The Vocal Motion Six Story

Introduction
Anyone who has not experienced the phenomenon of Vocal Motion Six cannot imagine the profound effect the spirit of this group will have upon them. Nor can it be described. As they say, you have to be there! All we can do is describe their effect on others!

Beginnings

Chizyuka brothers, Peter and Mark grew up in Zambia. After graduating from high school they moved to the Kavango Region of north eastern Namibia in 1998. They lived at the Shambyu Mission in Utukota, 30k from Rundu. The two brothers had grown up singing with their families and as children had their own group, who would mimic their father's group. When they arrived, the Chizyuka family sang together in church one day, creating much excitement. They were greeted by another musical family, the Marios, and they sang together all afternoon, harmonizing songs they all knew. They practiced all week and sang together in church the following week. Soon Vasco, Thomas and Jones Mario, and Peter and Mark Chizyuka were in high demand, performing in school assemblies and choral music festivals throughout the Kavango Region.


Music Makers Award
In 1999 the group was among the 537 groups nationwide who auditioned for the National Music Makers Competition. Chosen as one of the 37 finalists, they traveled 700k southwest to the capitol, Windhoek. There, in a televised broadcast, they won 2 awards for Best Vocal Group and First Place overall Artist of the Year, winning the opportunity to record their first album.
 
Development
In 2000 they relocated to Windhoek to pursue their performance and recording opportunities. The younger two, Thomas and Jones were still in High School. The young men took the harmonic skills that had been instilled into them growing up, and added their own unique expression to create a distinctive sound. Over the next few years the group were favorites at many state functions and received numerous awards. They sang in many languages including Portuguese, Afrikaans, German and English in addition to other Namibian languages.


Living Positive
In an effort to give back to their community, VM6 created a platform, "Living Positive"; using their "music with a message" to inspire youth to make good choices as a preventative tool in the fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Namibia. In 2007 they joined forces with a young woman who is living with the virus, and traveled throughout 11 of the 13 regions in Namibia. As she told her story, they sang and spoke to over 85,000 youth in schools, prisons and mines, sponsored by PEPFAR, the US President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief, in partnership with the Namibian American Cultural Center. (Living Positive video)


"Search and Find" CD October 2009 Release
When they weren't touring, they were in the studio recording their new CD, "Search and Find" which features a variety of songs in English and other northern Namibian languages including Oshiwambo, Oshiherero, Himba and Rukwangali all in the phenomenal blend unique to Vocal Motion Six. They also created a music video for their title song which can be viewed at their website.

US Tour - Impatient Optimist
In the Bill and Melinda Gates "Impatient Optimist"; presentation in Washington DC, November 2009, the group was recognized for their anti-stigma and prevention work against HIV/AIDS in Namibia. VM6 was featured singing one of their A cappella arrangements in the language of Rukwangali, from the Okavango Region in Rundu. The song "Onane" is "words of wisdom passed on from parent to child... what you sow in life is exactly what you will harvest... make good choices in life and make our world a better place." Their picture-story is featured as part of "The Living Proof that U.S. investments in global health are working!"

 
State Department
While on this first US visit, which was funded by the Namibian Arts Council, they spent the next week touring DC and Miami with the US State Department's VOLVIS program, interacting with other organizations in the states who were working toward HIV/Aids awareness. Their story was broadcast by Voice of America.

Overwhelming Response in US - November 2009
Next, the group spent 3 weeks in the DC/Baltimore/New York area sharing their music and message in concerts for many schools and churches where they were received enthusiastically time after time with an overwhelming response from all ages!
High School students were especially moved, even to tears, by their dedication to using their gifts to help others.
Students at the prestigious Juilliard School of the Arts in New York City were amazed at the quality of their intricately blended harmonies and expressed disbelief that they had no formal training!

ShareTheMic.com
Before completing their first US tour, VM6 auditioned for ShareTheMic in New York City where they were warmly welcomed as the first international group to be a part of the launch of ShareTheMic! The producers invited Vocal Motion Six to arrange and record the ShareTheMic theme song "Only One World" in the studio 2 days later!