Selecting  Murray Hickman as our first Creative Resident was a great choice.  His love of drums and percussion is evident in every conversation, rehearsal and session we have. Murray has been able to enthuse and ignite our drumming creatives into thinking of new work and new directions to take there compositions. Murray's own journey while here has seen him connect with people who have traditional cultural knowledge of beats and the craft of drum-making. He has worked closely with Mo,  Mark Short and Katu Teiti to build and develop his composition for the BIG BANG work which is the opening event to the 2014 New Zealand Festival of the Arts. Last week we set up the residency house as the rehearsal space for some particularly talented young drummers to rehearse set pieces with Murray. What magic that was to watch kids as young as 6 blow Murray away with their talent but also to observe Murray teach and extend these kids abilities and techniques. This week we are recording and have again opted to set the residency house up as the studio with Mo rigging and transforming the space to give us great sound. We have bought in Tane Mussell and Te Ura Studios to record and Lennie Hill is on board to film.

This Residency is one that has started with the right ethos and support now we want to see this as an annual fixture in the Pacific Creative calendar with more artists sharing knowledge and practise. The fact remains that Motone will continue to extend the Cook Islands perception and experience of what Arts and Culture is, bringing our art into the contemporary context and showing that careers can be made in the arts.

It  always amuses Mo and I when friends and family look on at what we do and although appreciative often don't understand the level of business planning and management required to make things like this happen. Arts is often viewed as just a fun hobby or something that isn't real work. Undervalued and misunderstood but enjoyed when it is there by many. So my shout out today is ARTS IS A BUSINESS - it should not be undersold. Every component of a show, song, CD, film, exhibition, etc takes project management, budgeting, marketing, contracting, negotiations, report writing, event management, health and safety etc..... Arts are profitable not just financially but also in building better attitudes, addressing issues, building careers, giving communities voices, providing education and true and expressive job satisfaction.  Arts create professionals it can and is a career. Work on things you love and here at MOTONE WE LOVE THE ARTS! 

Aitutaki well all Murray can say is" that place is amazing!" With the brilliant support of Pacific Resort Aitutaki which quiet frankly  if it isn't on your bucket list should be.... Murray and Mo set off on the  Aitutaki leg of the residency.
it has long been Motone's intention to extend our workshops and arts experiences to Aitutaki and Araura College. This Residency has enabled us to do just that and the experience and skills of the students reinforces that we have performers of incredible abilities in the Cook Islands that if given opportunities can and should be marketed, promoted, supported and developed. Murray and Mo also had the honour of sitting with Master Carver Tamaura Kiria. The ability and knowledge that Tamarua has is like gold and the experience has feed into Murray's comprehension of Cook island Drumming far more than any text book.
At Araura College the students worked for a solid 2 - 3 hours going over beats to create a rich and full section of percussion composition. As Murray lets Mo and I know the Cooks are the drumming MECCA for him and to have access to master drummers, carvers and rising talent has been invigorating and truly a creative experience. Now we begin the work in Rarotonga and Mark Short and Katu Teiti are so incredibly supportive and excited by the prospect of this project and what can be achieved. We know at Motone Productions that we will create a new thread of artistic and creative energy from this - AGAIN I YELL THOUGH MY KEYBOARD - GOVERMENT SUPPORT THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES.  WE WILL SEE YOU AS LEADERS - LEADERS OF THE FUTURE, FORWARD THINKERS, PROGRESSIVE, INTERESTED, ENGAGED AND BEST OF ALL BUILDING FUTURES AND WEALTH IN NEW DIRECTIONS.

