At this year’s summer music workshop we were fortunate to have Elaine Mallari from the Manila Symphony Orchestra come to teach the violin on the first day. She also gave John Ericson, the Goducate Orchestra’s principal cello player, a short lesson.
The 13 students who each received a violin donated by Wolfgang Violin Studio (Singapore) earlier this year when Channel News Asia did a TV programme on the Goducate Orchestra will form our Junior String Orchestra.
Students who are not learning to play an instrument received voice training.
What we still lack are competent teachers in the viola, cello, double bass and clarinet.
Elaine Mallari training the students who will form the Junior String OrchestraJohn Ericson teaching Jerome (last year a guitar student) how to play the celloStudents undergoing voice trainingMariane and Mary Jane practising the clarinet
Goducate held its second summer music workshop last week (May 10-14). The 63 people who registered came from the music and feeding programmes that we hold in several villages. They were taught largely by members of the Goducate Orchestra. This is part of the Goducate philosophy—those who have been taught by Goducate in turn teach others. Many of the teachers at this year’s workshop were teaching an instrument that they had learnt to play at last year’s workshop, while also learning a new instrument this year.
The camp was held in a spa resort whose kind owner does not charge us for the use of the premises for orchestra training. We ferried some of the students back and forth to their villages each day while others camped out at the resort.
Thanks to the generosity of a South African who visited us recently, we were able to add a cello and a double bass to our stock of instruments.
Manuel, who taught the guitar last year, teaching keyboard this yearStudents practicing how to handle the bowPaul, who started at age 6 last year with the recorder, learning to play his quarter-size violin with 5 others.
Last month three members of the Goducate Orchestra—Jessica Evangelista (flautist), Mariel Camposo (violinist), and Kimberly Cabalfin (violinist)—graduated from high school in Laguna. Through an informal arrangement Goducate was invited to present them with Certificates of Recognition at the school’s graduation ceremony. This presentation was a complete surprise to the students and their parents.
Jessica
Jessica graduated as class valedictorian. She received 11 medals and numerous certificates for her various extracurricular activities. Her parents were surprised that she topped the class because she spent so much time on orchestra practice. Asked how she managed, she said, “Thank you for the Goducate Orchestra, for the discipline that it taught me. One thing I Iearn that being an orchestra member is just like you are studying in school. Being an orchestra member, you need to persevere, you need to listen carefully to the conductor, you need to practice the skills and knowledge that the teacher teaches you. And the same principles you need in studying in school. That’s why, the principles I acquired being an orchestra member, I applied it when I was studying high school”.
Jessica’s mother told me that when Mrs Calora, the lady who donated the land for the school, heard that Jessica received a Certificate of Recognition from Goducate for her services as a volunteer going to villages to teach other children music, Mrs Calora was impressed and said that she would look for sponsors to help young people like Jessica.
It made me realize that there are people willing to help the needy but they don’t know who to support. Goducate helps the needy to help themselves and others, and to draw these people to the attention of sponsors.
