Only one thing: keep on doing what I am doing. Little by little, day by day. Nothing good comes quickly. I am not a star that shoots up and fades away quickly. I am a tree that once was a very small seed and from there grew little by little over a long time. I do not think I am famous yet. My tree is not fully grown yet. There are still many years to come.

Only the cello and keyboard instruments I play well. Some others like the guitar and recorder, I play a little.

I must say your music is the bomb. You rock. I had an awesome time. I have never heard anybody playing music so beautifully. I felt wonderful!!!! I experienced something that I have never experienced before. COME BACK.

I have realized that everything you do is what you love doing especially in music. If you really put your heart in everything you do, you connect with it emotionally. I once thought it was wrong but I've experienced it today and it is real. THANK YOU.

Oh I am crying about your music. I wish I can play like you. God is with you all the time.

I love your music, it made me very happy, free, ALIVE. The mood you created was magnificent