Great Vocal Training Lessons for Kids and Adults by Monet Silvestre (Tux vocalist,musician, proud husband and father)

It’s summer here in Manila!

Parents just about everywhere in the metro are always looking for worthwhile summer activities or lessons for their kids to participate in that will not only allow them to have fun, but also enrich them as they wile away the summer days, and lessons they can still continue to pursue (based on their free time) even when school is back in session.

Music is high on the list of summer activities that many parents encourage their children to try, and music isn’t just for the summer.

When children are exposed to learning and enjoying music, parents are actually awakening in them an interest and love for the art, as well as develop the following: emotional development, goal-setting, creativity, confidence, self-expression, patience, and language.

Kids who have an early start in music education are usually the ones with high levels of creative and abstract thinking and good memory.

And it always helps to choose a good teacher who is passionate about music.  If you wish to encourage your child to try voice training to awaken in him a love for singing and knowing the proper singing techniques, look no further and get to know Monet Silvestre.

The name Ramon Luis Silvestre may not ring a bell, but the name Monet Silvestre is very familiar  in the Philippine band scene.  He is part of the famous 80′s all-male vocal group called THE TUX.  To this day they are still a force to reckon with among Filipino performers and musicians.  (See http://www.facebook.com/the.tux)

Monet was also part of the band DV8 which made popular the song “Ang Gaan-Gaan ng Feeling” that became the song for the Ivory Shampoo commercial that starred Bianca Araneta (now Elizalde).

With DV8

After completing primary and secondary education in La Salle Greenhills, he went to U.P. College of Music, majoring in Composition.

A professional musician since 1986, Monet has performed many shows here in Manila and in abroad first as part of bands, and then later, he branched out into being a session musician for concerts.  In 2006 and 2008, he shared his knowledge in voice training to aspiring talents/”scholars” as their Voice Mentor alongside Miss Kitchie Molina for the popular TV program Pinoy Dream Academy (also known as PDA).  See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinoy_Dream_Academy for more details on the program, which is the Philippine version of Endemol’s Operacion Triunfo (Operation Triumph).

With other Pinoy Dream Academy mentors Kitchie Molina and Maestro Ryan Cayabyab

With Direk Lauren Dyogi and Pinoy Big Brother, Pinoy Dream Academy staff

Monet with Mr. Ryan Cayabyab

At present, he is a session musician, voice coach, studio owner, choir director, and music director of Kundirana, the premiere vocal group of La Salle Greenhills.  He is happily married to his wife Patricia.  They have two daughters, Rebecca (13 years old) and Katerina (7 years old).  Here is Teacher Monet, sharing his love for music and teaching.  See why you can choose him as a singing mentor for your child:

What made you get into teaching voice?

I decided to become a fulltime session musician in 2001 after losing my voice after 10yrs of singing in a showband. I took voice lessons under Kitchie Molina in 2006, and have been teaching voice since. Teaching is where I realized I can make a difference. I’ve finally found my passion at 45yrs old

What inspired you to become a musician?

Having very supportive parents. I remember hearing music 24/7 when I was young. But it’s when my parents sold our old car to buy me a piano did I realize music was gonna be my life. I was in highschool then.

So many moms/parents nowadays really want their children to have musical training. What age is best for a child to start? Does he or she have to learn an instrument apart from wanting to learn how to sing?

I guess having a musical environment at home is the best way to plant the seed. But in reality, the seed has already been planted. It’s up to us parents to nurture it. It’s never too early. Instill the importance of any art for that matter, at home by having music played constantly, by having books and works of art easily accessible. By doing that, children like sponges will simply absorb. Learning an instrument is always good.

Share with us your Top 3 Memorable Experiences as a musician.
1–playing in concerts abroad
2–playing gigs in Quiapo
3–solo piano gig in a hotel lobby

Monet as Musical Director of the show “Mitch and Nanette” a concert topbilling Mitch Valdez and Nanette Inventor

At a concert of Ogie Alcasid’s at the PICC

With fellow session musicians

What would be your advice to parents who want to raise musically inclined children?

Be supportive but never force the child into it. I’ve turned down students whose parents forced their child to have music lessons. They end up hating it or at least become indifferent to music. But I’ve encouraged seemingly “tone-deaf” children, but who have a strong desire to learn…and they do learn. I prefer the latter.