Developing the Creative Residency has been an incredible experience thus far from all the pre-planning and trying to find supporters of which big ups to CNZ, Telecom Cook Islands, Island Car and Bike Hire, Pacific Resort AItutaki and our private supporters who quietly sit in the background not wanting accolades but believing in what we are doing. Week one has seen Murray arrive get settled into the great Are Roa owned by fabulous Cook Island artist Ani O Neil and tatau extraordinaire Croc and everyday and night off to either an island night to look at the drumming performances ( again thanks to Edgewater Resort and Spa, Highland Paradise and The Crown Beach Resort for providing dinners for those shows) or to meetings. Murray met up  with the talented Katu Teiti and Mark Short to talk and talk and plan and dream about drums and to set the  project plan in place. Meeting with drum maker Rubena Papa Ben gave Murray some insight into the mechanics of pate making so knowledge sharing has been at the forefront. Murray already has a piece called
"Sea Gongs" originally composed by Gareth Farr that he will be working on here with our drummers and selected rising drum talent to include a Cook Islands flair that will see those drummers travel to Wellington, New Zealand to be highlighted in the production called " The Big Bang" which will be the opening segment of the 2014 New Zealand Festival. Murray also meet with Rudy Aquino to borrow his vibraphone which Murray is a leading musician in New Zealand and performs on in his Strike Percussion Group.
Murray and Mo are now in Aitutaki and have begun the workshops with Araura College and are meeting leading drummers on the island as well. So update 2 will let you all know about that experience and how the project is forming.

All  I know is that this is exciting and productive for building foundations for our Creative Industry. The industry that was mentioned at the economic summit 3 years ago to get support in budgets and future strategies from government departments but sadly still remains somewhat absent! So what to do???? Well just get on with it because Art always will survive. Art defines culture, national identities and lasts the test of time.  And as a friend of mine Damien Prentice advised me " ....in 100 years the art of today will still dazzle, but no one will give a ratsarse  about this years, or last years rugby. Who can name the team that won the  football in the 1900 Olympic games at the time Gaugin was painting in Tahiti?"

 Motone Productions is proud to announce that in October this year we will be delivering the first Creative Artists Residency for Multi-Disciplinary artists in the Cook Islands.  This
project has received core funding from Creative New Zealand, with  support already coming from the local business community with Pacific Resort providing accommodation of the artist in Aitutaki and Islands car and Bike Hire providing a car for the artist in Rarotonga. 
 
Motone Company Director Glenda Tuaine explains “The creative residency program has been designed to create collaborative work between the selected artist and our
community and through Creative New Zealand’s support of core funding we are able
to do this. The program utilises the skills of the selected artist to preserve
and innovate a Cook Islands Heritage art form establishing a forum and framework
that will see the continued recognition of our heritage art forms. The residency
lets our Cook Islands art adapt and work in contemporary frameworks re-igniting
fresh new ways of looking and presenting and producing.” 
 
She went on to say “This first residency project is the trail to ensure we establish a long standing residency in the Pacific so we are proud of companies such as Pacific Resort and
Island Car and Bike Hire who have come on board so early showing they too see
the value in this education project and making an annual programme for our
countries Creative Industry  development.”


The residency will provide the environment for an individual to explore his/her artistic practice within the Cook Islands community; meeting new people and artists. The program uses traditionally known artforms and contemporary/new materials and or practice to combine the artist and community experiences. Thus forming the final arts product of the residency. We have selected Murray Hickman of Strike Percussion as the first artist. 
 
Murray Hickman –
Biography 

Murray is a founding member of Strike Percussion Ensemble, and is now the groups Artistic Director. He studied Classical Percussion performance at the Wellington Conservatorium of Music, graduatingin1993. He then studied with Michael Askill (Synergy) at the Institute of the Arts at the Australian National University (ANU). Murray has been
Principal Timpanist with the Canberra Symphony Orchestra, recorded solo and
chamber works for the Anthology of Australian Music and toured the USA as
soloist with the National Band of NZ. He has performed for the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Royal New Zealand Ballet, Sydney Dance Company, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, New Zealand Chamber Orchestra, Stroma and Chamber Music New
Zealand.  As a composer, Murray has created music for theatre, film, dance and television, as well as an extensive body of work for Strike.  He has composed and
arranged works for events and artists including the 2011 Rugby World Cup Final,
World of Wearable Arts, and Hayley Westenra, and has collaborated on compositions with artists as diverse as Warren Maxwell, Gareth Farr, and Kora.  He provided the music for
Aeon, winner of the New Zealand Documentary Festival 2005, and his score
for Ensemble Impacts production of Metamorphosis was nominated for Best
Sound Design at the 2008 Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards. He has also co-produced the albums Strike:New Zealand Percussion Music, which won the Tui for best Classical Album at the 2001 NZ Music Awards, and Sketches which was nominated as a finalist in the same category at the 2009 NZ Music Awards.
 
