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"Kulasa Ka Ba?: One Music. One Voice. One Hope.

By Carina L. dela Cruz, Board Member, Sr. Baptista Battig Music Foundation, Inc.
Edited by Cecilia P. Almazar, Marketing and Communications Officer
Posted: Friday September 11, 2009 09:16 AM

On the music of my generation…  

Does music define a generation or does a generation define its music?  The 50’s saw the beginning of a great change in popular music.  It gave birth to Doo Wop and Elvis Presley; thus, the birth of Rock & Roll.   Teenagers came forth with a new type of dancing. The popular fashion for the girls, on the other hand, was poodle skirts and bobby sox while the boys sported white t-shirts and a pair of blue jeans. 

The 60’s paved the way for another change in music history.  New rock bands flourished as electric instruments (mostly guitars) and new technology became available. While Elvis maintained his popularity in the 60’s, he saw competition when the Beatles entered the scene.  There was just Beatlemania from all over the world!  Poodle skirts were replaced with mini-skirts while bobby sox were made obsolete by go-go boots.  If you can’t do the “Twist,” chances are you don’t know how to dance. 

Disco and hippie defined the 70’s.  Although the popularity of the disco was relatively short, it created a great deal of songs and artists whose work remain danceable even until now.  Van Macoy’s “The Hussle” was the definitive disco track along with Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” and Abba’s “Dancing Queen” and, of course, the BeeGee’s “Staying Alive,” which was also popularized by the young and handsome actor whose suave walk catapulted him ultimate stardom --- John Travolta. 

Also, it was during the early 70’s when Filipino music started to sound more nationalistic.  Tagalog was used more often; thus, giving birth what we have always known as “Original Pop Music (OPM).”  Artists like the Apo Hiking Society, Hotdog, VST, and  The Company dominated the airwaves.  It was a decade of extreme fashion as well!  What with bell-bottom polyester pants and matching polyester airplane-collared long-sleeved shirts; hippies wearing psychedelic-colored and tie-dyed shirts; necks adorned with love beads; the point and middle finger raised for peace; and, of course, the unforgettable afro do. 

The 80’s was “married” to MTV, giving the bands, artists, and their music greater exposure in a more widely popular medium, the television.  

Madonna and Michael Jackson, the pop icons of the era, have proven their staying power as their influences are still felt in the music industry till today.  New Wave was another genre that influenced an entire generation of music fans with its poppy sound and intricate lyrics.  Bands like the B-52’s, The Police, and Duran Duran were just as iconic back in the 80’s. 

It was a decade of bright, miss-matched colors, the preppy look, and punk-rock.  And men’s hair defied gravity with the help of a strong-hold gel.  Women’s do was not to be outdone with canisters of hairspray on hand.  Streaks of colors completed the look and made mothers
shriek!!!

The 90’s saw the decades of boy bands like New Kids on the Block, the Back Street Boys, and N’Sync.  Women “fought back” with the Spice Girls, Britney Spears, and Cristina Aguilera.  While the teens  bopped in delight to the music of boy bands, the young at heart ruled the dance floor with ballroom dancing together.  Who can ever forget one’s trusted dance instructor, right?  The 90's also introduced OPM into the international spotlight, as the commercially successful local band Eraserheads won the “MTV Video Music Award for Best Music Video.” 

The turn of the century in 2000, otherwise known as “Y2K,” paved the way to higher technology and "dotcoms" like YouTube which the younger generation use as a tool for personal expression and another means for music. 

In the early 2000, it was business as usual on the pop charts, with R&B-influenced artists dominating the Philippine airwaves causing Pinoy Rock to take a backseat until rock bands such as Bamboo, Orange and Lemons, and our very own Kitchie Nadal gained popularity.   

The year 2000 also witnessed an endless parade of trained pop acts whose craft went all the way to Star Search or Disney’s version of boot camp which gave birth to the High School Musical wave. 

Whether music defines a generation or a generation defining music, it remains to be a philosophical  statement.  

