Vivan Las Humanidades: The 2017 Music Literature Minor Graduates
As the school year draws to a close, we take time to congratulate the graduates of the Music Literature Minor program of the School of Humanities. This year, we have three graduates, each from different backgrounds and different lives. Let us read their testimonies as they leave the Ateneo with newfound knowledge and a foundation of music that makes them better equipped to face the real world.
The Music Literature Minors, Kim Pamela Co, Macky Manlulo and Yani Pulido with the Chair of the Interdisciplinary Studies Department, Dr. Jonathan Chua
Kim Pamela Co
AB Interdisciplinary Studies
The first music literature class I’ve ever attended was when I was a sophomore. It was Sir Jonathan Coo’s Rudiments class. I remember walking up the Rizal Library steps eagerly, and by the top of the staircase, I was out of breath from ‘walking’ too fast. I’ve always loved music, and attending a class all about it excited me very much. In all the five classes I’ve taken, all under Sir Coo, I’ve always felt at home. This was likely because music literature was not only interesting to me, but it was relatable to an extent for music was something that I could definitely relate to.
Growing up, I was always encouraged by my parents to pursue performing as a vocalist. They taught me to love whatever it was I was passionate about, and always keep learning more about it. This is something I definitely carried over even to my college years, as taking a minor in music literature was a manifestation of that.
Aside from music, another thing close to my heart is sharing what I love to others, especially children who are very eager to learn as well. Through one of my music literature classes, we were able to do so, with the help of an organization called Musikero, and visit Manila Boystown’s girls’ home in Marikina to teach the children there a bit of what we’ve learned. Some music literature classes also performed classic songs for them, and both the students and children enjoyed. Through these small yet impactful activities, we can see how music definitely bridges people together and serves as a pleasant break from stress sometimes.
A little bonus that I got through the music literature program was watching an orchestra live, in CCP. Naturally, we had to write a paper about it and discuss key points that we picked up through the experience, but I didn’t mind. It definitely was an experience not a lot of people have the privilege to witness and go through. I was not only thankful for the opportunity but for the fact that I’ve learned enough from my classes so far to be able to appreciate it not just as a passive audience member, but a student of music literature.
Ateneo prides itself with its focus on humanities and the music literature program contributes to this. In my stay in Ateneo, I’ve met a multitude of music lovers and I know that a program that caters to their passions will definitely hone their skills and remind them how important it is to love what you love, and keep learning all about it. As that student who impulsively rushes up the staircase every first day of a new music literature class, I can definitely attest to this.
Yani Pulido
BS Applied Mathematics with Specialization in Mathematical Finance
Making choices is never an easy task. After high school, I had to choose between studying music in a conservatory and studying in the Ateneo. It has been a dream of mine to study music, and to pursue music professionally. As you can probably tell just by reading this article, you already know that I chose to study in Ateneo. This decision took a huge toll on me especially during my first two years in college. There were plenty of opportunities for music in the Ateneo, especially through the different student organizations. I was a bit happy, but I felt that I wasn’t learning enough.
In my third year of college, I was finally able to use one of my free electives. With no hesitation, I enlisted in sir Jonathan Coo’s Rudiments of Music class. I remember the gush of excitement I felt when I first walked in to the classroom and saw the huge baby grand piano. It was the first real piano that I saw in the Ateneo, and it was kept hidden from me for the whole two years that I had been in the school thus far! I was excited to finally get the chance to take a music class.
I wasn’t wrong to enlist in the class. This class made me feel alive. I was surrounded by Ateneans who also shared a passion for music, and I really wanted to absorb as much as I could. With all the pressures of my academic workload from my major subjects, I found comfort in the rudiments class. It was my stress reliever that semester. I was happy.
The next semester after that, I didn’t get to take any music classes, since my next free elective was scheduled in my fourth year. I used that semester to really think about whether I could survive the next two years without any music classes. It was then that I decided that I wanted to take a minor in music literature, just as sir Coo had suggested.
It was through the music literature minor program that I got to learn more about the different composers of classical music, about how to critique and write music articles, about the life and musicianship of the Filipino composer Angel Pena, about Liturgical music history and traditions, and most especially, about the basics of music theory. I’ve been able to apply most, if not all of the things I learned in these classes in my different music endeavors in my student organizations. As my Ateneo journey comes to an end this May 2017, I realize that had I not taken these classes, my academic life would have been a boring one.