Tourism: beyond conventional approach

The State of Hawaii has begun exploring with cruise ship companies in the West Coast to link the various islands to its visitor package. If it pans out, then Hawaii would be dealing with an entirely different group of visitors.

It’s a market worth exploring with cruise ship companies in Japan and Asia. Our goal is to establish it as a permanent in our tour package to include Saipan, Tinian, Rota and Guam. If there’s a market for it, then we must swim the extra mile to secure it.

Indeed, competition for the Japan-Asian markets is very stiff. Unless we venture beyond conventional wisdom, the rest of our neighbors who have turned their industry into special niche would rob these isles of its visitor share.

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If it matters to us that we offer real hospitality, then we need to begin building cultural shows of these isles into hotel entertainment industry. Indeed, this would take a lot of work, especially in the organization of local musicians and dancers, to work the hotels on a professional basis.

I have done music in my younger days backing professional dancers from Guam, including professional singers from as far away as Las Vegas. It’s a lot of work that entails keeping up with your audience’s musical fancy.

It’s an area that entails a lot of work if only to give young local talents the opportunity to learn the ropes in real entertainment employing a mix of culture and modern fad.

Too, local musicians need to learn the basics of music to have any lasting role in hotel entertainment. In a small island, it’s the hotels where the money is and you can never grab any of it unless you learn the basics and work your way up to the professional level.

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I have listened to most groups here to see how they would fare in hotel entertainment. The Big Beats is a great group to listen to given that they have a superb mix of easy listening music, jazz, chacha, rock and others. As a former musician, it’s my favorite group and I’d spend a little just to immerse myself in the inter-play of each musician on, i.e., such number as Route `66.

The Pacific Waves, a local group, is perhaps the most experienced bunch among local musicians still intact with assorted favorites for any local party. However, it needs a lot of improvement in terms of music and coordination in its final rendition of selected numbers. With a little fine tuning, it should fare superbly well over others who are still struggling to find their niche.

There’s a bright future too for young talents who are willing to build and strengthen their gift of music. And to get to the top is to walk through ravines and valleys down below. In short, learn your basics, practice and refine at least 40 numbers, improve upon vocals especially ones that require harmonizing. Unless you’re willing to work hard and get everything down pad, you’d be wasting your time singing and playing discordant notes.

As your group moves on, eventually you would pin down how you wish to play a certain music or those of your own compositions and arrangements. As a musician, I definitely hate listening to translations of stateside songs or those from nearby islands in the region. If music involves creativity, then each group should be able to work on its own music and identity! Eh, am I making any sense at all? Start with basics in that it’ll grant you the opportunity to find your own destination after you’ve learned how to read maps, yeah?

Strictly a personal view. John S. DelRosario Jr. is publisher of Saipan Tribune.