Education/training
Recording artist has an exit planOmar Lunan arrives for his interview bright-eyed and alert, belying the fact he had been in a recording studio until 2 a.m. the same morning, laying down vocal tracks for an a cappella version of Silent Night. MARK TOLJAGIC |
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 [ 2005-12-07 ] |
Even though Centennial College massage therapy student Omar Lunan is an accomplished vocalist and composer, he wants to keep a second career close at hand.
"We wanted to do a Christmas carol for the radio," he says enthusiastically, mindful of the need to find time for these projects to keep his band's name front and centre during the busiest retail season of the year.
Lunan, 26, is one of four members of The Show, an up-and-coming "urban reality" band that hails from Scarborough. Consisting of Lunan, Joel Legall, Dane Auston and Mateo Charlton, The Show is an innovative blend of hip-hop, rhythm and blues, soul, gospel, reggae and alternative influences.
Over the 10 years they've written and performed together, the group has become a tight, cohesive band that has grown professionally. They have opened for such nationally known artists as Ginuwine, Usher, 98 Degrees and Sugar Jones -- Canada's very own first Pop Stars.
"The one thing we're consistent about is being inconsistent and interesting," says Lunan about the band's inability to be categorized.
Despite the considerable success The Show has seen to date -- their debut album, Debt, Sweat and Tears, has earned them some critical acclaim -- Lunan has sacrificed a lot of his precious time to pursue a college diploma in massage therapy. Just in case his music career winds down.
"With my strong science grades, I had considered becoming a doctor. But I've found the profession can sometimes be quite impersonal," Lunan says. "The more I heard about massage therapy, the more I liked the idea of becoming a therapist."
He enrolled in massage therapy at Centennial College, an intense three-year program that provides its students with a large number of clinical hours spent working on patients.
Massage therapy has grown in popularity not just as rehabilitation for clients with injuries, but as an important wellness strategy. Increasingly, it is being used in traditional health-care settings such as hospitals.
"PORTABLE CAREER"
Once graduates write the provincial exams to qualify for the Registered Massage Therapist (RMT) designation, they're typically self-employed or work under contract in a therapy clinic.
The profession appeals to Lunan because he can practise it anywhere the music takes him. "It's a portable career; my tools are all here," he says, holding up his hands.
Incredibly, when he's not in class or rehearsing with his band mates, Lunan finds the time to tutor other students in the science subjects -- such as anatomy and physiology -- that are prevalent in the program.
His tutoring hints at another career goal he'd like to pursue after he graduates in the spring: teaching.
"Teaching massage would be amazing," Lunan says, but adds he wants to complete a Bachelor of Science degree first through correspondence courses offered by Athabasca University in Alberta.
Then there's The Show.
"Music is a career that starts when you can," he offers, noting that the other band members are all working at jobs while he's at college. When they resume The Show (www. intheshow.com) next spring, travel will figure highly in their plans.
"Urban music is growing in popularity in Asia and Europe. Germany is an up and coming market for us," he says.
Wherever the music takes him, Lunan is confident he has a second career ready, literally at his fingertips, to help him survive the rollercoaster ups and downs of the entertainment industry.
"The music -- and the business -- is changing every day. We have to be ready for anything."
For more details about Centennial's Massage Therapy program, visit www.centennialcollege.ca/applied/massage.
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