The rise of K-Pop music and other genres of music due to globalization is now a trend. Filipinos may tend to give much more importance and affection to the music of others. As people listen to the music of others, the more may the influences that deviates them to appreciate music of other culture.
Worst, it can be a cause of Filipino people declining to hear and listen music of our own. One of those was rondalla music. Teenagers today aren’t accustomed to rondalla music. Perhaps it was due to the connection between rondalla and folk dance. People think it sounds terribly dated and out of date. It was the time rondalla music became undervalued.
This is one of the dillemas faced by the rondalla groups nowadays. The majority of people did not find learning and experiencing rondalla music to be highly exclusive, although for some who were professionals and had the support of their local government do no take it as an issue.
It was incredibly difficult to put up a rondalla group for the first time. Despite of the challenges faced such as encouraging children to be one of the members, financial problem in purchasing high-quality rondalla instruments and rondalla pieces, retention of members and etc., how to gain respect from their audience and win them over was the first thing that rondalla enthusiasts thought about.
Receiving positive feedback will undoubtedly encourage rondalla groups to perform better. They have motivation to keep working hard and get better. It ultimately comes down to how rondalla will be perceived during a live performance.
Speaking of rondalla, a strong repertoire is essential to a successful performance. Before deciding on a repertoire, rondalla enthusiast should consider the type of audience. A strong repertoire can captivate listeners and increase their appreciation of rondalla music. It might also be play a crucial role in persuading young musicians to join a rondalla group in their local community or a school club.
Audiences, however, should be blissful that they were able to attend a live rondalla performance since it is a hallmark of our culture. It is still propagating; thus it is neither dead nor extinct. Whatever style or type of music the rondalla group is performing, whether it be folk, pop, rap, the manila sound, or even world music, Filipinos should offer thanks for being able to see a still-viable culture like the rondalla.
By: Ma. Jeanette F. Reyes|Teacher II|Bataan National High School|Balanga City, Bataan
