QUEZON City, Philippines (September 26) – Phenomenal. That is the one word that everyone would describe The Beatles. The Beatles traced their origins in Liverpool, England. Most of their songs are about love and life.
Imagine having a late afternoon coffee with your friend while a playlist of songs are currently playing and you realized how these songs are beautifully written, where words becomes your thoughts. Thoughts you long to say to your friend that afternoon. That is the power of a Beatles songs; it engages a person’s desire to express their feelings through a poetic gesture. Every day, more and more aspiring artists are inspired to create a song that will best describe their need and passion to write, while listening to The Beatles.
Some studies show that majority of Filipinos lack interests in the arts. That is the reason why the Filipino artist is an endangered species.
Millenials are not really keen on pursuing a career in the fine arts of literature, painting and sculpture and other artistic media.
This is demonstrated in the University of the Philippines. UP is is one of the top institutions in the world that offer a high quality of education when it comes to the arts but surprisingly recorded an almost 35% decrease in the number of enrollees for art courses in the past 3 years.
This is a vicious cycle. With their jobs not in much demand, they are forced by circumstances to leave the country and find employment in more art-oriented nations. Thus, further depriving the Philippines of its artists.
When it comes to music, bands nowadays are very different compared to the bands in the 60’s. The message and the musicality is not as original and meaningful as before as they are forced to cater to the trends.
Another sad trend is the development in technology. By just downloading an application, anyone can play a musical instrument through their smartphones. Instead of leading into a resurgence of new musical artists, it only made people think cheaply of the trained musicians, saying that what they do is easy and that they don’t deserve higher compensation.
So what does all of these have to do with the Beatles? The answer is simple actually. A Beatles song gives you the idea of real feelings – conveyed by artists from long ago. Artists that were able to share their understanding in life through their music.
Generally, we must focus on the extinction and the dying career of musicians in the Philippines. We must give them the support that they need.
(written by Leslie Mendoza, edited by Jay Paul Carlos, additional research by Vince Alvin Villarin)