Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Samuel Nalangira. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Samuel, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I had the opportunity to be a part of a project called Dance of Hope where young kids from the street were given the chance to have a better life. They were given structure, routine, education and food. This program was specifically to teach them music and give them skills to do something in their life when they grew up. I choreographed all of our productions and taught them how to drum, dance and play Ugandan traditional instruments. I taught my students for 6 years and now many of them have moved on and carried on with a music career or continued their education. My students and I still stay in touch. It’s such an honor to see them doing well.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a Native of Uganda, East Africa, and am a world folk musician, specializing in Ugandan folk music. Not only do I create music, perform (solo and with a band), play drums and dance; I also make my instruments and tune them in a special way. I believe this is what makes me unique. Before throwing anything away, I first think and consider what kind of instrument could I create out of this! Having the ability to build and create my instruments allows me to also fix my instruments and ensure they are maintained well. I have been performing since my childhood and teaching since the age of 15. I have toured across Europe, United States, Canada and Asia performing and leading workshops in schools, universities, festivals and community centers.

I am a multi-instrumentalist and a master at many traditional instruments including the Adungu from northern Uganda, Akogo from Eastern Uganda, Endingidi, Endongo, Amadinda (xylophone), percussion and Ngoni. I have developed a unique approach and personal techniques on most of these instruments.

At the age of 6 is when I discovered my talent in music. I was in class and I heard the school choir and drums. After hearing the drums, I told my teacher I wanted to go out for a short call (this means bathroom break) so that I could have a chance to play the drums. The choir teacher invited me up to play and asked me to play a simple beat, which I did perfectly. Then at the age of 8 is when I was taken from the village to go to a school called Brian Becca located in a city called Mbarara. This school gave me the chance to get a better education and have more opportunities in music. I started teaching music at the age of 15 and ended up in the capital city, Kampala. I performed with several groups and bands: Nkwazi, Udungu family, Crane Performers, Shaku Shaku, Music Beat of Africa, Drum Beat of Uganda, UNCB, Sabar Zimbula. I was also teaching music and dance at the following: Cambridge High School, Crane High School, Jojana Primary School, National Contemporary Ballet, Mlisada and so on. Through this process I meant Kinobe and he introduced me to Mlisada/Dance of Hope. I started teaching the Dance of Hope group and we travelled all over the world. We first came to the U.S. in the beginning and end of 2018. I had been teaching the students in Dance of Hope for 6 years and they were now graduating and ready to start their careers. At this point I decided to focus on my music career and that is how I ended up in the U.S.
I have performed at many festivals such as Harvest Gathering, Spirit of the Woods Folk Festival, Buttermilk Jamboree, Wheatland, Bliss Fest, Leaf Festival, Downtown Kalamazoo New Years Festival and many more. I have also performed at a variety of venues such as Fredrick Meijer Gardens, bars, restaurants, schools for all ages (including children with special needs), libraries, senior communities, etc. Most recently I had the opportunity play one of my tunes, Babirye, with the Holland Symphony. Greg Scheer took my recording of Babirye and added all the orchestra parts and scored my tune. I am so proud of this and Greg did an outstanding job.

I am most proud of always being my authentic self. Through the many challenges the life of a musician and music teacher brings, I always stay true to my morals and values.
I would say what makes me unique is that I can pick up a new instrument and figure it out quickly. I can sit in with new bands on the fly, without rehearsals or even knowing their music.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

When the pandemic of COVID-19 began in 2020, I had to totally change my business and way of making a living. All my scheduled shows for that spring cancelled; one after another. It felt a little scary because this is how I made a living to support my family. I ended up getting a job at Meijer temporarily so that I at least had some income coming and something to do. But then as the pandemic continued and was not improving, I had to figure out what I was going to do. Working retail was not my style; although I loved the people there, having a set schedule every week was not my preferred way of working. I love having flexibility and I also love being my own boss. So, I started looking into all the delivery services and quickly realized it was the way to go. Especially with the pandemic and people taking more precautions, it was a busy industry at that time. I worked several apps and this kept me busy morning to night.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding part about choosing music as my career is that my heart is in it. I have a full heart because I am doing what I love. I am not doing something only because it pays the bills or pays me a lot. Making a living off my music career is challenging as it doesn’t always pay what your highest desire is; however, it is worth it because I love sharing my music. I feel my music and my heart is healing this world.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://samuelnalangira.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nalangira_music/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Nalangira-music-104633362298012/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCrwC1hZWAPnlSmrQvwTvukA
• Other: Album on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7KOx2ijFU6bJOf6AznlJxA?si=1uEMTGBQQT2PZSTHSwRoEg

Image Credits
The first picture submitted of Samuel performing with his instruments (he is in a red button down shirt), the photo credit should be given to Marissa Hoard Photography. The rest of photos showing Samuel’s work were taken with his phone.