Top 3 Casual Reasons Why You Should Study Music This Summer

I know what you did last summer. (long pause here)

No, I don’t. #justkidding #that1997movie

But I certainly know of a way to make this summer vacation of yours a little more than worthwhile. If your last few summer vacations were spent on the usual gatherings with family and friends and/or killing time at the beach convincing yourself that you love the sun (when in fact you avoid it all cost when you’re in the city), well, it’s time to make it a little more different this time. I say, enrol yourself in a music class. Yes, that random.

It’s time to give music its long-awaited chance. I have here a couple of reasons why you should consider studying music even for just a short period of time.

Do something different with your life this summer.
Source: www.favim.com 

If you’re a student and you love music so much so that you always see yourself belting out that classic Whitney Houston song or strumming that acoustic guitar in front of a big crowd, I believe that this summer is the summer that you have been waiting for.

If you’re a young professional like me, well, all the more that you shouldn’t be wasting time. A lot of music classes are being offered everywhere especially this season and it’s time for you to get something started NOW.

But first, let’s try to see how my list of reasons looks like. Please tell me using the comment box below if you agree, or agree.

You should study music because-

1. You have already watched enough American Idol, Pilipinas Got Talent, The Voice, X Factor Philippines and other singing competitions on TV. If you are the type of person who had always imagined yourself joining one of those competitions mentioned above, then you should really be studying music. Why? Because these competitions are all about music. Well, yes, it’s about performance too but, for me, it’s just a secondary element. If you want to become a good singer, do what singers do. #music
2. You want to perfect that song by Aegis in karaoke. OK, let’s say you have been singing that Aegis song (e.g. Halik, Ulan and etc.) with your friends in karaoke for quite some time now and you’re wondering why you’re not getting enough rounds of applause and standing ovations. Maybe it’s time to find a music teacher. But here’s the thing, stop thinking that your teacher can turn you into an Aegis singer. But a good one will definitely help you discover your own “music”. It’s either he or she will help you sing that Aegis song YOUR WAY or maybe he/she will give you another song. Maybe that song is not for you. Maybe you should be singing something else, like, I don’t know, Call Me Maybe? I mean, who knows?
3. You were inspired by Sunshine Corazon who came from the Philippines where it’s sunny everyday, except for monsoons. I mean, wow! Charice on Glee. Charice on Ellen DeGeneres show. Charice on Oprah. Charice in a David Foster’s concert. And Charice in a duet with Celine Dion. Wow! I am more than inspired! Charice had truly placed the Philippines on the map of the world. But not only her, there’s also Jessica Sanchez, Jasmine Trias, Leah Salonga, Sarah Geronimo, Raph Salazar and many more! I won’t argue with Ellen when she said, “some of the best singers are from the Philippines”. When you hear good comments like this for your fellow Filipinos, I mean, won’t you really give music a chance? It runs in the blood, you know?

Other reasons. Well aside from the reasons I stated above, there are actually MORE SERIOUS reasons why you should start thinking about attending a music class- may it be a voice class, piano class, guitar class or whatnot. Here are some of them.

Music can-

Music can help you become more sociable.
Source: www.memeblender.com

• Enhance your respiratory system
• Relieve your stress
• Improve your memory
• Improve your time management and organizational skills
• Improve your listening, reading and comprehension skills
• Improve you math
• Sharpen your concentration
• Help you conquer your stage fright
• Teach you important values such as discipline, perseverance and responsibility
• Help you become more sociable
• Be an outlet for your self-expression
• Make you happy

KeyStrings Music

If you live in Manila and is currently on a lookout for a music class that you can enrol yourself in, I am happy to tell you about KeyStrings Music. I’ve met the founders of KeyStrings during one of the most unexpected moments in my life, when I was invited by my friend to sing for her wedding.

Let me just tell you that I almost didn’t go because of my lack of belief in myself that I can really sing in a wedding setting. But my friend, the bride, believed in me. I mean, it’s her own wedding right? Imagine the risk she was taking during that time. I was so mad at her for even considering me.

