A few weeks ago 24 children from the Goducate music program in Laguna had a special outing to Manila. They went to listen to their violin teacher Liezl perform at a concert at Arellano University. As an additional treat, the children were brought to a large shopping mall in Manila. For some of the children, many of whom come from small villages in Laguna, it was their very first time in a large mall.
Liezl had just finished a three-month perfoming arts (singer/musician) course at Arellano University. It was a Phillipines TESDA (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority) accredited course.
In 2011 Liezl was one of 5 violinists from the Goducate Orchestra who were selected by a Channel News Asia program, Once Upon A Village, to go to Singapore for a couple of weeks of intensive training at the Wolfgang Music Studio. Liezl was invited back by the studio for a couple more visits to prepare for the Grade 5 Trinity College music examinations in the violin, which she passed with a merit in mid-2012.
Since her return to Laguna she has been teaching the beginners and the juniors in the Goducate orchestra how to play the violin. Her students were very encouraged and inspired watching her perform at the concert to mark the end of her course. She said that she wants to teach them the right techniques, intonation, flexibility and style in playing the instrument.
We hope that the children in the music program will have the opportunities that Liezl has had to further their musical training, or to get scholarships to university on the strength of their musical ability, as several other Goducate musicians have done.
