Conservatory of Music faculty member Maria Theresa Vizconde-Roldan, Ph.D., conducted an interactive online workshop via Zoom on September 22, 2020. The workshop was “Groundwork for Part-Singing.” Her talk was part of the “Tingog sa Paglaum (Sounds of Hope) webinar series organized by the National Music Competitions for Young Artists Foundation, Inc. (NAMCYA) and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.
NAMCYA President and UST Conservatory of Music faculty member Assoc. Prof. Renato B. Lucas, Ph.D., in his opening remarks, shared that “We hope that these web seminars will enrich not just musicianship, but reinforce our faith in the value of our art, especially in these trying times.”
“Among the many aspects of choral singing like voice training and music literacy, developing the part singing skill of a choir is also essential,” emphasized Roldan, who has worked with children’s choirs for 21 years now.
For conductors and trainers, she recommended integrating fun and engaging activities that will supplement the part-singing exercises in a developmental approach, because the gamification eases the learning of young choristers without them noticing.
Roldan, who teaches with the Choral Conducting Department, is the conductor of the internationally acclaimed and multi-awarded Hail Mary the Queen Children’s Choir, the first-ever Children’s Choir of the World winner at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in North Wales, United Kingdom.
Roldan also serves as conductor for the Young Voices of the Philippines and Kantabella. She teaches Music Education, Conducting and Large Ensemble Class at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Conservatory of Music, where she finished both her Bachelor of Music and Masters of Arts in Choral Conducting degrees.
The 90-minute webinar was made publicly available for viewing on YouTube the day after it was held: https://youtu.be/ZUWUOiKxi2U
