Bloomfield Hymn

MAKING MUSIC TOGETHER CIRCA 1986

Click the link below and go to SCHOOL HYMN to listen to the music we composed 20 years ago!

http://www.bloomfieldacademy.edu.ph/moreabout.htm

HOW IT ALL BEGAN
It was the height of summer time in the Philippines and the heat was killing us all, as we compressed ourselves inside the pre-Kindergarten classroom on the ground floor, near the admin office of Bloomfield. The faint scent of newly coated paints on the walls and the ceilings danced in the air as we conglomerate to make history a part of our existence. We composed the Bloomfield Hymn one afternoon in summer 1986. Our deadline was to work on it for a period of three-hours only. It was a short time, indeed, but Rudy L., the founding father of Bloomfield, believed this strategy. An excellent pedagogue of creativity, he was confident we could deliver it on time. And surely, we did! By a little past seven in the evening, we were already rejoicing as we were done with our work. Linda J-L., Rudy's better half, took notice on how fast and snappy we were. Wow! She was amazed, delighted and grateful for our efforts. In her usual genteel ways, she smiled for a job well done. On tape, we recorded in music, the tapestry of Bloomfield’s benchmark with emphasis on producing global citizens with hearts. Writing music as a team was memorable for us. The lyrics and music came through naturally. Everyone contributed something that made it all so meaningful to us. I was provided with a portable keyboard to work with in playing the musical parts being processed at that time while everyone gave in his/her output musically. We were chanting our hymn in the making. We were proud. We were happy! I did some notation of it but somehow ended up writing the draft in an old music notebook. By the time we have agreed on the main theme (melody), I already had something in mind to arrange it later.So as my colleagues wrestled with the lyrical part, I listened carefully to the music within. We synched it all- lyrics, melody and rhythm, like tit for tat and then the hymn was born. By early evening, we emerged with our baby, The Bloomfield Hymn.

THE CREATIVE PROCESS
I was seated right in front of the classroom while the whole staff sat across me, in rows of chairs that were aligned neatly in columns. In the midst of our percolation time, we struggled between chaos and anxiety, hunger and excitement- as we all tried to snack on peanuts and drink soda while writing our hymn. A few like me, did some occasional sun gazing outside, as the sun gradually rolled down its last curve in the horizon. The windows behind me framed the scenic landscape of an open field with the orange sun in the background. Others were whispering some odds and ends while the majority were happily singing out their heart's contribution to what then was to become the school hymn. I remember how great were Yoly and Pura in particular, in creating the verse of the hymn. Their gifts of words just came in handy. I was the guiding force behind the music with my colleagues in attendance plus the gurus (Lageras, Ms Pano and Charito. Was she there? Can't recall). It was an afternoon of sheer delight- of creative process coming through from all poles of our existence and today the memories linger on. Now we are scattered in different parts of the earth, making our life, a little nicer, a little better. We all moved on- the pioneer teachers.

This evening, as I listened to the recorded version of the hymn online, I had goose bumps and had tears in my eyes. For a second, it felt like they were here in close proximity with me- The Lagera brood, Emote, Bernie, Jovi, Vicky, Gilga, Pura, Emily, Lulu, Carol, Efren, Willy, Dana, Clair, Monette,Yolly, Mayette, Nette, Melvin, Grace, Lor, Ms Pano and Magda. Those I failed to mention here, am sorry as indeed twenty years is a long time ago- for me to recall all 30 names of people I worked with when I gee inmy 20s. Ayayay! This morning's overseas call of my younger sister Balloon, all the way from Manila to California, was instrumental in bringing back this nostalgia. Suddenly, I was young again and then seconds later, I am old! But NO! NO! NOOOOOOO!!! In the Philippines, we say that only the carabaos grow old ("Oy, basta! Kalabaw lang ang tumatanda!")!


From here, I moved on to teach in various international schools overseas and did my share of global trotting and taught kids of ambassadors, diplomats and multi-national company executives. It's an upscale community and academic milieu were competition is based on one's credentials, academic experience and personality. Am currently on-leave from international posting. Am focused momentarily on my domestic role as a wife for two years now; did a painting two years ago (after dealing with my artist's block for more than 5 years). I was also quite busy working as a "roving international educator" so probably that was the culprit why I couldn't paint for many years. My memorable times were in the wilderness of Canada on an art grant . I worked with professional painters, sculptors, installation artists, performance artists, avante-garde artists and writers from Germany, UK, USA & Austria. I was the lone Filipina in that batch and the first Asian they have ever met in that art centre in the wilderness of B.C..Another one experience I treasure most was an art grant I received in a university in Miami (Florida). To this day, am proud of my little accomplishments in my career considering the fact that I was a music graduate (majored in piano) in college. Art came through as an avocation only for me but ultimately, it has given more edge in my career than music and drama did; although I enjoyed both music and drama like cake is to coffee. I still play Bach, Beethoven and jazz on the piano whenever I am in the mood. But lately, am just lazy. Haha! Lazy, lazy, lazyyyyyy!!! Well, am just sharing my pentimento here. After all, this is my blog and I own this spot so bear with my monologues, okay? Haha! Ciao!