MUSIKA JORNAL 12 .

2016

LIVING IN THE MOMENT: THE ESSENCE OF

ETHNOGRAPHIC FIELDWORK FOR TEACHING MUSIC
AND DANCE IN THE ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY
LEVELS
Anna Patricia Rodriguez-Carranza

Abstract

In 2013, the Department of Education released the Music

Curriculum Guide for grades 1 to 10 as part of the Enhanced Basic Education
Program, more commonly known as K to 12. The new curriculum advocates
for multicultural and integrative education, including topics and materials
on Philippine music for both elementary and secondary levels. With
new additions to the scope of music education, teachers have to find an
array of sources and materials in order to deliver what the curriculum
requires. This research paper illustrates the advantage of using first-hand
experience through ethnographic fieldwork in the integrative teaching of
music and dance by elementary and secondary music teachers. A focused
group discussion (FGD) involving the first batch of the University of the
Philippines College of Music Extension Program (UP-CMEP) Continuing
Education for Music Teachers (CEMT) Program was conducted to examine
the impact of the three-day fieldwork on Cordillera on the music teachers’
conceptualization and implementation of music lessons, including the
dances, in their particular grade level. The FGD revealed that fieldwork
had a positive impact on teaching, including the informed use of materials
gathered and the confidence to teach multicultural music and dance.

1
 With teachers engaging in ethnographic fieldwork, theories from
written and digital sources become informed with praxis, leading to an
implementation of multicultural music education enhanced by “lifelong
learning”, a key theme espoused by the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) during the 2015 World
Education Forum.

Keywords: fieldwork, lifelong learning, multicultural music education

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 MUSIKA JORNAL 12 . 2016

In the Philippines, significant development in school music

education took place after the destruction brought about by World War II.
Several laws and government mandates ensured the development of school
music education. Music was treated as a separate subject as an effect of the
Music Law, also known as R.A. 4723, enacted in 1966. Music supervision
was instituted in the Bureau of Public Schools to ensure the proper
implementation of music lessons in the public sector. In addition to these,
different music curricula for the elementary and secondary levels each with
a unique philosophy behind its particular end goal, have been implemented,
such as: the 1982 New Elementary School Curriculum (NESC), the 1989 New
Secondary Education Curriculum of the Secondary Education Development
Program (NSEC), the 2002 Revised Basic Education Curriculum (RBEC),
and currently, the Enhanced Basic Education Curriculum, more commonly
known as K to 12 Basic Education Curriculum.

Under the NESC and NSEC, the then Department of Education,

Culture and Sports (DECS) instituted several reforms to the planning and
implementation of elementary and secondary music lessons. As a subject,
Music, as with other related subjects such as Art Education and Physical
Education, was allotted weekly meetings. Teacher training was also given
importance, as emphasized by the hiring of music specialists by DECS.

Presently, under the Enhanced Basic Education Curriculum, Music in

the basic education is taught as an integrated subject together with Arts, Physical
Education, and Health, commonly known as MAPEH1. This multidisciplinary
and interdisciplinary approach in teaching Music is also evident in previous
curricula such as PEHM, an acronym for Physical Education, Health, and
Music, in the New Secondary Education Curriculum (SEDP: Conference on
the Participation of Private Schools in the Secondary Education Development
Program); MAKABAYAN, which clusters together Social Studies, Civics,
Geography, History, MSEP (Musika, Sining, Edukasyong Pangkatawan or
Music, Art, Physical Education); and HELE (Home Economics and Living
Education, in the Restructured Basic Education Curriculum.

1 According to the K to 12 Curriculum Guide of Physical Education, the current

curriculum espouses a “paradigm shift from the previous sports-dominated PE curriculum
aimed at the athletic achievement” through “participation in a variety of physical activities that
include exercise, game, sports, dance and recreation.”

