Excerpt from the BMI Ethnography of Maasin’s Tultugan

“Tultug: The Root of Maasin’s Tultugan Festival” By Hermie F. Cartagena

INTRODUCTION AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Bamboo plants are abundant in Maasin. One of the varieties that can be found in the area is the “kawayan tinik” and is produced yearly with more than 2 million poles. Thus, bamboo is the primary material in producing local products and handicrafts in Maasin. The place has been supplying bamboo poles and various handicrafts in Iloilo and has even been exporting them internationally (Marin, 2017). Being one of the primary exporters of bamboo products in the region and the country, this municipality in the central part of Iloilo became known as the bamboo capital of the Visayas.

In celebration of the abundant supply of bamboo products in the municipality, the Tultugan Festival was established. The festival, initiated or institutionalized by Mayor Mariano Malones in 1999, is considered a contemporary festival sponsored by the government (Muyco, 2016). Tultugan came from the word “tultug,” which means the act of making sound by tapping or striking the bamboo instrument (Marin, 2017).

The Tultugan Festival is primarily dedicated to bamboo and its various uses and functions. Held every fourth week of December, it features street dancing and a tribal dance competition. The highlight of the celebration is the tribal dance competition that showcases the various usage of bamboo in the community. The performers show how to creatively utilize the bamboo materials as part of the performance, incorporating them into their props, costumes, and instruments. Aside from the street dancing and tribal dance competition, the festival also highlights the “Gwapo Karabaw,” a contest wherein the participants adorn their water buffalos with various ornaments; “Parada sang Litson,” where roasted pigs are presented in the streets through a parade; “Rara Amakan” contest, wherein the speed in weaving bamboos is tested; “Kadang Race,” a test of balance; and the search for Miss Tultugan (“News Today” 2005, p. 1, paragraph 3).

The festival is a way of preserving the local culture for the next generations to come, and various approaches were applied in redesigning and modernizing the bamboo material. Likewise, various rhythmic patterns were composed and developed by local musicians to provide a dynamic and vibrant sound in the performance (Marin, 2017; Jacinto, 2013).

PRODUCING THE BAMBOO MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

All bamboo instruments and products in the municipality of Maasin are made from the kawayan tinik variety. Ms. Rosemarie Bayag explained that the best time for the harvesting of the Kawayan tinik is from September to January. At this time, the bamboo is mature enough to be crafted as a musical instrument. The diagram below shows the systematic process of making a bamboo instrument from planning up to its final form.

For Bayag, the first step in making a bamboo instrument is planning. She explained that an instrument maker should have in mind what kind of instrument he or she desires to make.

Secondly, the selection of bamboo must be fit to be crafted as an instrument. For Bayag, the best bamboo material are those bamboos that are situated uphill and have red pigmentations already. She also taps the bamboo pole using a bolo to check for sound quality. For her, not all bamboo has the potential to “sing.”

Bayag further explained the science behind this process. According to her, bamboos that are situated uphill have less moisture in their fibers when compared to those bamboos found in the lowland area. She also added that bamboos found uphill are used to dry or humid climates. With that, the bamboo fibers are denser and sturdier. Also, she advised to look for the red pigmentation of the bamboo, which signifies that it is already mature enough and ideal to be constructed as an instrument. She further explained that mature bamboos with denser fibers are better because they produce a brighter and better sound resonance or what she called “nagakanta nga instrumento” (singing instrument).

The third step is choosing the appropriate part of the bamboo fit to be an instrument. According to Bayag, she only cuts and uses the pusog and the puno part of the bamboo – found in the lower part of the bamboo stem. Such parts have thicker bamboo flesh compared to its other parts. This is followed by carefully and neatly cutting or removing some bamboo nodes (for pipes or pitched instruments) and making a slit on one side of the bamboo (for rhythmic types of instrument like tultug). Bayag makes sure that this step is meticulously done for it may affect the sound quality of the instrument.

Lastly, refinement of the instrument is done by checking the sound quality (resonance) and durability. Bayag explained that once the bamboo instrument got cracked or damaged during the refinement stage, it is simply replaced. For her, the sound quality of the bamboo will be affected if adhesive will be applied to fix the broken part of the bamboo.

THE INSTRUMENTS AND THEIR ROLES

The instruments in the municipality of Maasin can be classified into two – rhythmic and pitched. Rhythmic instruments produce sound by striking, stamping, and clashing bamboos. Pitched instruments, on the other hand, produce melodies by striking the surface or tubes of the bamboo. These instruments are set in three octaves tuned to the key of C. The table below explains the method of sound production, melodic range, role in the ensemble, and function in social/cultural activity.

