Praising Growth in Philippine Violin Music

Has violin music in the Philippines gone sour? Are we lacking talent? Why haven't we produced a single violinist who's truly world renowned? Why don't we have an orchestra that is comparable to other countries?

These are some of the questions we, as musicians, ask ourselves. I believe that Filipinos have the ability to rise above any situation and have the adaptability, seasoned with a great amount of uniqueness, and heaps of support that will ultimately help us stand out and excel in anything and that includes the world of music.

Let's face it; classical musicians are not the only ones who struggle to be recognized. It not only takes talent and dedication but a great deal of marketing and loads of sponsorship to help a person or a group's career.

Before I propose a solution to the perceived inadequacy of Filipino talent and place responsibility to the government and politics in general I would like to enumerate some of the significant people and institutions in the Philippines I've come across with that have contributed not only to my appreciation, love and respect for the violin but have also continued to promote its existence in our small Philippine archipelago.

Here are some that I would like to mention:
I

Coke Bolipata- his concert series with the Pundaquit players and his program in Zambales , as well as his collaboration with other artists

Redentor Romero- bringing foreign musicians and foreign trained Filipino musicians, but a more lasting legacy are his arrangements for the Filipino violin repertoire, and his book "An American Affair" that chronicled his life as a Filipino musician.

Gilopez Kabayao- his contribution to violin literature and by touring the provinces, promoting violin music

Prof. Esmilla- whose tenacity and meticulous musicianship are well known among musicians whether as violin teacher or conductor

Joseph Esmilla- his violin concerts that challenge and encourage young violinists as well as his contemporaries who understand what it takes to take on solo recitals and concerts

Mr. Basilio "Billy" Manalo- has produced excellent violinists whose teaching was our connection to the Galamian-pedagogical legacy

Mr Arturo Molina- right hand of Mr Billy Manalo, his work as mentor and conductor has yet to be fully appreciated and recognized

Moises Caluya- an example of marginalized violin teachers who pay-forward the training gained from Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA) and abroad

Amador Tamayo- producing quality violins and expert violin repair

II

Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA)-providing government-support that includes training for aspiring musicians

Former first lady Imelda Marcos- for her support to the Arts, helping send scholars abroad and the establishment of Cultural Center of the Philippines(CCP) and PHSA

Ms Ingrid Sala-Sta Maria- bringing orchestra music to Cebu (by bringing musicians from Manila to help train students including Jeffrey Solares, also a PHSA alumnus)

Mrs. Arambulo- bringing excellence in music through her studio along with the Suzuki Teacher training and master classes that featured violinist Donnie Fernandez among others

Sister Mary Placid Abejo- her countless contribution to the development of the arts

Odette Alcantara-patron of the arts who opened her home to chamber concerts and recitals that allowed Filipino musicians, great and small, to showcase their talent.

Mrs. Rizalina Exconde-Buenaventura (Mrs. B)- her dedication in teaching

It may seem a bit strange to include some names and exclude others or to include some but have little to say. My intention in doing this is to show how a person might view violin history in the Philippines differently. In section I, some might question the inclusion of Moises Caluya, and possibly write off section II altogether. But, surely everyone would agree that preschool and elementary teachers deserve as much praise for what they do in training the young. This is why I am trying to balance out the classification of who's significant enough to make the roll call of being part of Philippine violin history. Let's take Mrs B for example; she would be brushed off since she has usually been referred to more as the wife of Col. Buenaventura, or the grandmother of violinist, Regina Buenaventura. I'm sure she is proud to be known as such but she can stand on her own. She has produced many violin students that could fill orchestras and in reality are members of the orchestra but more importantly are following her legacy as a dedicated teacher. She was such a fearless performer and gained respect for her musicality. But as some women violinists do, she got married (to a musical giant) and had children. In so doing, she had to work around her role as a wife and mother while trying to do as much as she can as a violinist.

One thing I learned well from my history professors (whether in music history or Philippine history), is not to believe everything that's written.

When it comes to violin music, our history in the Philippines is in its "Classical era." It is where things are starting to get standardized or should I say, formalized. Instead of harping on our past laurels and trying to distinguish who stands out and who's mediocre I would like to share a dream we can all share in actualizing.

I dream of a Philippines where not only Luzon has the monopoly of sought after music schools but even Visayas and Mindanao have competitive music programs where students would flock to. It would be similar to a music student's "dilemma" in having to decide whether to go East coast or West coast in the US and still have to figure out which particular school. Why? Because despite the Juilliard experience that is rightly glorified; both private and public schools in America (East or West) have highly qualified violin teachers.

I also dream of a Philippines where there is a Violin Teacher's Guild so students and teachers don't have to wait for National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA) to have good, friendly competition. By doing this, I hope that violin teachers from different "camps" get together and share the joys of being able to produce great violinists. This is a possibility now because I believe there's hardly a violin teacher in the Philippine, I hope, who tells their student not to go to a certain teacher or school because of "bad history" with that person/institution. Instead, teachers can tell their students to try out a different teacher, someone who might be a better match or someone they can learn a different method from.

