‘God has a special call for Nagas in music’

Khyochano TCK Ngully’s inspiring journey with music 

Ruukuonuo Liegise
Dimapur | June 9

“Destiny chooses you instead of you choosing your destiny,” asserts Khyochano TCK Ngully, the director of Music Academy Kohima (MAK). She believes God has a special call for Nagas in music and worship through music. “Music has a big place in the world but it is still young in Nagaland. Music is an art that is skilfully developed over a long period of time and it needs hand-holding support in our state,” she emphasises.

Since its inception, MAK envisions to provide music education to all music lovers in Nagaland with uncompromising quality. (Photo Courtesy: musicacademykohima.com)

In this conversation with The Morung Express, Khyo shares her inspiring journey with music, which she begins by saying, before everything, her heart was drawn to music. 

Today she is acknowledged as a renowned “composer and arranger having worked and performed across various music genres ranging from classical, contemporary, to indigenous folk music.” Currently Khyo is the President of Nagaland Piano Teachers Association. She is the Founder of Brillante! The Nagaland Piano Festival, and also the recipient of the Governor’s Award for Music in Nagaland 2008.

MAK is home to a growing number of musicians with a diverse range of musical tastes and skills, but who share the passion for music as a common bond. (Photo Courtesy: musicacademykohima.com)

At the young age of 16, Khyo started formally teaching music and went on to pursue music abroad to enhance her skills. After teaching and working abroad for some years, with the exposures and experiences she has gained, Khyo felt the need to establish a music school and to do more for the music community here in Nagaland. 

MAK: An institution for all music lovers
With this dream, Khyo along with Ajeen Longchari established MAK in 2014. Today MAK has students from the age group between 2 to 50 years. 

MAK is a ‘Gift of God,’ says Khyo while adding, “I wanted to provide a room for earning for musicians in Nagaland. I have myself come a long way since earning Rs 50 at the start of this journey to earning a decent amount today.”

The director of MAK says her motivation comes from seeing people shine and, her staff and students striving. Stating it as the most fulfilling part of her job, Khyo adds, “It is gratifying to see them grow and see them in their own element. I want to empower people.” 

“At MAK we educate and train students to excel in music and develop their skills to the fullest potential. We nurture them and let them find the joy of discovering themselves by learning music,” she emphasised. 

Mentors along the way
As an artist, Khyo considers consistency and practice as core values. She also emphasised that one should show loyalty to people who help you along the way, and honour parents and teachers.

Khyo says that she has many mentors and only some of them are musicians. She expresses especially being drawn to people who work towards bringing social development and people who have good leadership skills. 

Khyo mentions that Loren Wiebe who mentored her, opened her eyes to the spiritual side of music. Two musicians she admires whom she never met, Khyo says are King David from the Bible, who abandoned everything to worship God, and Beethoven who was deaf but found a way to make and listen to music by feeling the vibrations that instruments made. 

Brillante! The Nagaland Piano Festival ‘brings you competitions, performances & pedagogy all in one Edition.’ (Photo Courtesy: brillantefest.org) 

Barrier to musical development
Finance has been the biggest challenge for MAK. When many creative minds come together, a multitude of great ideas are created, however funds seem to lack to fulfil these plans. “People see us and think we have it good, but as local musicians we struggle,” admits Khyo.

Nevertheless, to overcome this challenge, still persevering, the Director approaches various organisations that can sponsor programmes and she focuses on doing one project at a time. Recalling her struggle during the covid-19 pandemic, she said that at MAK they were continually inspired by their own creativity. 

She also relayed her concern about Naga aural traditions that are fast vanishing along with those who were the keepers of culture, and even in what remains the integrity of the content passed down is sometimes compromised. She said that failure to protect our aural identity and musical heritage in folksongs would be a tragedy. 

For those want to follow her footsteps, Khyo says, “You have to believe that your life is purposeful and meaningful. Don’t always want encouragement. Be tough and filled with wonder. Be brave. Be mad.”

The writer is a student of BA-Media and Public Affairs Honours at Christ (Deemed to be University) Delhi, NCR. She is currently an intern in The Morung Express.