A.  Content Standards

1. Recognize the various rhythmic patterns and show an understanding of these concepts pertaining to rhythm
2. Recognize and differentiates the various melodic contours and show an understanding of the musical elements pertaining to pitch
3. Recognize the different tempo and show understanding of these concepts related to speed

B.  Performance Standards

1. Perform various rhythmic patterns individually and with a group
2. Perform various melodic contours individually and with a group
3. Perform various melodic and rhythmic patterns in an ensemble implementing various tempos

C.  Learning Competencies/Objectives

1. Aurally and visually identifies and differentiates the instruments of the tultugan

2. Improvise on various rhythmic patterns reflecting the musical characteristics of tultugan music

3. Improvise on various melodic contours reflecting the characteristic of tultugan music

4. Creates melodic and rhythmic patterns in different tempo (fast and slow)

A. Rhythm – rhythmic patterns using quarter, eighth, sixteenth, and dotted notes in common and triple time signature

B. Melody – melodic contours and directions (high and low)

C. Tempo – Instrumental ensemble using various tempo or speed

A.     References

1. Print Materials

a. BMI ethnography of Maasin’s Tultugan Festival

b. Pictures of tultugan instruments and performance

2. Audio-Video Materials

YouTube videos of performances in Tultugan Festival

3. Music Scores “Tatlo ka Pato”

B. Other Learning Materials

Other Learning Materials

Improvised percussion instruments (empty bottles, cup, plastic containers, empty can, PVC pipes)

A.    Reviewing the previous lesson or presenting the new lesson

1. Show a picture of a bamboo
2. Elicit answers on the various functions and uses of
3. Ask the students to find the Visayas and locate Iloilo province on thePhilippine map.

4. Show pictures of Maasin’s Tultugan Festival and ask the students about their first impression.

B.    Establishing the purpose of the lesson

Inform the students that tultugan music contains various rhythmic and melodic elements in music. Tell the students that they will be demonstrating these concepts through their personalized performance.

C.    Presenting examples/instances of the new lesson

Listen and Imitate:

1. Teacher claps a rhythmic pattern and students imitate the
2. Have the students listen to the tultugan rhythm and imitate
3. The teacher presents stick notations on the board and clap the patterns, and the students imitate the
4. Let the student create a rhythmic pattern by clapping and writing its stick

D.    Discussing new concepts and practicing new skills #1

1. Let the students learn the song “Tatlo ka Pato” aurally/orally.
2. Let the students sing the melody of the song while clapping its
3. Teacher presents the notation of the
4. Teacher points on the notation while students clap the rhythm of the song as they sing the melody.
5. Sing the song in a different tempo (slow and fast).
6. Students improvise on movements as they sing the song “Tatlo ka ”

E.    Discussing new concepts and practicing new skills #2

1. Show a picture of different instruments related to
2. Let the students identify the role of each instrument in the
3. Let the students find relevant or equivalent instruments in the classroom (melodic and percussion).
4. Instrumental performance: Let the students play the song “Tatlo ka Pato” using their improvised instruments (melodic and percussion).

F.   Developing mastery (leads for formative assessment)

1. Let the students compose their own rhythmic and melodic patterns individually and with a
2. Divide the class into three groups: group 1 will sing the melody, group 2 will improvise on movements, and group 3 will improvise on the instrumental
3. Let the students experience the different tempo (slow and fast).

G.    Finding practical applications of concepts and skills in daily living

Read a poem written in the students’ language and let them find the relevance of rhythm to speech.

Listen to slow and fast music and let the students realize how the music influences our emotions or feelings.

H.    Making generalization and abstraction about the lesson

Rhythm, melody, and tempo are musical elements that create musical ideas and musical expressions.

I.       Additional activities for application or remediation

For reinforcement: Let the student explore different rhythmic and melodic patterns using different instruments. Encourage students to experiment with various sounds by making a personalized bamboo instrument.

A. How many learners earned 80% in the evaluation? How many learners require additional activities for remediation?

B. Did the remedial lesson work? How many learners have caught up with the lesson? How many learners continue to require remediation?

C. Which of my teaching strategies worked well? Why did this work?

D. What difficulties can my principal or supervisor help me solve?

E. What innovation or localized materials did I use/discover that I wish to share with other teachers?