PWU School of Music is now Center of Excellence

MANILA, Philippines - The School of Music of the Philippine Women’s University has been recognized as a Center of Excellence in a memorandum order issued recently by the Commission on Higher Education.

The recognition was made for “having demonstrated the highest degree or level of standard along the areas of instruction, research and extension.”

Program Director Dr. Felicidad Prudente said, “PWU’s School of Music auspiciously merited the recognition on its 65th anniversary having been founded in 1948 by the late Dean Felicing Tirona.”

The School has since produced graduates who have become noted artists, performers and educators, among them: national artists Dr. Lucrecia R. Kasilag, Dr. Lucresia Urtula, Andrea Vereracion and Leonor Orosa Goquingco, music luminaries Fides Cuyugan Asencio and Carmencita Lozada.

Noted Philwomenian visual artists are Rosario B. Peralta, Araceli L. Dans, Anita Magsaysay  Ho, Isabel Santos and Sonia S. Oliveros- all recipients of national and international awards.

“Today” Dr. Prudente said, “the School continues to train young talents not only in voice training, piano, violin, composition, music education, ethnomusicology, but also in music technology and popular music.

It has expanded its course offerings to include a doctoral program in ethnomusicology headed by VP for Academic Affairs Dr. Kristina Benitez.

Under its Music Performance Center with noted pianist  Rudolf Golez as director, there are eight performing groups which mount shows during University events, as well as in off campus concerts, festivals and community celebrations.

Recent performances of the groups composed of Guitar Ensemble, Festival Chorus, The Gongs of PWU and  Pop Music Ensemble included the 65th Anniversary Concert series held at the Philamlife Auditorium, February Arts Month concert and a concert honoring the late national artist Dr. Lucrecia Kasilag held at the Conrado Benitez Hall, Taft campus, Manila.

Completing the performance groups are the Chamber of Music, Vocal, Piano and Recorder Ensembles.

Similarly in place under the Performance Center is the Artist-in-Residence Program which Dr. Prudente explained “provides a bridge and a bond between and among established music artists and performers of the School.” Last school year, music luminary Joseph Esmilla was appointed artist-in-in residence for violin and Golez for piano.

Housed in the School of Music is the museum of musical instruments where a “variety of folk instruments from China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines, notably Mindanao gongs and drums and bamboo instruments from Cordillera,” are found, Dr. Prudente added.

In terms of facilities and equipment, the School maintains a library, smart room with Mac computers, laboratory with digital keyboards, music studios, concert pianos, three performance venues, audio-visual room and various instruments.

Its three-pronged outreach programs, as stated by Dr. Prudente, are on social development, teacher training and music extension which the School conducts for the Community String Ensemble composed of pupils from Jose Abad Santos Memorial School (JASMS).          

Just like the music students before them who gave honor to PWU for their sterling achievements, the students and faculty of today are showing the same talent and mastery.

Cited in national and international competitions were Ramoncito Carpio, Franco Maigue and Carlo Juan in guitar, while in piano, recipients of awards were Francis Amora, Harold Galang, Joey Uriate and Sheryl de Dios, among others. Top voice graduates are Marvin Gayramon who set up his music center in Butuan City, Elietees Cariño and Mercedes Dugan, to name a few.

As the School of Music moves to new directions bringing new technology to music education and welcoming popular music, the School is committed to “instill in the minds of its students the belief that music-in all its styles and manifestations-needs to be shared and preserved.”