DepEd faces the music
Have we ever stopped and thought about our achievements and reputation as Filipinos worldwide? More and more, Filipinos have put our country on the map by entertaining and inspiring the world through the gift of song. When we travel to different countries, we notice there is something a particular nationality is innately good at. We recall the passion of the Italians for cooking or the business acumen of the Chinese. For us Filipinos, it seems loud and clear that our niche lies in the performing arts. Until now, the world has not yet heard a voice more beautiful and pristine as that of Lea Salonga’s. Many other Pinoys have followed in her footsteps on Broadway, regaling and enchanting people worldwide.
In Singapore, the much-talked-about staging of the Lion King banners four Filipino children alternating as Nala and Simba, among a talented and professional cast of Caucasians and native Africans. We may seem to take it for granted here in our country, but when my family travels on vacation, we cringe in pain every time we hear other nationalities perform onstage. The few times we are impressed by singers or pianists, most of the time, we soon realize that the ones performing are Filipinos.
Filipinos attuned to music is also evident in our classrooms. Teaching in an ordinary Philippine school may be very frustrating at times. Our students do not have the academic rigor and discipline we hear about in countries such as Japan and Korea. Making our students analyze and synthesize information takes a lot of effort and motivation on the part of the teacher. Most of the time, the students would prefer lower cognitive activities, like memorizing, copying or reciting. Task the students to write and perform a song and everything changes. Many times, they can capture a very complex truth in one or two lines of a chorus affixed with a catchy melody. Use a song to get the students’ attention about a lesson, and their usually sleepy and unenthusiastic eyes light up with curiosity and interest. Ask them to sing like their favorite foreign artist, and the stiffest Filipino tongue could suddenly pronounce English words like there was an American exchange student inside the classroom. To drum it in, there is a powerful and natural connection between Filipinos and music.
Which is why a joint project of the Department of Education, Kulturang Lahi Inuuna Ko (KLIK), and Original Pilipino Music (OPM), should truly be welcome news for public school teachers around the country. Called Original Pilipino Music Development Program, the project aims to preserve and promote Filipino culture through the composition and performance of Original Pilipino Music. The curriculum was written by no less than world-class artist/composer Ryan Cayabayab, with topics that include teaching music, words, and how songs are made, as well as vocal and performance workshops. Not your ordinary music class, the end product, as envisioned by the synergy of the three groups, is nationwide competitions, starting off with local districts and regions. DepEd has other ambitious plans for their pilot batch of students, which include producing a TV show that will feature the unique culture and setup of participating schools and launching the project in social media like Youtube to make the original compositions accessible to everyone. The songs to be composed will follow the theme “Do Not Be Afraid,” which is supposed to encourage Filipinos to incite the spark of societal change. If successful, DepEd plans to integrate the program with the prescribed school curriculum followed by all public schools nationwide.
When one is forced to listen to Philippine radio these days, it’s a relief to hear songs like Gloc-9’s Upuan and Walang Natira, encouraging Filipinos to think about what has happened to our country. Some others have followed suit. Siakol’s Gawing Langit ang Mundo incites people to social action and Silang Di Pupunta sa Langit opens Filipinos’ minds to tolerance and acceptance of socially outcast groups. Truth be told, it is our radio songs that shape our consciousness as a people, especially that of the masses.
St. Augustine once said that singing a song to God is praying twice. Using the same logic, DepEd’s program is expected to promote a twice-richer experience of learning. Often, we hear of countries that have indoctrinated patriotism and nationalism through basic education. These strategies will never work in a country like ours that has already produced a disillusioned people. But perhaps, through the magic and emotional appeal of music, Filipinos may once again take to heart the value of loving one’s country and offering their lives for motherland. Both song and national consciousness, however, are not immediately performed onstage but composed painstakingly inside the acoustic confines of a classroom.
