NATIONAL Artist for Music and PhilPop bootcamp master Ryan Cayabyab.

With no less than some of the country’s OPM icons as mentors, 26 promising singer-songwriters took their musical passion to another level at the latest staging of the PhilPop Bootcamp 2019 that took place from 24 to 27 September at Purok Marcela and Oldwood beach resorts in Lingayen, Pangasinan.

Headed by National Artist for Music and Ramon Magsaysay Awardee Ryan Cayabyab who acted as Bootcamp Master along with Noel Cabangon, the illustrious line-up of coaches who mentored the eager batch also included Jim Paredes, Trina Belamide, Gary Granada, Jungee Marcelo, Davey Langit, Marlon Barnuevo, Thyro Alfaro, Yumi Lacsamana and twin brothers Miguel and Paolo Guico of acoustic sensations Ben&Ben.

This is actually the third PhilPop Bootcamp this year which kicked off last May in Batangas for Southern Luzon and Metro Manila campers or “Fellows” as they are referred to here. Subsequent bootcamps were held last July in Davao for Mindanao participants and after this recently concluded Northern Luzon leg in Pangasinan, another one is scheduled this November in Iloilo.

According to PhilPop executive director Dinah Remolacio, the main rationale behind the PhilPop Bootcamp is “to give regional songwriters more opportunities to be part of PhilPop or the Philippine Popular Music Festival dubbed as the country’s premier songwriting competition.”

“We felt compelled to strengthen and empower these regional songwriters by giving them a platform for their music and to use education as an instrument to create more songs that can add to the treasure trove of Original Pilipino Music,” Remolacio added.

COACH Jim Paredes and bootcamp master Noel Cabangon.

While there are still many participants in the Pangasinan leg of the PhilPop Bootcamp that came from Metro Manila, a good number of these Fellows were from Northern and Southern Luzon. Majority of these campers already have their own YouTube channels, Facebook fan pages and uploaded music on streaming platforms like Spotify and Soundcloud.

There’s singer-songwriter slash graphic artist Richanne “Charms” Jacinto, a finalist in this year’s Himig Handog 2019 competition and related to retro rocker RJ Jacinto. There’s Hazel Faith dela Cruz, whose music videos for her hit songs “Kinikilig,” “Everything Takes Time” and “Di Na Kita Mahal” featuring Michael Pangilinan have garnered over a million views each on YouTube.

And then there’s Aby Singson, daughter of premier balladeer Chad Borja and Novi Grace a.k.a. Not November, who has been competing and winning in songwriting contests and music festivals.

Cayabyab, one of the staunchest champions of PhilPop and OPM in general, is excited for this batch of Fellows as he kicked off the Bootcamp’s first day with an enlightening talk on Why Do We Write Songs.

“I can imagine we will discover more of these promising talented songwriters that we’re looking for. We will train them, share with them everything we know and provide them with the tools they need so that hopefully they leave the workshop with renewed and inspired lives to create new songs for the country,” enthused The Maestro also known as simply Mr. C.

As for the other coaches, Jim Paredes, best known for his time with the Apo Hiking Society delivered an animated and spirited talk on Enhancing Your Creativity: Inspiring your Music Journey.

Noel Cabangon was the ringmaster who led the Songwriting Exercises and Lyric Writing for Advocacies. Trina Belamide talked about How Do We Start a Song? and Copyright and Basic Music Publishing, Gary Granada’s Lyric Writing session was simply awe-inspiring while Jungee Marcelo’s Writing Melody and Lyrics provided more tips on writing songs that could become hits.

These OPM legends worked side by side with indefatigable arranger Marlon Barnuevo (Music Arrangement) as well as previous PhilPop winners Davey Langit, who, together with the inseparable tandem of Thyro Alfaro and Yumi Lacsamana and twins Miguel and Paolo Guico of acoustic sensations Ben&Ben, covered the topic, My Approach to Songwriting as they all shared their wealth of experience and tried-and-tested techniques to the mesmerized Fellows.

Song critique leads to better songwriting

The output-oriented PhilPop Bootcamp is not just about lectures, theories and tips. The ability of the Fellows to write a good song are repeatedly put to a test, with exercises that allow them to write a song within hours (sometimes even within minutes) either on their own or in collaboration with fellow participants they just met at the Bootcamp.

Performing these songs in front of their coaches also allow the former their critique their work.

“We get to critique songs written by the Fellows that they could submit to PhilPop next year. Having us coaches critique their songs will give them the advantage of further improving and enhancing their work,” noted Belamide, best known for the hits, “Now That I Have You” and “Tell The World of His Love.”

Singer-songwriter and PhilPop winner Davey Langit (“Paratingin Mo Na Siya”) agrees with Belamide in stressing the importance of song critique in the Bootcamp in writing a song that can be considered as “competition-worthy.”

“More than just a marriage of melody and lyrics, there is also the arrangement, the story the composers are trying to tell and the message and emotions they want to convey,” Langit explained.

As impressed as he was with many of the Bootcamp Fellows, Noel Cabangon thinks their respective potential has yet to be fully tapped.

“They just need a little more push but this is why we have these workshops — to make them realize that songwriting is not something they can do out of sheer impulse,” Cabangon pointed out.

“There are also certain considerations as they also need to be conscious of the lyrics, the melody and the rhythm. But many of them were able to present well during the exercises and I personally thought that collaborating with their group mates will go a long way in enhancing their skills.”

The 26 Fellows are now assured of a slot in the Top 300 submissions in next year’s PhilPop festival. By the end of the four-day camp, all are one in saying they are thrilled to learn from the masters and are now ready take their craft to the next level.

Christian “Ian” Dumaplin, who has been a professional musician since 2003, admitted that even with all his experience, he still learned a lot from the PhilPop Bootcamp.

“More than anything, I also found it very inspiring to be in the company of my fellow songwriters and at the same time be encouraged by my accomplished coaches,” he beamed.

Pauline Lauron, who worked as a Junior Artist and Repertoire producer for a record label and an alumna of the groundbreaking Elements Music Camp that inspired the PhilPop Bootcamp, said she joined the camp to get a “refresher course” as she stopped writing songs for a while.

“I will definitely write more songs after this Bootcamp. It’s very heartening to see the willingness and the excitement to learn on the part of my fellow campers and their openness to absorb anything that’s discussed here,” quipped Lauron who currently works as a freelance back-up singer.

For 16-year-old budding tunesmith Stephanie Lavoie, daughter of concert photographer Stephen Lavoie and probably the youngest in this batch, the PhilPop Bootcamp taught her more than what she expected to learn.

“It went beyond the basics and helped me arrange my thoughts so it became clearer to me to understand why I’m doing this,” Lavoie concluded.

PhilPop Bootcamp 2019 is an initiative of the PhilPop Music Foundation, chaired by Manny Pangilinan and is supported by the National Quincentennial Committee (NQC), the local government unit of Lingayen, Pangasinan and venue partners Oldwood Resort and Purok Marcela. PhilPop is co-presented by Smart, Meralco and Maynilad.