WHILE most kids look up to celebrity singers, nine-year-old Samantha Jane Duque has her elder sisters as her role models.
The youngest in a brood of five, Sam grew up to Sunday morning karaokes and nightly acapella sessions with sisters April and Kate, who are both members of the local church choir in Barangay San Nicolas Proper, Cebu City.
With the sisters’ passion for music, they did not have second thoughts when they were invited to join the City Government’s newly-formed children’s choir.
“I’m happy because this will help me develop my talent and inspire other kids to join and be good in singing as well,” Sam told SunStar Cebu.
Annabeth Cuizon of the Cultural and Historical Affairs Commission (Chac) said that the children’s choir was introduced by Councilor Margarita Osmeña after a lot of youngsters participated in the City Government’s first arts week celebration last February.
Cuizon said the initial plan was to have street children audition to keep them off the streets. But as time passed, the kids lost interest in the trainings.
“That’s where we realized that due to the nature of their residences, which is temporary, we lost them. What we did is encourage barangay-based children, but that doesn’t mean we end there,” she said.
Cuizon said the City will soon introduce a separate training, which will be more “acceptable” to the situations of street children so that they will be encouraged to use their talents.
In the meantime, Chac is focusing on tapping kids in the barangays to join the choir, which is being mentored by volunteer trainers Israel Rubin and Rosalita Racaza.
As of now, the children’s choir is composed of 11 girls between the ages of nine and 16, who are from Barangays San Nicolas Proper and Duljo-Fatima.
Rubin, who also grew up being a choir member, said he volunteered to train the kids to hopefully inspire other youngsters in the city to develop their talents.
“My ambition is to train kids and the opportunity to represent the city in various events is just a bonus. Cebu is known for its many singers and this choir, while new, will hopefully be among those that will bring pride,” he said.
Since its formation, the choir has performed in the recently-concluded Association of Southeast Asian Nations meetings and during the State of the City Address of Mayor Tomas Osmeña.