We have made progress by the simple example of outgrowth in music studios. And even if orchestra programs that were started have failed to continue because of sponsorship or other reasons, the seed planted by them is embedded in the hearts and minds of those who came in touch with these institutions (I am referring to the San Miguel Philharmonic Orchestra as well as the Cebu Symphony Orchestra and others).

We need to start and change our mindsets. Instead of saying "we're too colonial or there’s too much politics” just start with a simple "Yes we can!" The problem lies not entirely because of limited resources and lack of support from the government. Even in America there are schools where music is not part of the curriculum. In educational institutions, the budget cuts always affect the arts and sports. They are the first to be let go. But, with dedicated music teachers, music or more specifically, violin music can stay alive and can have a significant part in more schools all over Philippines. In addition to our more popular rondallas and bands our high school programs can have orchestras.

Having more teachers and violin students, local violin-making could expand or at least violin repair shops instead of having one reliable one for the whole country. Then, music stores could also hold more selection of music and violin products that include Filipino violin repertoire and recordings.

It wouldn't hurt to have a government that has great support for the arts but these days in an economic crisis when military expense is exhausted or maybe mismanaged, violin music continues to thrive. It doesn't take a musician to realize how much improvement there has been by seeing the numerous outgrowths of music studios and the development of music extension programs as well as smaller orchestras around the region. These orchestras may not have the trademark of big name violin greats in Filipino violin history but their sole existence marks progress.

This is not to say that we are at par with other Asian countries when it comes to the quality of music but from this aspect alone there has been tremendous amount of growth.

In order to dish out more suggestions or alternatives, let me single out PHSA. It has produced many great artists but to a violinist, the program needs to improve to be able to accommodate at least a string orchestra. This means, recruitment and acceptance of more music majors and less of other art fields. Why? Because in other countries like Taiwan and Korea regular high school programs give students the edge in whatever field they would like to pursue in College. For music that means, early training not only in performance but in Music Theory. To place upon a single institution like PHSA to take on the burden of bringing higher education in music is too much. It is a good thing that people like Sister Placid had the vision to support our great violin mentoring tandem, Manalo-Molina method, because musicians need the help of different establishments in order for us to focus in our music making.

If we have more violin teachers who are able to equip others then the truly talented ones will have a chance to learn and develop something that would otherwise be left to chance. It is a notable effort that some have taken upon themselves to bring music education to their respective circle of influence. Some have projects that include the donation of instruments, music materials and such. But I cannot stress enough the importance of having more violin teachers. Not those who teach simply as a means of income but teachers who have the calling to really pass on whatever knowledge they have gained to those who in turn could do the same for others, whether in the Philippines or to other parts of the world.

The Philippines is in need of better music libraries- we need more so that not only Universities/Colleges provide the best resources but maybe if a Patron of the Arts could start a collection (music recordings and books) where violin students of all ages can have access to music materials then learning would be on a more optimum level.

We can also have more music stores- we need to have a place where we know we can get music without having to resort to photocopying.

And best of all, with such stores more Filipino violin literature could be made available, like having more legal copies of works by Mr. Romero and Mr. Kabayao produced by our own publishers to be distributed and shared to the world. We have great composers of music and violin music by our very own Vallejo, Molina, Buenaventura, San Pedro, Kasilag and so on. But even our music schools have limited hard copies.

There is definitely a lack of knowledge or maybe lack of business sense on our part to at least make our violin literature a staple to the classical world of music. It shouldn't take a foreigner to take it upon themselves to gather all these great violin literature we have and make it part of a concert artist's repertoire.

Violin music in the Philippines has improved, maybe not the way we can recognize straight-way since there is no charismatic personality that attracts millions. But there is definitely talent, it would be unfair to use the parameters like using a big name school, number of solo concerts, or write-ups to gauge and compare Philippine born violinists. Not everybody chooses a solo career or even to study abroad for that matter. For many Filipinos, having a decent job that can help support the family is still what comes first. This is why others decide to go the route of playing for hotels/restaurants, or cruise ships. Violin teaching position in Philippine Universities is still limited, and setting up one's studio takes time and a whole lot of dough.

Violin teachers may not always be great performers, but by teaching, one changes a person's life. A regular teacher might have one really talented student for every 10 students taught but all the others whether they turn out to be decent string players or not, they become part of the force behind this network of music aficionados. But, to look at things in the perspective given me by Mrs. Buenaventura; she said that as a violinist, one continues to grow and learn throughout life and when the time comes that other jobs become obsolete in heaven (no more doctors and lawyers), she'd still be relevant being a musician. With more teachers like her in our Music schools, what Juilliard had with Dorothy Delay, I am certain that we will eventually produce great solo violinists that would become world renowned and our orchestras will have the high esteem that other countries have with their own. Our violin soloists would be the ones booked for concerts in other countries and the names of our schools and teachers will be the standard of comparison. This is a dream that will come true only if we believe it is possible and if we can learn to work together instead of tearing each other. We need to learn to help and support the teachers who make it possible for soloists to start their baby steps and by having these teachers who encourage students; many will become part of a great orchestra that will make the soloists shine even more.