Are there any signs to look out for in raising a musically-gifted child? What are the best ways to awaken a child’s interest in music?

Honestly, more often that not, children aren’t being fed enough music. Schools put more emphasis on math, reading, science, etc.. Well and good. But music or any form of artistic self expression should be part of a child’s diet as well. Play the radio, cd, iPod, let them watch Youtube, leave an instrument lying around in the house. Let crayons, paint brushes, sketchpads, litter your home. Let them dance, sing, play roles.

Monet at a StarMagic Voice Workshop

In your experience in helping mode talents from Pinoy Dream Academy, would you say that Filipinos are truly inherently musical, and what are the best ways for parents to encourage their child when it comes to music and performing?

Well, there are exceptionally gifted children who you spot early on. But I believe ALL children are inherently artistic. It’s the environment (parents, schools) that weans them out of music/art. As for the PDA artists I’ve worked with, music and singing was the only thing that mattered in their lives. It may seem that Pinoys are ‘exceptionally gifted’, but living in a 3rd world country, what would you do if you had nothing to eat and there’s a singing contest in your barrio next weekend? Even if you lose, there’s still a P500 consolation prize. I’ve seen this all-around the country, with kids as young as 3-4yrs old. We use music to deal with adversity.

At a StarMagic workshop with Emman Vera

How do you encourage your own children in their pursuit of their own dreams and interests?

Patricia and I try our best to be sensitive to what clicks with Becca and Katching. Being parents brought up by our ‘war-time’ parents, we sometimes impose what we think is good for them. But it’s easy to see if what we want doesn’t resonate with them. The frown, the wandering eyes, the fiddling. But when they enjoy something, you even have to pull them away from it. Syempre video games is another story, hehe. Alam mo naman pag sobra ng Poptropica eh.

Tell us more about your choir, Pleasing Personalities? What type of songs do they do? Can they perform for events?

After PDA2, two parents knocked on my door asking if I could teach their children. I simply asked them to recruit more kids so we could form a choir, para isang turuan nalang so to speak. It’s more than voice lessons actually, it’s music lessons and values training. They’re all from the public school nearby. Aged 6-12yrs, we sing an all OPM repertoire, tagalog mass songs, kundimans. I don’t have to teach them the foreign top 40 playlist–tv/radio and the internet can take care of that. Yes, we’ve sung for a wedding, a few guest appearances on TV Patrol with Ms. Bernadette Sembrano. We’re preparing for another TV Patrol gig, the commemoration of Pope John Paul II’s beatification.

With his children’s choir, The Pleasing Personalities

What are the advantages of exposing children to music, from what you’ve observed in the ones you’ve taught or mentored?

Music is fun, it nurtures, it enriches. For some, it’s even a refuge. And in our country, alot of times it’s the only way to deal with adversity. If math can do that for you, science, biology, sibika, practical arts, etc, then all is good. But be ready to encourage if your child hums a melody and refuses to stop, if the only way they express themselves is by tapping the table, dancing, or drawing pictures of Spongebob on your wall….hala, you may have something there

Teacher Monet at a workshop in Don Bosco

Holding his Teacher Monet Workshop in Cebu

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Monet Silvestre is among the fortunate ones who has found how his passion and love for music can touch the  lives of those around him.  As we all know, Leo Tolstoy hit the nail on the head when he said that “Music is the shorthand of emotion.”

It allows us to express who we are, and as parents, it would be part of our roles as stewards of our children to encourage them in exploring and enjoying art, especially if we find our children expressing a love and keen interest for music.  It could be singing or playing an instrument, or writing songs…The possibilities are endless in this art.

Shinichi Suzuki, a violinist and music educator (1898-1998) once said, “Teaching music is not my main purpose. I want to make good citizens. If children hear fine music from the day of their birth and learn to play it, they develop sensitivity, discipline and endurance. They get a beautiful heart.”

Allow music to let your child soar, and allow him to discover his voice.  Great vocal training lessons not just for the summer!

To reach Monet Silvestre, check this link for workshop rates, or send him a message on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Teacher-MONET-SILVESTRE/131616686211