KAROLINE TUCKEY

Last updated13:52, March 27 2017

KAROLINE TUCKEY/FAIRFAX NZ

Niko Tofa, 13, has shown dedication to practising the bagpipes.

Niko Tofa, 13, is in love with music, especially bagpipes.

He loves chilling at home playing, regularly has jam sessions with his brothers and dad, writes his own music, and is part of the school band.

Tofa is part Samoan and part Scottish. His Samoan father started him playing ukulele when he was 3 years old, then taught him guitar, and his Sottish-born older brother passed down his love for bagpipes.

The Waiopehu College year 10 pupil also plays and writes for piano, and this year joined a school band as the drummer. They're working on a name, and plan to take on the Rockquest in June with one of his songs in their repertoire.

"Music's something I really, reallylike to do.I feel like I've listened to music since I was born.My mother played old CDs and tapes to me."

The teen doesn't gravitate to modern pop - it's theEagles, Glen Campbell and Little River Band he picks as his current favourites, and he loves the "relaxing and stirring" sound of the bagpipes.

This year he and his brothers joined the Manawatu Scottish Pipe Band. The band has been practising hard - last year they played in grade 4A, which combined with grade 3 this year, so they wanted to bring their standard up.

"So we worked really, really hard, and we went to the nationals in March, and we came second in grade 3. We never expected that."

Meeting other young people who play bagpipesand hearing all the different bands from throughout New Zealand playing differently at thenationalswas a good experience, he said.

"If you went out for a walk through the town as you passed each motel you could hear a different band play.It was beautiful."

Tofa began learning bagpipes when he was 8. "I started off on the practice chanter - it's like a recorder.

"I practised everywhere, and I took my chanter everywhere - to the supermarket, and practised in the car.

"I wanted to not play until I was not going to make really horrible noises come out, so I practised just blowing and the finger [patterns] until I could do it."

Tofa hopes to keep playing all his instruments and to keep writing music, and would love to one day have a career in it.

-Stuff

See the rest here:

Bagpipes playing 'relaxing and stirring', young fan says - The Dominion Post