3
 In most private schools, each component of MAPEH is usually
taught by a separate specialist teacher, especially if there are qualified
applicants that the school budget can support. In the case of public schools,
all four components are taught by one MAPEH teacher in the public
school2 who, if fortunate enough, specializes in the teaching of at least one
component3. Teachers may be rich in experience and performance but are
not adequately tooled in theories and principles for performance-based
learning4. This lack in in-depth training5 is seen as one of the problems
of public school teachers, especially of integrated subjects. In addition,
teachers also lack materials and facilities6 to teach integrated subjects. All
of these stand in irony with the demands of the current K-12 curriculum
for public school music teachers to become “highly competent teachers”7
who are able to implement “best practices advocated by the spiral, multi-
cultural, and integrative approaches in music education, as well as current
philosophical thought[s] about contemporary general education” (K to 12
Curriculum Guide: Music [Grade 1 to Grade 10]). In-service school music

2 This is a common occurrence in public school settings, relayed as collective

anecdotes during departmental meetings of the UP College of Music (UPCM) Music Education
Department. One example is my first-hand experience of applying as a Music Teacher at a
public high school in my hometown in 2012. I turned down a permanent item, a coveted
position in public schools, at the thought of teaching folk dances, paintings, and first-aid
techniques alongside coaching the high school choir, which I was not taught formally during
my undergraduate years. I was not confident to teach other subjects I was not prepared to
teach by my BM Music Education degree.

3 An unnumbered memorandum from the Schools Division Office of Quezon City

(Menguito) released May 2016 acknowledges the fact that non-MAPEH graduates are hired
by public schools to teach the said subject.

4 During the General Assembly on the 45th anniversary of the Philippine Society
for Music Education, Prof. Leticia Del Valle said in her speech that in most cases, music
teachers become teachers of music because they love music and that there is nobody else
available to teach the subject.

5 A survey in 1979 done by the Department of Education, Culture and Sports

pinpoints a “lack of congruence between the educational preparation of teachers and
their teaching assignments” as one of the problems seen in the actual implementation of
lessons in the classroom (SEDP: Conference on the Participation of Private Schools in
the Secondary Education Development Program). The difficulty for teachers following the
integrated approach persisted through the 2000s, as MAKABAYAN teachers complained
about “integrat[ing] concepts from subjects of which they had no expertise, and that there
was not sufficient time or training provided to prepare them to do the required planning and
preparation for integrated training.” (Bernardo and Mendoza)

6 see Legaspi, 2014

7 as stated in DepEd Order no. 7, s. 2015: Hiring Guidelines for Teacher I Positions
Effective School Year (SY 2015-2016)

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 MUSIKA JORNAL 12 . 2016

teachers are encouraged, if not required, to deepen their musical and

cultural understanding to meet the competitive demands of the present
K-12 Music Curriculum.

Music educator Patricia Campbell discusses the intersection of

ethnomusicology and education, especially in the time of multicultural
music education (“Music, Education” 72). Musicians, in this case music
teachers, exhibit musical and cultural understanding of concepts in
context through the participant-performance approach to research.
Participating as students in musicking8 in situ, teachers do not only gather
performance skills, theoretical knowledge and principles of teaching
culture-specific musical practices but also pedagogical reflexivity as they
learn from master-teachers.

In light of the discussion above, this paper illustrates the

importance of ethnographic fieldwork in the education of teachers of
music and dance in the elementary and secondary levels. Specifically, I
discuss the actual experience of teachers who engaged in ethnographic
fieldwork (Nielsen, Brand, Zaharlick) using UNESCO’s “lifelong learning”
as the conceptual framework.

In the following sections, I present (1) a description of the

Continuing Education for Music Teachers, a program of the UP College of
Music Extension Program; (2) a brief summary of fieldwork in May 2015,
with music students and in-service teachers as participants, from my point
of view as one of the participants9; and, (3) the content analysis of the data
gathered through focused group discussion with the in-service teachers.

8 Christopher Small (1995) defines music as an action, rather than a product.

Musicking, a verb, includes all music-making activities of humans, including pre- and post-
music making activities (eg. the act of purchasing a concert ticket, the evaluation of a
recently-concluded recital).

9 I was a member of the staff of the said project. As the resource persons did
not prefer seeing onlookers during the workshop and master classes, I also engaged in
participant-observation in the activities while holding recording equipment and a cell phone,
ready to take calls from other staff members.