Murray has worked extensively throughout the world as an educator. He was Assistant Lecturer in Percussion at Australian National University and HOD Classical Percussion at Massey University, and has conducted percussion ensemble master classes in some of the world’s most prestigious music schools, including the Royal Schools of Music in London and Manchester, the Paris Conservatoire, Korean National University, and Singapore’s National Academy of Fine Arts. He has been the architect of Strike's renowned education program, and was recognised with a Local Heroes medal at the 2012 New Zealander of the Year Awards for his work creating the groundbreaking
Batterie100 project.

 ABOUT STRIKE: 
 Strike Percussion is New Zealand’s premiere classical percussion ensemble. They regularly tour throughout the world presenting their unique and exhilarating percussion stage shows and have performed with groups as diverse as the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Royal New Zealand Ballet, and Kora. Recent performances include the 2012 Korean International Percussion Festival and performing with Hayley Westenra at the 2011 Rugby World Cup Final.  Renowned for their education work Strike have presented their hugely popular schools shows and drumming workshop programs to more than one million NZ students of all ages. 
 
Motone Director Maurice Newport said  “Motone has been in discussions with Murray Hickman of Strike Percussion for the past 8  months to develop a percussion piece utilising Cook Islands Drummers. His intention is that the work will become part of the New Zealand Festival of the Arts opening ceremony for 2014 called The Big Bang and is part of and education project called Batterie 100. The New Zealand festival of the Arts ahs already agreed to 10 youth drummers from the Cook islands becoming a part of the ceremony due to Motone establishing the residency. We want to see this piece worked on further to become the main piece for the opening of the 2015 Cook Islands Arts festival
that Motone has independently been developing for the past 12 month. We hope
this festival will launch the celebrations for the Cook Islands 50 years of
independence celebrations.”
 
THE CREATIVE RESIDENCY DETAIL: 
 
The  solid intention is to make the residency an annual program. The focus is to
create a platform for artists of all art -forms to be considered and programmed
  providing they can show the following: 
           
- A connection to the heritage arts of the Cook Islands          
- A project plan that illustrates potential of the work being further developed after the residency


The residency will in turn feed into the development of work for consideration of
 Arts festivals in NZ and the Cook Islands as well as other Pacific Nations and
 International events.  Motone still require further funding to ensure all
components of the Residency meet their plan and have approached several local
and international sponsors to assist. 


 
 

So here is the thing 3 nights of Opera on the beach, beautiful setting with the lagoon and Pacific ocean as the back drop, bubbles and canapes on arrival and world calss polynesian talent in Bonaventure Allan Moetaua and Elisha Fai Hulton and the tourism rep from NZ arrives and  asks us why we are not putting it on indoors! Oh bless the dumbarses of this world I say for if it was not for them we wouldn't have moments where you look at someome and instead of answering you just have to walk away! No explaination needed just a moment to let that person really answer their own question.
So long story short after 3 years of holding this event yes indoors we finally have the equipment and trained our team to deliver the gig on the beach YAHOOOOOOOOOO you can see performance indoors everywhere in the world but on a beach at sunset - not often. To top it off we had easliy 50% audience who were new comers to the event and people who flew in from NZ - well we love ya.

This is an email chain that I had to enter into today regarding the FREEEEEE workshops we provide to the kids in Raro with our artists - I had sent out a timetable of up and coming workshops so they schools could plan to be a part of these. Please understand this is the first time we have been able to get the other schools to come along. Now I understand why other teachers in the past have not tried to get the other schools to come along read and enjoy the absolute arrogance. I have deleted the emailers details for the obvious reasons but ......