Only one truth remains – that music is universal.  It’s the medium that unites everyone regardless of generation.  We can all identify with music in the days of our youth and at one point in time we were all teenagers – young and flamboyant.   

And through it all, your “barkada” whom you listened the music with and with whom you spent the highs and lows of life was there with you.  Looking back, there will always be that memorable song that will remind you of your first dance, your first crush, your first heartbreak… and you laugh them all out.   

Simply put, music is a soulful feeling and expression, whether we grew up dancing to Madonna’s “Material Girl,” Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” or Britney Spears’ “Oops, I Did It Again!”

… and being a kulasa   

On Friday, October 23, 2009, the Sr. Baptista Battig Music Foundation of St. Scholastica’s College in cooperation with the St. Scholastica’s College Alumni Foundation, Inc. (SSAFI) will host an event dubbed as “KulasaKaBa? One music. One voice. One hope.” at the LePavillon.  

It’s a celebration of generations of music --- from the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s all the way to the present featuring an all-Kulasa ensemble -- Imago, The Original Penthouse 7 Gang, among many others with the entertainingly witty Mitch Valdez as the host for the evening. 

“Kulasa,” pronounced as  (ko̵̅o̅ ′lasa), is a coined word  for a scholastican – a student of St. Scholastica’s College, Manila.  It was passed on from one generation to the next which evolved into a unique attribute.  The scholastican being the formal version and the Kulasa simply its casual and relaxed counterpart. 

The youth regardless of which generation, be it the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, or the present, carries with them the optimism and the determination to make a difference in their time.  And every generation struggled with how young people felt.  Were they ever heard?  Were there ideas any important?  Can they make a difference?  “KulasaKaBa?” is a call for unity; a call to bring together all Kulasas from different generations for a singular voice advocating change and hope for the next generations in an evening of pure fun, music, and prizes and surprises, too!  

Proceeds of the event will go to the Sr. Baptista Battig Music Foundation Scholarship Trust Fund and the St. Scholastica's Research and Development Fund (SSRDF).   

Over the years, Sr. Baptista Battig Music Foundation, has been honing young talented scholars through music education. Its recipients have been finding gainful employments here and abroad -- in cruise ships, hotels, schools and production companies, among many others.   

With the help of these scholarship funds, these underprivileged Filipino youth become productive, disciplined and self-reliant members of our society instead of becoming imminent risks to society.  By providing them with such great opportunity, not only do we help them achieve their dreams, but we also make prolific talents that will someday make our country proud and give inspiration to the future generation.  

TThe event aims to not only strengthen the bond among Kulasas but also provide a venue for awareness to youth on what they can do to help. Every generation of Kulasas remains a rare group of women with strong Benedictine values, educated the Scholastican way.  Kulasas were brought up in the light of serving others.  Myself and my co-alumnae saw great opportunities unfold right before our eyes.  Indeed, it has improved us all in so many aspects of our lives. Now, it is time to give back and make a difference for the generations to come. 

No small act of kindness is insignificant if done in unity. It’s best to plant the seed of change in our own backyard but it’s an  initiative that will hopefully spread beyond the home turf of ulasas. Who knows, it may actually be music and not politics that can bring back this nation to greatness again.& 

KulasaKaBa? is journey through time that has a variety of music which spanned decades.  This ultimately shows the power of music which cuts across generations, and brings fun and unity among people.  Bet you can do your mom’s flashy disco moves while she can rock it better than you! 

We guarantee a fun night!  Family and friends of the Scholastican community are also invited to this one-of-a-kind “showdown”.  Nag enjoy ka na, nakatulong ka pa! 

Bring back those years and let us make one great music, raise one voice and bring one hope to our nation in this event.  Reconnect and reminisce about the good times of being Kulasas. Tag along a friend.  Bastakaibigan ng Kulasa, kasama! You can actually make new friends with people you didn’t hang out with in school. 

For more information, please contact Carina de la Cruz at 526-8080, 986-1178, 3334-4627 or mobile number  0928-500-0549.