5
 Doing research for further education of In-service Teachers

With the mentioned lack of training, materials and facilities, in-

service teachers are challenged to take on further education and training10
in their assigned subject. One of the institutions that provide further
education for in-service teachers is the University of the Philippines’ College
of Music’s Extension Program through the Continuing Education for Music
Teachers (CEMT). It is a “supplement [to] the training provided by higher
education institutions”, in light of “recent trends in the study and pedagogy
of music education in the international level, [including] multicultural music
education … [which also resonates] through the K [to] 12 curriculum” (UP
College of Music Extension Program). This post-baccalaureate program
is open to in-service teachers teaching Music in both public and private
schools. Sixty-eight (68) credit hours of training, divided into three levels,
are spread across three summers. Areas of training are: Basic Musicianship,
Music Cultures, Basic Conducting, Applied Music (Instrumental, Vocal, and
Dance), Pedagogy, Music Technology, and Arrangement and Composition.
Topics for each area cover multicultural philosophies, theories, repertoires,
and pedagogy.

The first batch of CEMT enrollees came from different parts of the
Philippines. Not all of them studied Music, MAPEH, and/or other related
courses in the undergraduate level yet all of them teach one or more subjects
including, but not limited to, Music, Physical Education, and MAPEH,
in either the elementary or secondary level. Other than teaching the said
subjects, they also teach music and movement for programs such as the Linggo
ng Wika celebration and field demonstrations.

In May 2015, students of CEMT Level II, together with selected

Music Education, Musicology, and Asian Music students from the College
of Music, participated in the 3rd installment of the Jose Maceda Project
Series. It was a three-day master class and workshop on Philippine Music,
with Cordillera music and culture as its focus, held in Maryhurst Seminary
in Lucnab, Baguio City. The CEMT students were chosen as participants
in order to supplement their previous year’s lessons on Philippine Music

10 This is apart from the additional points given to graduate and post-graduate
degrees, training of at least 10 days in duration, and skill demonstration.

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 MUSIKA JORNAL 12 . 2016

Literature. They were mentored by members of Cordillera Music Tutorial

and Research Center (CMTRC), headed by Dr. Benicio Sokkong (see
fig. 1), and Simit Youth Group; all of whom are local practitioners of
Cordillera music.

[fig. 1]

Dr. Benicio Sokkong (right) giving an introduction to Cordillera culture, with

Dr. Verne de la Peña (left), then Chair of UPCM Musicology Department.

The first two days consisted of observation and participation

in lectures on Cordillera culture, a workshop and demonstration on the
musics and dances of the different ethnolinguistic groups in Cordillera,
bamboo instrument making, and gong tuning. At the end of the day,
the participants convened and synthesized their learnings through
open discussions and writing of learning modules. The three-day affair
culminated with a cañao, “a communal feast of sharing” (Rodriguez
“Music: Sounds as a Way of Life”), filled with food, songs, dances,
sounds of instruments, and stories.

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 [fig.2]
Sokkong tuning a gangsa (flat gong), with Simit members in the background

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 MUSIKA JORNAL 12 . 2016

[fig. 3]
Participants playing gangsa, toppaya style

[fig. 4]

Courtship dance performed by student participants, with resource persons

from CMRTC and Simit on gangsa

9
 Participants were provided workshop packets11 by the UP Center for
Ethnomusicology (UPCE). Data gathering consisted of sound recording using
field equipment ranging from highly-specialized sound and video recorder to
cellular phones, and accomplishing workshop modules. The data gathered
included photographs, sound and video recordings, written and drawn field
notes, and repertoire represented in Western and/or iconic notation. These
data would be utilized for the production of “workshop modules and teaching
guides based on concepts, dances, songs and instrument performances
learned.” (UP Musical Arts and Research Management Foundation, Inc 5)

