Our Music Journey So Far

When I was young,  I was lucky to have access to music in different forms and styles.  It was so accessible we actually took it for granted and for a time,  wasted the opportunity.  

My mother was a piano teacher,  the best basic piano teacher in our small town.  She knows how to make a person play a musical instrument with information that sticks as a core memory.  Not just the easy playing style that would make you copy playing a piece and when the session ends you will never play the instrument again.  She is good in theory and possibly child psychology or people reading she can customize a curriculum so that you can eventually play the instrument,  find your own time to go back again, and still could play and progress even after the session.    However,  she was my mother and I never was into making music as a passion so I didn't like my Saturday playtime and TV time stopped by piano practice and lessons during my youth.  So that became my chance to be a virtuoso. Lol

But still, the piano was there in the living room, and my mother and sister (one of her daughters did end up in the conservatory) will play classical pieces amidst continuous television sounds.  There will be radio music in our girls' room blasting with pop music of my older music taste.  Dad will have his morning drive music in the car and on Sundays.  Gospel music when we were involved in the choir.  My personal music was the folk-rock of the 60's and 70's (from vinyls left by my uncles) new wave and eventually added musicals, RNB, disco, etc., etc.

My mother eventually got frustrated and let the music skip our generation.   She would find solace when once in a while,  we would ask for sheet music or a music-related recommendation, she would readily be of assistance.

Then the grandchildren came.  Summers will always have sessions with Lola T for the older grandchildren,  W had to wait for her turn.  She would see the older cousins with their lessons and became the salingpusa singer sitting beside the piano bench during such sessions.  Too young,  Lola patiently waits.  

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Then one afternoon when she was 7 we had a home disaster and the electrical system went berzerk.  We had to stay at the grandparents' while the house circuits were being repaired.  W was then playing with a midi software on her iPad and she was composing a tune.  I often hear her making tunes on Medly but when this composition sounded good,  Lola noticed it too.   Lola did her magic, and a week-long session made wonders in the composition.  And then Lola declared W was ready.

W became an official student of Lola, and we visited Lola at her music studio that was near our home.  Weekly sessions which will be part of mom and daughter update (Mama and me) and then giving W some lessons,  from here even Lola realized and declared W had a perfect pitch.  We enjoyed these moments that eventually will be our last bonding sessions, and after a few months,  my mom died. 

The lessons stayed in W's heart,  we never had any official piano teacher after her.  W developed her skill in illustration and eventually animation we set aside music officially for a while.   This was 2019.

Then the pandemic happened and ended and since we were homeschooling I was looking for a MAPEH component of our schoolwork and decided to enroll  W in a voice class.   Weeks into the classes,  I searched and grabbed some chord references for the playlist the teacher gave her.    Then on the piano, I basically explained the 1-3-5 and the 1-4-5 of chords on a keyboard  (sorry I can't explain on a blog but I can explain on a keyboard,  but the music people will surely know this) we got from Mama's office.   A session of this had us completing a piece with me on the digital piano,  within the same session,  W was singing and playing.    The keyboard that was once on the top shelf is now prominently and permanently set in the spare room so W has access to this when an idea or an urge comes by.  In a few months, she could master chords for her songs and playlists.

Then we moved to do ukelele for a more mobile type showing her basic chords and strumming,  she did not immediately master the same even if we bought a new one.  She sat on this for more than a year but again when she was ready she just did YouTube learning with a "recommended teacher" of a friend who was into the instrument.  Readiness is the key.  In no time she learned all the needed chords,  even the harder ones, and she started finger plucking.  In between these since we (the parents) get the kick of her easily playing new instruments we throw her instruments to play around,  a xylophone (one used for lyre marching bands,) a taisho koto, a kalimba, a recorder, and harmonica.  I suddenly bought and installed new strings for an old guitar, had her tinker with her Lola's accordion (I did the pulling of the heavy moveable side,) dusted off another top-shelf instrument, the violin (later,) and asked for other instruments from my mother's stash in my siblings' homes. We got a saxophone,  haha.

I found an announcement from my FB feed about a seminar about the kutiyapi.  A month earlier,  we attended an event that had the kids see, touch, and play indigenous instruments and W lined up to play with the kulintang and she played it like a"pro."  Obviously, she was not but she immediately heard the gongs' note and was playing a tune on the next tap.   I shared with her the trivia that this was her Tita's instrument in university,  isn't that cool?  So coming from that high,  I encouraged W to try it out.  There was this audition phase and we prepared a video of her playing the ukelele,  not yet a master but at least the tunes were already distinguishable from her playing.  I was already inquiring about acquiring the instrument just in case we got accepted.

We initially got a decline,  they were asking if W can play the guitar at least.  I said I could try to transition her to guitar and would make another video audition with the guitar.  I already told W at this point that we did not make it but I still taught her some chords.  She at this point was all for doing the second audition but also sharing that the guitar was too big for her.  Her spirit was willing, and we prepared her piece. I just told myself that if we didn't make it, the budget for the new instrument would be used for a smaller guitar for her to use.  We then got a yes.  We immediately purchased the kutiyapi and got it in time for the first session.  When the first day came.. Woah.. It was overwhelming enough to be allowed to study an IP (Indigenous People) instrument by a master Guro Karatuan Kalanduyan but everybody else was on the level you can call a teacher.. my classmates were experts on stringed instruments, conservatory level,  on  IP instruments,  IP studies, culture related studies,  we were just so humbled to be allowed to unbox this learning.  Also realized that Guro made a special size kutiyapi with an understanding of her age and stature, W completed her tasks with good feedback. She still plays her kutiyapi for practice.  We can't wait for next year so we can again enroll in advanced classes for kutiyapi.

After the kutiyapi we embarked on shifting to guitar, with the motivation we gained from the workshop W easily shifted from the ukelele to a guitar. This time,  her dad motivated her by buying a new guitar that was suitably sized for her too.

Summer break came and we saw she was ready for another journey,  it is best to lay all the options she has musically.  We enrolled her in a violin tutorial class as the instrument is more complicated, plus youtube powers cannot provide the form, the tuning, or the bow hold.. I  personally in separate decades twice wanted to learn the violin but I got discouraged by the scratchy sound I only managed to make.  It was my second violin as if a new violin would improve my sound. This violin carefully chosen by my mother (on my second attempt) will be what W will use in her musical dim sum.  It wasn’t the violin that produced the scratchy sound,  and I humbly admit, it was just me.  W can already play properly after session 2.  Finally, the violin found its rightful master. 

I still wanted her to try out the flute and at least we make the saxophone be in working condition.  But that may be too much and I should learn when to stop. 

Writing this while preparing for her very first recital. So far she says these are her top 3 instruments: Keyboard, Guitar, Violin.  I wanted to ask her her top 1 to specialize.  I don’t think she needs to specialize,  maybe just master a playlist for each instrument. She won’t be her grandmother’s last student for nothing.  

Proud mother.

Proud daughter.

Fine that it skipped a generation.