๐‚๐‡๐‘๐Ž๐๐ˆ๐‚๐‹๐„๐’ | Bamboo takes the spotlight in another TAU sustainability project

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๐‚๐‡๐‘๐Ž๐๐ˆ๐‚๐‹๐„๐’ | Bamboo takes the spotlight in another TAU sustainability project
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To integrate cultural innovation with agricultural sustainability, Tarlac Agricultural University (TAU) teamed up with the Department of Science and Technology - Forest Products Research and Development Institute (DOST-FPRDI), the University of the Philippines - Center for Ethnomusicology (UP-CE), the UP College of Music (UP-CM), and the Society for Strategic Education Studies (S4SES), and organized a three-day training sponsored by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) held at various TAU facilities from 20-22 November.
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The project titled "Musika, Kawayan, Kapaligiran, KaTAUhan: Production of Musical Instruments Using the Value Chain Perspective to Include Agricultural Practices with Training in Instrument-Making and Performanceโ€ was joined by select TAU faculty, staff, and students along with sustainability advocates from UP-CE, S4SES, and UP-CM. The event placed emphasis on the potential of bamboo as one of the sustainable resources in producing musical instruments.
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โ€œIn a town often visited by calamities such as floods, we could wish to embody what the bamboo exemplifiesโ€”that is, being resilientโ€”so we could bounce back no matter how difficult the situations could get,โ€ Mx. Marlon B. Espedillon, the overall coordinator, stated.
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The training is composed of a series of lectures from the invited speakers, held at the Bamboo Training Center (BTC) to identify bottlenecks and streamline the process of producing Bamboo Musical Instruments (BMI), followed by a hands-on workshop at the Engineered Bamboo (E-Bamboo) Center where participants engaged in crafting musical instruments such as xylophones, wind chimes, and stamping tubes.
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Mr. Julius U. Basilio, the Project-in-Charge of TAU E-Bamboo, assisted the sustainability advocates in using proper techniques in making crafts from splitting the bamboo, curing, and up to the final step. In addition, he also gave them a tour of the E-Bamboo Center and showcased the bamboo productsโ€“as one of the flagship commodities of the University.
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Known for its commitment to fostering agricultural sustainability, TAU also takes care of its โ€œbambusetumโ€ within the university that houses 50 species of bamboo, and a portion of its 655-hectare land at the Sitio Calao Forest Reserve in Brgy. San Jose, Mayantoc, where the Universityโ€™s bamboo plantation is located.
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The DOST-FPRDI started the innovation on BMI in 2019, to promote sustainability and eco-friendly materials. With its programs, the DOST-FPRDI actively reached out to its partner institutions where they recently conducted a virtual concert titled โ€œMusika ng Bayan, Yaman ng Bayanโ€ and a training on BMI titled โ€œGuro, Kawayan, at Musika.โ€ These initiatives also promote a value chain perspective that will prolong the lifespan of bamboo materials without negatively affecting the quality of BMIs and the conservation of environment which may be polluted by plastic or metal-based products.
Aricle | Information Unit
Photos | TAU E-Bamboo TWG