[fig. 5]
Music students learning Gonaktak pattern on gong

11 Primarily includes a workbook, name tag, and pencil.

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 MUSIKA JORNAL 12 . 2016

[fig. 6]
Music student drawing a map of the cañao venue

Days after the fieldwork in the Cordillera, I organized an FGD

composed of the CEMT teachers12. The participants of the FGD were
composed of 6 male and 2 female teachers, ranging from 25 to 35 years old.
Most of them teach in public high schools (with two in private elementary
schools) in NCR, Catanduanes, Iriga, Marinduque, Bohol, and Cagayan de
Oro. Only two of the participants completed a bachelor’s degree in teaching
PEHM/MAPEH. The rest have bachelor’s degrees in teaching other subjects,
such as Math and Special Education and, while in service, have taken
extramural courses in music education, such as the CEMT and choral clinic
classes sponsored by the Cultural Center of the Philippines. In the FGD, I
asked them about their preconceived notions about Cordillera culture, music,

12 This FGD is one of two I organized for a comparative study on the impact of
ethnographic fieldwork in the teaching of Philippine music in pre-service music teachers
(Music Education majors) and in in-service music teachers (CEMT students). The other
involved undergraduate Music Education majors (from UP College of Music) who also
participated in the 3rd Jose Maceda Project Series workshop.

11
 and dance and their teaching practices prior to and after the fieldwork,
and their thoughts, and realizations, if any, on Cordillera culture, music,
and dance (the detailed list of the questions appears in Appendix A). For
the teachers, the thought of doing fieldwork in Baguio – a cool place in
the summer heat – was very appealing. As a whole, the experience is a
time of many firsts – the first time to go to the Cordilleras, the first time
to do field research, and the first time to hear, see, and perform Cordillera
music and dance in situ. Prior to fieldwork, the teachers in the secondary
level have already been teaching Cordillera music and dance as part of the
MAPEH curriculum and as requirement for presentations such as field
demonstrations and competitions. The secondary level teachers admit
that though they have already taught the topic, they feel that what they
do is not enough. Their reasons include the lack of actual instruments and
limited selection of audio materials for listening or accompaniment for
dance performances13. The teachers also relayed their students’ perception
of the topic on Cordillera music and dance as shocking, uninteresting,
funny, and laughable. One of the FGD participants said that students get
‘culture shocked’ by the folk and traditional cultures of the Philippines
(“nacu-culture shock sila backwards. . .sa dating culture natin. . .sa luma”). According
to the teachers, students find this topic unworthy of their time because
traditional Cordillera music “seems easy” and that videos of dance and
music can easily be accessed at home so there’s nothing new in seeing the
materials in school.

The fieldwork experience brought realizations to the teachers, most

especially about teaching incorrect practices (e.g. wrong attire, inappropriate
context of performance). To them, first-hand experience of the music offers such
a big difference from learning from books. Their responses reveal a newfound
integrity in dealing with the topic of Cordillera culture, music, and dance:
“[I]ba pala ‘yun sa dati mong ginagawa, yung ‘ethnic performance’ nung bata
pa kami… malaki yung pagkakaiba”

(“This is very different from the ‘ethnic performances’ that I used to

do when I was still a child”).

13 They used materials from the internet and their CEMP music literature classes.

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 MUSIKA JORNAL 12 . 2016

“…makakita ng tao na ‘Igorot’14 [na mag turo sa amin] – yung [mga musika ng
mga taong] pinag-aaralan ko kasi (sic) realistic kaysa sa classroom…”

(“Seeing an ‘Igorot’ [teach us] – the people [whose music] we study

– makes it more realistic than it is in just the classroom”)

With regard to the usefulness of the fieldwork experience, the teachers

found the audio-visual materials and realia gathered from the fieldwork of
utmost importance. They could now show students videos of them participating
in a workshop, performance, or ritual instead of showing videos from the
internet. They could sing and play music using bamboo instruments produced
by local Cordilleran instrument craftsmen or adaptations of the orginal using
bamboo or other readily available materials (eg. Pringles™ cans as substitute
for tongatong), as accompaniment to the dances they learned.

Apart from materials, the teachers also indicated changes they plan to
make in their lesson conceptualization. For elementary level music teachers15,
they plan to use songs they learned during the fieldwork to teach skills such
as singing in tune and using appropriate timbre as well as moving in time
with the music. They will use instrumental music to teach and assess learning
of musical concepts, such as identifying timbre, improvising movement, and
echoing rhythmic patterns.

