2013 Elements Songwriting Camp: The business of music making
Read Part I here: Welcome to the camp
At the Elements Singing/Songwriting Camp held in Dumaguete recently, mentor Annabelle Regalado Borja elaborated on music publishing and musicians’ rights and what managers look for in an artist.
Christina Luna emphasized the importance of social media.
And Noel Cabangon talked about FILSCAP. Cabangon was also a part of the lyric writing panel with Contreras, Gloc-9, and Quest.
Audie Gemora gave performance tips and also managerial concerns, warning everybody to be wary of anybody who has a “casting couch.”
The amazing maze
The Racing Maze was probably the most involved module: 10 stations spread out over the resort, each with a physical, mental, and musical challenge.
The goal was to earn a card with a written musical note per station, and at the end, the 10 notes together would reveal a song. Each group would need to name the song and composer (it was “Rainbow” by Jay Durias).
The activity had most of the campers and some mentors in fits of panic. This also illustrates the openness of the camp: even mentors mentored each other, and everybody shared stories and jokes.
‘Reboot your mind’
Joey Ayala’s module was essentially about constructing a personal mission statement that addressed life itself and how to navigate it by identifying one’s personal strengths.
His suggested breathing exercise (“to reboot your mind”) emulates steady ocean waves. You need not go to sea: you always have it with you.
Ego test
The campers were broken up into 10 groups of six members, each designated with two mentors.
They were given a collaborative songwriting homework that had to be done by the evening.
This was probably the best ego test. With at least six ideas on the table, will the campers manifest their collaborative spirit in a controlled situation, in this case, the welcome dinner jamming?
Surprising focus
Unlike last year’s campers whose quirks that still revealed individual personalities ( but also seemed to be more personally at ease with each other), Batch 4 produced collaborative material of surprising focus.
Is this year’s batch more competitive?
Perhaps. Last year, during hilarious ice-breakers, campers delivered their non-sequiturs spontaneously and unselfconsciously.
This year’s batch seemed careful and precious, a bit scared to sound like fools (which, of course, was the point). Hopefully, post-camp, they will realize the creative value of such exercises.
No judgments
Legendary songwriter/mentor Rey Valera says his method is to write down all ideas regardless and not judge them outright.
Valera also quipped, “Hindi po totoo na nakakababa ng boses ang sigarilyo.” His voice has dropped from the lilting tenor of his youth.
“Ang nakakababa po ng boses, sa aking karanasan, ay ang mababang talent fee.”
The mentors also rarely, if at all, imposed their own personalities. Once the internal creative momentum within the teams gained steam, the mentors stayed out of the way.
Leyte on their minds
With few campers feeling the lure of the pools in Bahura Beach Resort, the camp forged ahead producing material that would help, materially and psychologically, the rehabilitation of Leyte.
For the songwriting challenges, the overall theme (with slight variations per category) was to “inspire and uplift.”
Ten songs would be recorded with the proceeds going to Yolanda victims.
Pilot’s message
If there is anything though that underlined the positivity of the past five days, it was on the PAL flight back to Manila.
Everybody, mentors and campers alike, was quiet, in stark contrast to that first day out. Each privately reminisced about what they learned, who they met, the connections they made, and how they will miss being woken up at 7 a.m. by a blaring bugle call.
Then pilot announced, “We have just landed in Manila… we hope to see you in our future flights. Mabuhay ang musikang Pilipino.”
The plane erupted in cheers; it was the perfect temporary good-bye.
So where are the breakout stars?
People have asked: if the camp is as useful as claims, where are the breakout stars?
The appropriate question is not what else 7101 Music Nation should be doing. It is this: what is everybody else in the music and entertainment business not doing?
The pandesal is ready and abundant… where are the bakeshop owners looking?
The big deal
Put all the Elements campers together and you get at least 240 new ideas. There are plenty more who are willing to audition again, or have yet to audition.
There is a surplus of creativity and talent. Unfortunately, there’s a deficit of attention from elsewhere.
Jim Paredes, in his closing remarks on the responsibilities of a singer-songwriter, said, “Pay attention. Notice the smallest details, and make a big deal out of them.”
That’s pretty good advice for everybody else too.
