I’m honored to share my latest article, published in Alla Breve, the journal of the Kodály Society of Canada (Volume 49). This piece is both deeply personal and professional—a reflection on my journey as a Filipino music educator dedicated to preserving and revitalizing traditional music through culturally responsive education.

ABSTRACT

In this article, I trace my personal and professional journey as a Filipino music educator committed to cultural preservation through music education. Drawing from rich childhood experiences in a small Philippine town, I reflect on witnessing the gradual disappearance of oral musical traditions such as lullabies, serenades, and ritual songs. Although my early formal education was rooted in a Westernized system, my perspective underwent a transformative shift through graduate studies at Holy Names University in California and further immersion in Hungary, where I was deeply inspired by Zoltán Kodály’s legacy.

Recognizing the scarcity of culturally relevant materials in the Philippines, I embarked on extensive self-funded fieldwork across the country, collecting, transcribing, analyzing, and classifying over 1,500 children’s folk songs, games, and rhymes from 39 ethno-linguistic groups. These efforts resulted in several publications, a sequential music teaching model grounded in Philippine materials, and the founding of a teacher training program through the Kodály Society of the Philippines.

This article describes how I seek to bridge tradition and innovation—preserving indigenous music while addressing contemporary challenges such as globalization, identity fluidity, and shifting student interests. I advocate for cultural relevance in music education and a repertoire that thoughtfully honors Filipino roots while engaging with modern realities. Through my work, I aim not only to revitalize endangered traditions but also to empower educators and learners to reconnect with and celebrate their cultural identity.