The fieldwork experience also provided extra-musical knowledge

that can be used in teaching the musics of cultures that are unfamiliar, or
less familiar, than the musics usually encountered by the teachers and their
students in their immediate surroundings. Most of the teachers expressed
the importance of understanding the socio-cultural context of music as these
are performed within the society of its practitioners. With this knowledge,
teachers are more confident in the instruction of music and dance as unfamiliar
concepts can be explained in relation to its socio-cultural function. As a result,
students are given a more holistic view of the topic, which allows them to make
connections between their immediate world and those of other peoples.

14 see glossary

15 The current K-12 curriculum indicates that the learning of Philippine music in
socio-cultural context is mandatorily executed in Grade 7. The elementary level scope
specifies only the recommended elements of music to be discussed per grade level, with
recommended learning materials that can be accessed online through lrmds.depd.gov.ph.

13
 Teachers also expressed new insights that they learned about values
relevant to the teaching of Cordillera culture, music, and dance. These include
the value of community in the performance of their music and their dances,
which are mostly done as an ensemble, as well as in other musicking events.
The teachers expressed that musically speaking, adjusting to the dynamics,
tempo, and/or groove of the ensemble without an appointed conductor
involves pakiramdaman or practicing sensitivity with your co-musicians. One of
the teachers who learned music mostly on his own said that while playing the
instruments during fieldwork, he learned to “adjust the weight of his hands (in
playing the instruments) so that we will sound harmonious as an ensemble.”

Other significant learning experiences in the field were the cañao

and the sharing of meals, even with those who were physically absent16. One
of the teachers said that the cañao espoused the value of communal sharing,
which is also embodied in ensemble playing, and highlighted the connection
between social life and musicking.

The exposure to other indigenous cultures also led to the desire of

teachers to rediscover their local culture. During the discussion, one of the
teachers who comes from the town of Marinduque, an island province in the
Southwestern Tagalog region in the Philippines, said that they also have a lot
of indigenous music practices, one of which is the playing of kalutang (tuned
slabs of wood). He said that the fieldwork experience was telling him to “do
your own music (kalutang music) because you have our own as well” (gawin mo
yung sa inyo kasi mayroon kayong sarili [na musika, yung kalutang]). As such, learning
from fieldwork fosters pride in one’s own as well as respect and appreciation
of other cultures.

Lastly, the teachers also expressed the importance of renewing

learning. One of the teachers indicated that if a teacher is not confident in the
knowledge one has in teaching, s/he most likely projects a lazy attitude while
teaching, affecting the attitude of the students towards the subject as well. With
new knowledge and skills, and most importantly, confidence in the source of
knowledge, a teacher exhibits more confidence in lesson conceptualization
and implementation, and hopefully, in learning assessment as well.

16 Participants were given plastic bags and told to take home watwat meat from the
pig sacrificed during the cañao, to be shared to our families waiting at home.

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 MUSIKA JORNAL 12 . 2016

For this particular group of CEMT teachers, ethnographic fieldwork,

which allowed them to have hands-on experience in music-making and
dancing, enriched their praxis of teaching. As teachers become the end-users
of the knowledge to be imparted, research through first-hand experience
provides a rich resource for the learning and teaching of music and dance.
Resource persons are readily available to answer questions about implied
meanings of songs and give good examples of expressions of the aesthetics
of their culture, such as proper techniques to ensure good form in dancing.
With teachers doing ethnographic fieldwork themselves, the disconnect
between research and practice is bridged as they express their preference
for more hands-on audio-visual information than those written in scholarly
journals as immediate resources for the improvement of music lessons (Brand
84). In addition, the practice of ethnography, “with its inherent sensitivity
to people, culture, and context, offers one approach to providing valuable
new insights that can contribute to educational improvement and reform”
(Zaharlick 122).

