Ever since attending the International Arts (Arts in Society) conference in Sydney July of this year, and witnessing the Czech Republic’s documentation of and presentation on their native art, music (folk songs) and how they are all intricately tied and connected to national identity (click here to read my blog about the event) – I have been inspired to do something related to it from the Philippine context and using the lenses of creativity, talent development, and flow.
I am happy that Noel Cabangon, a celebrated Filipino singer-songwriter, and a friend as well, has agreed to collaborate with me on this project that is essentially running on passion, commitment, and a desire to share Filipino musical talent and artistry to the international academic community. We are also very glad that Professor Tuting Hernandez from the University of the Philippines (Chairperson of Department of Linguistics) is an active research team member who is looking into the semantics component of Noel’s music.
I have also arranged something with my academic home here in Singapore, the National
Institute of Education, so that they can know about Noel’s music and passion for singing and songwriting. Hence, NIE would be sharing Noel’s artistry in a CARE (Center for Arts Research in Education) Forum Sharing Session through a lunchtime concert on October 25, 2010 entitled “Reflective Journeys of a Singer-Songwriter: A Celebration of Filipino Music.” For those who can’t make it during this time, he would be doing an Acoustic Session that same evening at 7107 Flavours Philippine Cuisine, 6 Raffles Boulevard, #02-02 Marina Square, Singapore.
I am sure that his three-day visit with us would be a fun-filled, soul-enriching journey of reliving his musical roots, retelling of his lifestory, and creative/artistic influences. This is for our presentation next month (November 24-27) on the 3rd International Music Conference (Narrative Inquiry in Music Education) in University of Queensland, Brisbane. Paper title is on “Semantics and Soul in Pinoy Music: Forging a Sense of National Identity through Filipino Musical Talent and Artistry – A Case Study and a Musical Performance.”
This is going to be a hectic two-week period for me, indeed. Hence, I am a bit sidetracked when it comes to doing book reviews. Hopefully, I get to squeeze a bit of writing here and there about our Diaries theme before October ends. But despite the harried lifestyle and filled-to-the-brim schedule, I would not want it any other way. Hopefully GatheringBooks readers who are based in the Philippines would spread the word as well to relatives/friends who are based in Singapore. I am also hoping that my teacher-students here in Singapore who check out this website every now and again would likewise attend the concert at NIE. =) See you!
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