Kia orana Glenda & Karl

My apologies, Titikaveka College will not be participating in any of the activities mentioned below, we are too busy and a bit disappointed with the last one when the kids were told that they were going to get some vocal training but that did not happen. Thanks for the invitation regardless.

Titikaveka College

AND MY RESPONSE TO THEM: - 

Thanks for your response, Motone is disappointed in your approach to this.

Motone offers these workshops free to the school. The artists give of their own time and do not get a fee to do this.

Vocal workshops are intensive and the Bella Kalolo workshop was inspirational and provided the children within an hour the exact amount of engagement possible. Our Hand on Heart workshop provided the children with the opportunity to play the Bodhron and Mandecello and to play along with Celtic music.

Before you judge on one workshop I would suggest you attend a workshop to see for yourself.

Arts education is limited here at the best of times and with responses such as this I now understand why. I am disappointed living in the village that the principle of the school I intended to send my daughter to has such a closed attitude, busy yes I understand we all are.

But education should be diverse and full of experiences.

Meitaki maata for your feedback I hope your appreciate mine.

Glenda

SEE WHAT WE ARE UP AGAINST!

So we can all now safely say we are on our way with 2013 having had Chinese New year West and east are in the same year so all things can now begin to hum. March will be a boomer month with Motone attending Sounds Aotearoa Music Expo and Glenda will be speaking alongside Karen Fischer from Hawaii and Tommy Dick from Vanuatu on events and all things music in the Pacific.  Motone will also be a part of Te Manu ki Tau the Intenrational delegates programme for the Auckl;and festival of Arts and whilst all of that is happening Trigger Fish will be playing Pasifika Festival on the Prosperity stage and touring Akld, Wgtn and Chch - ( we will release the venues and dates very shortly) . So busy old times. Great I say but one thing that has niggled me tremendously this week is the fact that one very ego driven musician who once ran a Jazz and blues festival here in Raro that gave the locals a great time but did nothing for tourism and took alot of the countries money to get off the gound for his own party and business  happens to actually be being considered as a possible festival here again - he is not from here has no company here and hAs a pretty shoddy track record. But is managing to get get an audinece with ministers and touRism people here. WHEN ARE WE EVER GOING TO STOP BEING SO GULLABLE WITH ANYONE FROM OVERSEAS WHO HAS A SPIN AND SHINY WORDS. WE THEN SEE OUR SO CALLE D LEADERS  BEHAVE  NEGATIVELY TOWARDS OUR OWN PEOPLE AND LOCAL COMPANIES WHO CAN DO THE JOB BEITTER THAN ANY IMPORT AND ARE RECOGNISED BY INTERNATIONAL PROFESSIONALS FOR THERE ABILITIES.  Look I hate sounding like a whinning old tart but really Groudhog day has got to stop let's give opportunites to those who have proven track records and oh I don't know maybe are a Cook Islander!!!!!

Okay so let's just say a certain government agency received a huge wod of money to go towards developing events in the Cook Islands and let's just say that the agency appointed some people who did not really have any experience in adminstrating funds let alone understand what arts events require to be successful were put in charge of that fund. And now let's just say these people have now successfully halted development of events and are sitting on the money and could in fact loose that money as they they are not meeting the milestones required by the funder - LET'S JUST SAY!
I suppose I thought that with 2012 being a year of a load of talk from certain agencies on making things happen for events and now seeing that yet again ego's personalities and pure stupidity have gotten in the way we remain in the status quo of getting events up and running with stuff all support from the Government, Tourism, Business Trade and investment etc.... we'll the old Motone motto applies here and that is JUST GET ON WITH IT.
 And I am really looking forward to that 2013 is shaping up to be a stellar year with Bella Kalolo here in April, Opera a go for May, we will be down in NZ in March for Pasifika and Sounds as well as having Trigger Fish doing a North Island tour. The programming for DIVAS is coming along and announcements will be made in April. We may have some great projects shaping up with Germany and a TV series in the pipeline - so long story short Government if you are listening how about actually supporting the people who are doing things and making things happen for the arts industry  - Over and out for now.