As the teaching of music and dancing is “multifaceted”,

ethnographic fieldwork offers an avenue to explore other aspects of
musicking, such as psychology, philosophy, social science, and pedagogy
(Brand; Nielsen). As the teachers are the ones directly involved in the
classroom, it is fitting to suppose that they would know what works and
what does not. If teachers are equipped with greater knowledge and
understanding of a certain subject matter, their teaching is “enhanced”,
providing more stimulating learning experiences aimed at better acquisition
of knowledge and/or skills by the learners (Brand 83). Instead of parroting
ready-made lesson guides, they can choose relevant ways of utilizing data
they have gathered in relation to their students. For instance, those working
on secondary music and dance lessons have more materials to choose from
than what the curriculum guides prescribe. Aside from considering factors
such as the learners’ time constraints and available materials, teachers can
draw on knowledge such as the occasion of musical performances as well as
related indigenous folk traditions. Teachers now have more options when
designing their lessons to match the ever-changing context of their learners
in a multicultural setting.

Moreover, ethnographic fieldwork, in the context of the CEMT

program, fits UNESCO’s vision of equitable quality education and lifelong

15
 learning for all17 as the program is geared towards adult teachers who have
already finished formal education up to the tertiary level and are already in-
service. Lifelong learning promotes “learning for personal development…,
bearing in mind the emergence of new skills deemed critical for individuals.”
(“Lifelong Learning”, UNESCO). More specifically, the program touches on
the more specific concept of adult education, a key example of lifelong learning
instances, “whereby people regarded as adults by the society to which they
belong develop their abilities, enrich their knowledge, and improve their
technical or professional qualifications or turn then in a new direction to meet
their own needs and those of their society.” (UNESCO Institute for Learning)

With the advancement of digital technology aiding real-time

exchange of information between learners, teachers, and experts from
communities of practice, ethnographic fieldwork provides not only immediate
access to materials and information on music and dance but also a network
of expert practitioners to consult about other related information. This facet
of ethnographic fieldwork enhances the development of skills for “global
citizenship”18 a skill emphasized in lifelong learning. (“Global Citizenship
Education: Preparing learners for the challenges of the 21st century”). During
their fieldwork experience, the CEMT teachers were able to directly ask the
resource persons what they think is relevant to their practice in the community
and, with this, the teachers were encouraged to reflect on the way they teach
Cordillera music, as well as the music practices in their own communities. The
entire process then helps transform wrong musical practices and inappropriate
socio-cultural adaptations of the teachers, as well as aid teachers in the
conceptualization and implementation of lessons, and hopefully, also in the
assessment of learning, using a well-informed view of musical practices.

17 Crafted during the 2015 World Education Forum, the “Incheon Declaration”, en-
titled “Education 2030: Towards inclusive and equitable quality of education and lifelong
learning for all”, seeks to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote
lifelong learning opportunities for all”, addressing “global and national education challenges”
such as “cultural, linguistic and ethnic diversity.” (UNESCO, 2015)

18 Global citizenship is defined as “a sense of belonging to a broader community and

common humanity, promoting a ‘global gaze’ that links the local to the global and the national
to the international. It is also a way of understanding, acting and relating oneself to others
and the environment in space and in time, based on universal values, through respect for
diversity and pluralism. In this context, each individual’s life has implications in day-to-day
decisions that connect the global with the local, and vice versa.” (Global Citizenship Educa-
tion: Preparing learners for the challenges of the 21st Century 14)

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Conclusion

One of the remarkable answers given during the group

discussion was:
“How can you teach them to appreciate if they haven’t experienced
it? Ganun din kasi ako, lahat na-absorb ng utak ko pero walang appreciation
kasi di ko na-experience. Nung na-experience ko, nabigyan ko ng meaning
yung mga bagay.”(“How can you teach them to appreciate if they
haven’t experienced it? I was also like that – I can understand things
[from the lessons] but there is no appreciation because I haven’t
experienced it myself. After experiencing [musicking] myself, that’s
when I understood the meanings of things.”)

