Giving voice to Tagalog

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This article was published 25/02/2022 (1338 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Winnipeg vice-principal who moonlights as an opera singer began I Love to Read Month on a high note this year.

Paul Ong said he was equally ecstatic and flattered when Manitoba Opera approached him with a pitch to expand the classical music company’s storybook read-aloud programs — an initiative that would allow the Filipino educator to perform for students in Tagalog.

“It made me feel validated… It was quite moving to be able to see that these opera children’s books have been translated and are being read in my native tongue,” Ong said.

Manitoba Opera runs two read-aloud initiatives to encourage children to get excited about reading and expose them to classical music.

The opera company has sent musicians into classrooms throughout February — a month that has become known for literacy celebrations in K-12 classrooms — to host lessons about opera vocabulary, a singing session, and a live story time performance dating back to 2016.

“Opera is all about stories and storytelling, and I Love to Read Month is all about loving stories and finding the things that make kids want to read. So, we use opera as a vehicle for showing kids some of the adventures that they can have in reading,” said Scott Miller, education and community engagement co-ordinator at Manitoba Opera.

Last year, owing to COVID-19, the company launched opera story time, which is an adapted read-aloud program of recorded videos that can be played any time, regardless of public health restrictions on school visits.

All four recordings published in 2021 are in English. The read-aloud titles include the Pet of the Met, The Great Poochini, and the Opera Cat series.

The videos have been viewed nearly 600 times, while the opera company’s in-person read-alouds have reached upwards of 2,000 students over the last six years.

The success of the free educational program prompted Manitoba Opera to reach out to local singers who speak multiple languages to translate popular children’s opera books and perform them.

The French and Tagalog videos are anticipated to be uploaded to Manitoba Opera’s website before the end of February, Miller said, adding he hopes to be able to record musical storytelling videos in other languages in the future.

Ong, a classically trained singer, said he hopes classroom teachers will use the Tagalog resource when they teach literacy, especially in schools with a sizable Filipino population.

The value of representation in mainstream media cannot be underestimated, he said.

The vice-principal indicated he plans to promote the resource in his elementary school in northwest Winnipeg.

“We need to give (students) the opportunity to get exposed and find some appreciation within different art forms,” Ong added, noting classical technique is key because it teaches singers how to use their breath and place their voice properly.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @macintoshmaggie