Young drummer who started at age two

Oribi Ibisiki, a 9-year old Drummer Boy can be said to be born a drummer.As an infant, Oribi used every object that got into his hands as drums, particularly his cutlery. At every Parents’ Day at his crèche, constant feedback was, “he drums with his coloured pencils and every item in the crèche”. 

His passion for drumming was so strong, that he identified a toy drum set in a neighbourhood toy store at the age of 15months and that earned him his first toy drum set. The toy drum set became his favourite toy. 

At age 2, he got his first, four-piece beginner drum set and that was the start of his life as a drummer. He played the drums at every spare time, not even his favourite TV program “Barney and his friends” could take him off his drums. He would obey all instructions that came with a promise of extra drum time.

Without any coaching, he listened to Christmas songs and played along. His picked on his father’s favourite song and learnt how to drum to it just by repeated listening to this song.

His first public appearance was at a well-known church in Port Harcourt Children’s Day service in 2011 at age 2, when he played the chorus of a famous Nigerian gospel singer. That was the boost of his stage confidence. Thereafter, he played to various Christmas songs at his school end of year events and never missed a chance to play in church.

In 2012, he moved with his parents to Lagos and enrolled in a Music Academy where he started learning professional drumming. Whilst he was advised on the importance of site reading and professional drumming, it never satisfied his passion for drumming. His passion was to play calypso in triplets doing Praise songs in church.

His desire to play various praise and worship songs, led him to join the church choir for rehearsals on Saturdays and he joined the Kid Choir as well.He attended the Experience Lagos 2015 and after the event, his focus and dream was to play on the Experience stage. He played his drums religiously and practised various songs, hoping that he would be given the opportunity to play at the Experience some day. In 2016, he walked up to the Senior Pastor of the church, and asked if he could play at the Experience 2016 and God favoured him, as pastor accepted to fit him into the already tight list of ministers at the Experience. In his words “that was God giving him the opportunity to show the world that God give talents to little children too”. He opened the Experience 2017 with a special performance. At first he felt overwhelmed entering the TBS and seeing the crowd but he remembered that if he prays, he can do all things, so he prayed and he doesn’t recall how he was able to play confidently.

After the Experience 2016, he ministered at the Exalted 2017 hosted by his church in Port Harcourt. He participated in the God’s Children Got Talent 2016. He has successfully completed with Merit grade, the first levelof the Associated Board of Royal Schools of Music qualification on the Percussions.His favourite drummers are Calvin Rodgers who plays for Fred Hammonds and Tim Newton, Don Moen’s Drummer. He loves the ability of Calvin Rodgers to make outstanding techniques on the drums.

His favourite drum sounds are the paradiddle and triplets and he believes God gave him the talent of drumming so that he can help other young boys become great drummers.He loves to worship and greatly admire worshippers who play instruments and are also preachers. Nathaniel Bassey and Pastor Donnie Maclurkin are a major inspiration to him. He learnt to play the keyboard by himself, from his experience with the Marine Bar. He plays the Guitar and wishes he could play the Saxophone as well.

He currently feels strongly about giving street children the opportunity to present their talents to the world. This urge was inspired from a child he saw on his way to church on a Sunday morning using an empty bucket and a stick to drum. He hoped he could share his drums with the child and believes the child has a talent of drumming but does not have the opportunity to fully express his talent. He has started talking to some of his big friends who are gospel ministers to support him towards giving children on the street an opportunity to play instruments and be ministers of God. He hopes to successfully host a talent show for street children in Lagos before summer next year.His favourite slogan is #iCouldntGetTheSymbolOnMyKeyboard