Perhaps what this statement tells us is that aside from journals, books,
recordings, videos, web articles, and ready-made teaching modules which
the teachers may have acquired from their own educational experiences—
whether within formal, informal or non-formal educational seetings—the
teachers realized the importance of ethnographic fieldwork in meeting the
demands of multicultural music education in a fast-changing society. This
article argues that doing ethnographic fieldwork as an aid to teaching music
and dance, with specifics stipulated in the multiculturally-backed K to 12
Music Curriculum, has a positive impact on the teachers’ conceptualization
and implementation of music lessons in terms of: 1) enriching teaching
materials, providing new knowledge and learning and/or improving of (new)
skills, 2) providing first-hand experience of the socio-cultural context of
musical practices, and 3) instilling a desire for renewing learning through
“lifelong learning”, which does not only positively impact the teacher’s
personal education, but their learners’ as well.

The outcome of ethnographic fieldwork by music teachers

demonstrate how education should not end in the school setting, and that
there are many ways and places to enrich one’s teaching and learning.

I hope this article encourages not only the teachers to engage

in ethnographic research, but also organizations of higher learning and
communities of practice to be more open to possibilities of collaborative
learning. After all, if the goal is to further learning and practice of musics in
appropriate sociocultural contexts, all sectors, ideally, should be involved in
the activities that support the good cause of music education.

17
 Glossary

Bendian – a communal dance from Kabayan, Benguet

Igorot – according to Britannica.com, the Igorot ethnolinguistic groups live

in the mountains of northern Luzon. Subgroups of this general term include
the Ibaloi, Kankanay, Bontoc, Kalinga, Tinggian, Gaddang, Ifugao, and Isneg
or Apayao

gonaktak – gong pattern from the Mt. Province

gangsa – a general term for flat gongs of the Cordillera region

kalutang – tuned slabs of wood from Marinduque

tongatong – bamboo stamping tubes

toppaya – playing of the gangsa using one’s palms. Another known style of
playing gangsa is the palook, which uses sticks.

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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the following persons who have been very instrumental
in this research: Prof. Jocelyn Guadalupe, for the mentorship and patience
to check on my endeavors; Dr. LaVerne dela Peña, for involving me in
the Cordillera fieldwork; Sol Maris Trinidad, Philip Noveras, Grace
Buenaventura, and Roan Opiso, for graciously letting me type and research
at the UP Center for Ethnomusicology; people in the photographs; Jhay
Barcelo of SIMIT, for being responsive to my inquiries on Facebook; 1st batch
of CEMT class, for being cooperative and responsive to my inquiries; Junior
Music Educators’ Guild and Tugtugang Musika Asyatika, for cross-checking
my memory and field notes; Jullian Zosimus B. Carranza, for performing
multiple roles as reader, encourager, husband, and father to our children;
Narra and Liwanag, for bearing with my midnight typing; other people I
might have failed to mention but are very instrumental in this writing; and
God, for making all things possible.

19
 Figures

1. Rodriguez, Anna Patricia. “Dr. Benicio Sokkong (right) giving an

introduction to Cordillera culture, with Dr. Verne de la Peña (left),
then Chair of UPCM Musicology Department. 2015. JPEG file.

2. Rodriguez, Anna Patricia. “Sokkong tuning a gangsa (flat gong),

with Simit members in the background.” 2015. JPEG file.

3. Rodriguez, Anna Patricia. “Participants playing gangsa, toppaya

style.” 2015. JPEG file.

4. Trinidad, Sol Maris. “Courtship dance performed by student

participants, with resource persons from CMRTC and Simit on
gangsa.” 2015. JPEG file.

5. Rodriguez, Anna Patricia. “Music students learning Gonaktak

pattern on gong.” 2015. JPEG file.

6. Rodriguez, Anna Patricia. “Music student drawing a map of the

cañao venue.” 2015.JPEG file.

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 MUSIKA JORNAL 12 . 2016

Works Cited

Abrahams, Frank. “Transforming Classroom Music Instruction with Ideas

from Critical Pedagogy.” Music Educators Journal, vol. 92, no. 1, 2005,
pp. 62-67. Web.
Bernardo, Allan and Rizalyn Mendoza. “Makabayanin the Philippine Basic
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