From left: Event host Jungee Marcelo, Songwriting Boot Camp masters Ryan Cayabyab and Noel Cabangon, PhilPop chair Manuel V. Pangilinan, OPM board member Dingdong Avanzado, and PhilPop vice president Patrick C. Gregorio
On its sixth year, the Philippine Popular Music Festival Foundation (PhilPop) will organize a series of boot camps for aspiring composers in key regions around the country, instead of mounting the usual songwriting contest.
“We do not want to leave out the competition component of PhilPop, but this break allows us to look back at our past five years and conduct an assessment of our projects. We will look into how we can improve our initiative to better help budding songwriters,” PhilPop board member Noel Cabangon told the Inquirer.
“For the meantime, we want to have something more educational and immersive,” added Cabangon, who was also named boot camp master, along with Ryan Cayabyab.
The boot camp, which has utilized the theme “#dumadagundong2017” to reflect PhilPop’s goal of expanding its reach and tapping undiscovered local talents, is open to aspiring songwriters aged 16 and up. Application and registration is open until March 30 at www.philpop.com.ph.
The event has four legs—in Antipolo on May 11 to 14; Baguio, July 13 to 16; Cebu, Sept. 14 to 17, and Davao, Nov. 23 to 26.
Ryan Cayabyab
Twenty scholars will be awarded all-expenses-paid sessions with some of the country’s most skilled songwriters and past PhilPop winners and finalists, including Thyro Alfaro, Yumi Lacsamana, Jungee Marcelo and Jazz Nicolas.
And should the campers decide to join the contest, which is expected to return next year, their entries will automatically make it to the Top 300.
“The participants will be screened thoroughly. We will select those who have a background in composing, then we will pick it up from there. We will equip them with the tools needed to develop their craft,” said Cabangon.
According to Cabangon, the syllabus includes the basics of melody and lyric writing, music theory and arranging. “We will also be tackling copyright laws and the business aspect of music, which is crucial for them to learn, especially these days when everyone can easily upload their music online,” he related.
“We will also be sharing with the applicants our personal experiences,” he added. “But more than all the technical stuff, we will also discuss the intangibles, like fostering passion and harnessing creative inspiration.”