Dream Academy

To be a soprano had been another childhood dream. I can remember regularly watching the "Sunday Sweet Sunday" show of Fides Cuyugan-Asensio, a Filipina soprano, when I was a child. She became my favorite, though I've kept that to myself, as well as the desire to be a soprano myself, maybe because I was very young then, and should go with the trend of singing pop music instead.

So that was what happened. I followed the trend but felt there was something wrong with my singing. At first it was nasal and then it was throaty.


Until the Carpenters became popular and I tried to emulate Karen Carpenter. I guess I was successful but that was with the help of a family friend, Raffy Amaranto, who taught me how to follow the diction of Karen. I still had limited range though, because I could not sing the high notes.

When I gave birth to my eldest daughter, Lauren, we noticed her exceptional talent in Music, and her profound interest to take up Bachelor of Music in college, at the University of the Philippines or UP. She majored in piano and even graduated Cum Laude. That inspired me to take up voice lessons at the extension program of UP's College of Music, for two summers. I learned a few techniques but I still need constant exposure and practice.



I'm glad that there is now a Pinoy Dream Academy that teaches scholars how to develop their voices and that I can watch in TV everyday so I can also learn. It's actually a double treat on weekdays, started by Uberture hosted by Billy Crawford! Pinoy Dream Academy's Headmaster, Ryan Cayabyab, who was one of my daughter's best teachers in UP and someone who doesn't need an introduction if you're a Filipino, Kitchy Molina, UP's Voice Department Head, and Joey Reyes, a popular film director, are the mentors of Pinoy Dream Academy, so the scholars are really very lucky!

I'd like to think I'm becoming a better soprano now, thanks to my son, O.C. and daughter, Lauren, who are persistently monitoring my singing and who are now both members of one of the best choirs in the Philippines, the Novo Concertante Manila, and yes, Pinoy Dream Academy for inspiring me. I want to try singing Mariah Carey's songs but I still like to sing Karen Carpenter's songs, so I'm now trying to practice shifting my voice from chest to head tone and vice versa.