But something amazing happened. The first time I rehearsed with the team, I knew that I belong there. With music. (insert Pachelbel’s Canon in D Major here)

And so I want all the aspiring musicians out there who want to give music a shot, to meet this wonderful team, the KeyStrings Music team. They are currently offering classes for kids, juniors, teens and adults. If you’re five years old or above, yes, you are qualified to enrol in any of their classes.

What makes KeyStrings Music special is their unique program called DoReME. It’s a music ensemble class for adults. Through this program, students will have the chance to learn music with other students. Talk about well-rounded learning right? Through this program, students are envisioned to appreciate music even more and to connect with fellow “musicians”. After each DoReME level, students will perform in a recital as their final output that will allow them to move on to the next level.

Rehearsing with KeyStrings Music during my friend's
wedding in Caleruega Church. Liza on violin (leftmost)
and JM on keyboards (rightmost).

It’s also exciting to know that Keystrings Music also invite some of their students to play with them during events such as weddings, debuts and other functions. They value the fact that their students can take their learning to the professional level to gain more experiences outside the classroom and consequently become better musicians.
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Sounds good music enough, eh?

So if you’re ready, why don’t you grab that phone and start giving this ah-mazing KeyStrings Music team a ring? Here are the digits: 09228935935 and 09064789177.

For more information about KeyStrings Music, please visit their ultra-beautiful website at www.keystringsmusic.com.

Postcript: What I like the most for being able to produce one’s own music is the great opportunity to sing or play an instrument to God during one’s quiet time. If you aspire to become a part of the music team at your local church, I believe that this also is a great motivation for you to study music with a professional music teacher.

God bless you!

Jesus In My Generation

The Youth Service at Victory Ortigas is being held
every Friday starting 7:00pm.

I went to the Youth Service of Victory Ortigas (4/F Robinson's Galleria) last Friday. I couldn't miss this service because the energy of the youth is unmatched! Once you started singing with them, you will be unstoppable! (Insert Chris Tomlin's Our God song at the background and sing!)

I prayed that moment that may our loud singing and fervent prayers be worthy enough to be heard by the Almighty Father. I also prayed that He may use my generation in order to form an army who shall win souls for Him and fight for His glory.

The preacher last Friday told us that we are young and we are living in the most exciting part of our lives. He quoted someone who said, "If you want God’s best for your life, find out what God is doing in your generation and throw yourself into it."

Looking at the present time, I believe that God is using three important resources in making Himself known to the world - music (Chris Tomlin and Planetshakers); social media (blogs, Facebook and Twitter); and influential people (Manny Pacquiao and Jeremy Lin).

Words can't describe how grateful is my soul to God for allowing me to use my talents in both music and social media for His glory. When I already have the time, I am planning to audition for the Music Ministry of Victory Ortigas and get ready to sing my heart out for God! (Auditions are held every Wednesday, 5:00-6:00pm.) And as a blogger, I am determined to use my skills in order to spread God's message of love for all of us. This is the reason why I started this blog- to inspire the youth to be passionate about Jesus!

How about you? What special skill or talent can you use to give glory to God?

"Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy." -Psalm 33:3

Talahib People's Music: Album Launch

TALAHIB band was formed in the event of the Payatas Tragedy Benefit Concert in 2001. It started as an acoustic folk group of tour whose artistic comfort is to promote peoples music. Those early days of Talahib has brought them to various region of the archipelago, and later exposed to traditional rhythms and harmonies of the different Philippine indigenous tribes. With such immersion, the band shaped its music by absorbing the sound of the mountains- the chants, the drumbeats and the enthralling melodies of our native instruments.

At present, Talahib has 26 compositions for almost a decade of performing people’s music.

Win

I am sharing a little something to you that I hope you'd enjoy.  I did a cover for a beautiful song by Brian McKnight and I recorded it in a studio. This has been a very memorable cover for me. I thought my friends liked it and I hope you'll appreciate it too. Please check this out for a while and let me know what you think.

The song is called Win.