We welcome children and parents alike to join our rondalla! Throughout the IP school year, classes are held during IP sessions to train new rondalla players, teaching the young students how to play the banduria, octavina and laud. IP highly encourages students to learn to play these native instruments! The IP Rondalla Program classes are an additional option for IP families and require an additional registration fee. ,
To join our rondalla lessons, prior music experience is not required. However, students must be at least eight years of age to enroll in our rondalla classes and should posses basic note-reading skills for the treble clef. We conduct pre-assessments at the beginning of each school year to determine class groupings and inform curriculum planning. Students are promoted through the Rondalla Class Groups based on ability and progress, not age or year level. Our rondalla students may play the acoustic guitar, banduria, double bass, or octavina.
Expectations of our Rondalla Students
We expect all rondalla students to practice at least thirty minutes everyday and make up for missed practice time at home. Consistent attendance to rondalla classes is mandatory as well. We may ask students who accumulate an excessive number of absences from rondalla classes to withdraw from the program for the duration of the school year.
IP has a limited number of loaner bandurias and octavinas available for students to borrow for the academic year, so students may begin to take classes and try out the instruments. However, students will eventually need to purchase their own instruments (from the Philippines) or borrow from another IP family. We also expect our rondalla students to provide their own: black three-ring binder, music stand, tuner, pencil, and writing papers.
Our Rondalla Class Groups are as follows:
Level 1 (Hele Class, aka: Beginner Rondalla)
New students signing up as beginner rondalla students are assessed for their eligibility to join the beginner class based on their knowledge of music theory (ability to read notes on the treble clef and rhythms). Beginner students learn: the strings of the banduria or octavina, pressing down on the frets to make various notes, tremolo and plucking, and introductory songs. The Hele Class meets before regular IP class sessions.
Level 2 (Korido Class)
Students of the Korido Class begin learning how to stand while playing! The Korido Class meets before regular IP class sessions.
Level 3 (Talindaw Class, aka: Intermediate Rondalla)
Students in the Talindaw Class build upon their skills to dance while playing and memorize songs. The Talindaw Class performs during IP Christmas Caroling Performances and IP Dance Performance Group Performances to strengthen their skills. These performances prepare them for the larger-scale performances that the Kundiman Class does! The Talindaw Class meets after regular IP class sessions and have additional rehearsals throughout the summer and around performance times.
Level 4 (Kundiman Class, aka: Rondalla Ensemble)
The Kundiman Class is our traveling Rondalla Ensemble, which represents our community at a wide variety of events. You can find our Rondalla Ensemble performing at local and international performances during multicultural shows, community events, and college campuses. Kundiman students are fully able to dance while playing, memorize set lists of music, and perform large-scale performances. These students must audition for our international tours. The Kundiman Class meets after regular IP class sessions and have additional rehearsals on non-IP days. These additional rehearsals typically occur during the weeks before public performances.
Alumni
We encourage rondalla alumni to participate in IP rondalla performances! Alumni are important leaders and models for our younger players. We also firmly believe that practicing and performing together strengthens inter-generational bonds within the group.
Parents
We also encourage parents who play the guitar or bass to join the rondalla to support their children and our community. Committed parent volunteers are essential to the performance ensemble! Volunteers are required for: instrument, prop, and costume repair and maintenance; stage set and lighting design; backstage logistics; transportation; and food provision.