13-year-old Matthew Mendoza, a Goducate Orchestra violinist, has received a pleasant surprise at the Mabakan Learning Center, where he teaches the violin to some other children. The mothers of those children there have pooled together to give him 50 peso ($1) an hour for the lessons he gives every Saturday afternoon. The idea is that this money will go towards his studies.
Matthew, who began to learn the violin just over a year ago, is one of the 5 musicians selected during the making of the Channel News Asia program Once Upon a Village to go to Singapore for further training later this year.
His violin students, too, are teachers. They teach other children to play the recorder. All this is in keeping with Goducate philosophy of helping the needy to help themselves—and to help others.
Teaching parts of the violinTeaching how to handle the bowTeaching how to handle the violin
Jason was in a jeep (type of public transport) on his way back from another town, where he had gone to teach the violin at another Goducate center, when he had severe cramps affecting his whole body. He was rushed to hospital, where he was found to be lacking in potassium.
He was discharged after almost 4 hours in the emergency room. But before discharge, the attending physician said that he would waive all charges (consultation as well as medication) if Jason would play the violin for him. Naturally, Jason obliged, and received the rapt attention of the doctors, the nurses, and the patients in the emergency room.
Jason has a follow-up appointment with the doctor in about a week’s time. But it is not for a check-up on Jason. It is for a violin lesson for the doctor and his child!
Five members of the Goducate Orchestra have been offered scholarships to college on the strength of their musical ability. Laguna State Polytechnic University (LSPU) has offered to pay all their tuition fees. In return, the students will have to play in LSPU’s brass band and help develop it into a school orchestra. They will be taking Education as their main subject, which will qualify them to teach in secondary schools.
Scholarship students, with orchestra member Liezl Montelibano (in green top) are, L-R: John Ericson Periera (cellist), Edwardo Camposo ( violinist), Jerome Sacabon (cellist), Mayee Decinal (flautist), and Kimberly Cabalfin (violinist).
Goducate will pay for the students’ “miscellaneous” fees, which will cover items such as contributions to the school development fund, utilities bills, computer and internet fees. The students will be able to earn some allowances when the school band is asked to play for functions.
Three of the five students had dropped out of college for 1-2 years because of financial difficulties. The Goducate music program had started as a means of attracting out-of-school youth back into education through the Department of Education Alternative Learning System, which enables students to study at home at their own pace. Goducate is delighted that the program has enabled some of them to get back into formal education through music scholarships.
Goducate does not believe in charitable handouts. Hence the students will have to “earn” their miscellaneous fees by spending 2-3 h a week giving lessons to others in the Goducate music program.
