What aspects of your cultural heritage are you most proud of or interested in?
I can carry a tune in a bucket. If that’s the marker for failure, then I’m not one – much. I can’t, however, do vocal acrobatics like many Filipinos can. No fancy riffs and runs for me. Definitely no belting or whistle tone. I’m an S1 (soprano 1) so I can falsetto to high heavens just fine. Whether I’m doing it in the right key or not, jury’s still out on that.
So, it’s a source of pride for non-singer me, that my countrymen probably comprise 60% of the most amazing singers on this planet. Don’t trust me on that; I majored in languages and only had to take the most basic math course. It definitely wasn’t statistics.
The Filipinos have certainly established a reputation for fantastic singing. Thank heavens for generalizations and sweeping statements, I now bask in that overarching glory. Otherwise, nobody would have ever characterized me as a good singer.
I think the world’s finally finding out about our (heehee, I’m Filipino; that pronoun’s totally justified, guys) talent because of the Internet. Social media saw the rise of viral karaoke sessions featuring everyday Filipinos with no vocal training or technical know-how whatsoever slaying the most difficult songs to sing.
Some jealous nitwit (I’m not gonna say which nationality) said that we’re just good copycats, and that may be true, but that’s not the entire picture.
The Filipinos have such an innate love for music that we always recognize and want to cover good songs. If we’re inspired by the Western greats and can do their songs justice and even go the extra mile, how is that a problem?
And please, we Filipinos have our own excellent music. People often appropriate what’s native to us to a foreign influence. Many times, this is not accurate.
For instance, in college, I once attended a lecture by a Philippine Studies professor, discussing the inherently Filipino elements of our national anthem. It is often described to have been influenced by The Star-Spangled Banner, La Marcha de Cadiz, and La Marseillaise, and, while this may be true, again, it’s not the complete picture. The professor pointed out why our anthem is really mainly Filipino in composition, citing its largely kundiman (the Philippine love song – smooth, gentle, and flowing with dramatic intervals) characteristics.
It was thoroughly fascinating that the Spanish ambassador at that time, who was also in attendance along with the French chargé d’affaires, effusively expressed his appreciation of the lecture not just as a scholar and diplomat but also as a passionate musicologist. He even regaled us with WWII anecdotes of fascists and socialists drinking and singing together, making the fascist anthem segue into the socialist one because they were in the same key and time signature. The power of music and alcohol.😂
So, while our musical abilities stood out to me right away upon seeing the prompt, it’s hardly the only thing I’m proud of. Our culture is rich, teeming with diversity, and endlessly interesting. Don’t even get me started on Filipino humor.😁
This Small Life 