Homegrown music school seeks international accreditation

Friday, February 10, 2012

ENTREPRENEUR Pia Salonga-Chiong Quisido plans to have her music school, Salonga School of Rock, certified by the Rock School UK to position the facility as one of Cebu’s premier schools for pop and rock music.

“The accreditation would give more credibility to the school, although we have already proven to the industry our capability of producing good talents. This will also give us an edge over other rock music schools in the country,” Quisido said in an interview.

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Rock School is reportedly Europe’s No. 1 rock music exam board. Quisido plans to not only certify the school but its music coaches as well.

She hopes the accreditation will further help produce local talents in Cebu who can make a name for themselves not just in the local music industry but in the international arena.

Quisido was once the lead singer of a popular Cebuano band in the 1990’s, Feminine Mode. Her interest in music, she said, stemmed from her family, who are all musically inclined.

“My grandfather Adolfo Salonga was a trumpet player back then,” she said.

Quisido said her family’s ties to the music industry prompted her to build her own business, the Salonga School of Rock, in April 2011. The Salonga School of Rock is an
affiliate of the Salonga School of Music and JB Music.

“This was also my dream for the longest time,” said Quisido.

With roughly P500,000 invested, Quisido rented a 70-square-meter facility along General Maxilom Ave., acquired equipment and employed music coaches to begin her first foray in the business.

To date, her music school employs eight music coaches who are also band players themselves. According to Quisido, she now has at least 70 students enrolled in regular sessions.

Her school offers courses like voice and stage performance, and drum, guitar and violin lessons at P4,800 per 12 sessions.

“What we do here is help our students explore and enhance their talents, after which we form them into a group, so they can play as a band,” she said.

Quisido stressed there is a lot of difference in teaching the students to play as a group rather than be individually trained, as it helps develop the values such as discipline, cooperation and team work.

Quisido said her music school does away with the traditional music teaching (theory before application) and instead focuses on integrating both.

“In this way, we keep our students interested in mastering their craft,” Quisido said.

Students also get to perform before a crowd during the school’s mall gigs.

Aside from honing the music talents of their own students, Quisido said the School of

Rock also teaches music lessons to campuses through their After School Music Education program.

Quisido said they are partnering with PAREF Southcrest Cebu and the University of San Carlos Montessori for voice and stage performance.

Quisido also sees growth in her music business despite the presence of online music tutorials on sites like YouTube.

“The learning experience is very different. What we do here is not only to help students learn how to play, but perform. Parents, on the other hand, also look forward to seeing their children perform on stage,” she said.