As the pandemic continues, music as an industry continues to suffer but serves as a beacon of hope to those that live it.
Palawan Daily’s Story Cafe caught up with Philippine Madrigal Singers alumna and Palaweña Krystl Buesa in the October 8 episode as she shared how she is holding up during the corona crisis. Like many other music professionals who have adjusted to our new reality, Krystl shifted to teaching voice lessons online.
How it all started
Krystl remembers with fondness as she once joined “Little Miss Palawan”. Her family are currently based here in Puerto Princesa while she is living in Manila. At six-years-old, she started studying the piano. Admittedly being forced into the lessons at first, Krystl eventually learned to love it. In addition to learning to play the instrument, she also joined the church choir and competed in inter-school and classical competitions.
“I think yung experiences sa lahat ng ‘yon yung nakatulong sa kung ano ako right now,” she added after noting how all these urged her to pursue a music degree in college.
Being part of the MADZ
Many choristers aim to be part of the globally distinguished UP Madrigal Singers. Through hard work and determination, Krystl achieved her dream and became a Soprano of the group from 2012 to 2018.
One key moment in her career was touring the globe. Krystl travelled to Asia, Europe, the USA, and Morocco with the group, and the tour was highlighted by the two times they competed in the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing in 2016 and 2017. For her, those years were the peak of her career in the MADZ.
The Palaweña performer shared how she felt blessed to have met new people both inside and outside the country. She added that seeing the audience’s reaction and knowing that they touched other people’s hearts with their performances became her main purpose for singing.
Of course, she also dealt with hurdles as part of her journey. Buesa noted that finances, travelling to unfamiliar places, and having to grow and change as a person were natural challenges she encountered, but those did not matter as much because of how much she loved being in the group.
Currently, she teaches high school students under the MADZ Music Studio. More than being musicians, the vocal coach emphasized that it is important to teach the youth to improve their character and become better people. She instilla in them the ‘just do it’ mentality, telling them not to give up in spite of hardships. She also reminds their students to not compare themselves with others, and to focus on exploring and honing their own skills instead.
Performing in the new normal
In light of the current events, Krystl stated that the biggest change for performers is switching platforms from physical venues to being limited to online spaces. For someone used to teaching music face-to-face, she was challenged to find more creative means to compensate for the lack of physical connection.
The positive thing about the situation, according to her, is that geographical differences aren’t a barrier anymore. Now more than ever, collaborations from various points in the globe are done. Performers have increased their interactions with other performers that they would not have had the opportunity to work with before the pandemic.
As the singer said, “Ang mga tao walang pipigil sa kanila na kumanta. Basta may paraan, kakanta together.”
Her advice to aspiring singers on how to pursue music at this time is to practice every day and even join contests or auditions. “Hindi nakakatakot na mag audition; walang masama na mag try […] Normally we don’t try kasi feeling natin ‘I’m not fit’ or ‘hindi para sa akin yan’, but how would you know if hindi mo ita-try talaga?,” she told PDN. She also encouraged those who think that they are not good at singing to find a teacher who can listen to them and knows what they need to get better.
In days when she needs some perking up she turns to South Korean pop group BTS tunes for some happy vibes, but the song she’d sing as a message for everyone is Whitney Houston’s When You Believe, because in the midst of it all –
“Though hope is frail
It’s hard to kill
Who knows what miracles
You can achieve
When you believe, somehow you will
You will when you believe.”
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