Yes, there’s that “practice, practice, practice” thing. But it takes a village to get there. It takes a village to get anywhere. A village of one or two, hundreds, thousands…
Our Zoomers and local CC Strummers all know Tom Kuwata. He’s been strumming his uke and picking the U-bass with us since 2010. I remember the last song we sang and played together at The Culver City Senior Center before California went on Covid 19 lockdown. These 2020’s have been one communal trauma after another, but we were hopeful and really “feeling it” as we sang Don’t Worry Be Happy. Then, after the final strum, the last toot on a kazoo, we closed the door on that chapter in our history.
But two weeks later The CC Strummers re-grouped and reinvented ourselves on Zoom. We opened our new virtual doors to everyone, anywhere, who wanted to login and make music with us. Tom brought his grandson Ethan and we fell in love with this kid. I mean, just look at that smile, and he was strumming and playing fancy stuff on the uke at lightning speed.
By then Ethan was a veteran performer in his elementary school productions. A triple threat in-the-making: Singing, dancing, acting. His parents, Tom’s son Todd and Emiko, picked up on this too and wisely enrolled him in The Morgan-Wixon Theater’s Youth/Education Series in Santa Monica. And just like that, Ethan’s village grew exponentially. In 2017, he appeared in his first production: A Winter’s Tale. Grandpa Tom saved all the playbills.
This interview is gold! Ethan talks up the ukulele. We get to meet mom and dad! We get to see this talented teenager on stage. We get to applaud the remarkable village—family, friends, professionals, amateurs at The Morgan-Wixon who are supporting and inspiring each other through interesting times. Click Here to watch.
Ethan attended The Academy of Music and Performing Arts (AMPA) at Hamilton High Magnet School and performed in their productions. Through it all, several CC Strummers showed up to support his work and his remarkable family.
Later this summer, Ethan begins his sophomore year at the prestigious Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at California State University, Long Beach. His freshmen year culminated with a performance at Carnegie Hall. With his musical village. Do you need a few seconds to take that in?
We don’t know what the future holds for Ethan. Or you. Or me. But somehow, if we are lucky enough to fall into the arms of a village (of some kind), we can learn the language, we learn to endure, we learn to thrive.
Ethan is part of my village and I’m rooting for him. I often think about the numberless people whom I have met in my life, who embraced me, in their own unique ways, who brought me joy or cast ominous shadows, who brushed by in seconds or lingered for decades. They bring me to this moment. All of them. Let’s give Ethan and his village a standing ovation…and include ourselves in that celebration!
