The 2nd Children’s Popular Music Festival kicked off yesterday with a songwriting workshop at the Intosan Resort in barangay Tabok, Danao City.
The two-day “write shop” is in preparation for the Children’s Popular Music Festival 2008, which will be held this October in time with the Children’s Month celebration.
Governor Gwendolyn Garcia’s consultant Jeanette Malinao said the project is a brainchild of the Provincial Council for the Welfare of Children, which is headed by Garcia and co-chaired by Provincial Board member Agnes Magpale.
Malinao said the city and town mayors in Cebu Province will endorse two youth representatives aged 12 to17 years old to join the two-day songwriting workshop. Outputs will be in Cebuano and will be screened to produce 10 finalists.
The young composers can interpret their songs during the finals or tap other youth from their local government units to interpret the songs for them, she said.
Resource persons for the write shop are multi-awarded composer Jude Gitamondoc who will discuss “Songwriting 101,” tri-media personality Sam Costanilla who will tackle “The Right Way to Write and Speak the Visayan Language” and Center for Pop Cebu Branch manager Jay Unchuan who will speak on “The Importance of the Proper Interpretation of an Original Song.”
Prizes at stake are P15,000 and trophy for the grand prize; P10,000 and trophy for the second prize; P7,500 and trophy for the third prize; P2,000 for the best interpreter; seven consolation prizes of P2,000 each for the non-winning compositions and plaques of appreciation for the 10 finalists.
The finalist-songs will be judged according to musicality (40%), lyrics (40%), originality (10%) and overall impact (10%).
The council has designated Soundtraxx Production Studio owned by the husband and wife team of Gani and Gloria Villarojo to do the legwork, starting with the write shop until the grand finals. A compact disc of the finalist songs will be produced and will be sold during the grand finals night to be held at the Cebu International Convention Center. — Garry B. Lao/BRP