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The Heuristic Group Method
The Heuristic Group Rondalla Method is based on the group teaching principles of the late Prof. Rudolfo DeLeon at the UP College of Music. Professor DeLeon’s method trained one teacher to teach the whole rondalla, as an ensemble, the rudiments music as well as performance. Dr. Peters crafted his Heuristic Group Rondalla Method drawing from Prof. Deleon’s classes, and adapting it to the needs of the students at NUS. It is a self-paced instrumental instructional method, which includes music arranging, conducting and composition. Dr. Peters wanted his students to grow out of the dependence on imported printed music, and begin a tradition of writing their own scores. He saw this dependence in the orchestras and bands that he was very intimately connected with since his teen years – an over reliance on printed scores from Euro-America. Today, the NUS Rondalla is self-sustaining and has one of the largest music libraries for rondallas in the world. Much of the works in this library were composed and/or arranged by the students themselves.
The Heuristic Group Rondalla Method is built around 10 musical charts with allied worksheets. The challenge is for the students to learn and imbibe what is coded and summarized in these charts.The Rondalla Fingering Chart:
It shows the large musical range of the rondalla, the notes that each section of instruments are capable of playing, and the all important code to place the fingers, in first position, to play any note in the spectrum. There are allied charts that deal with the finger technique and the other necessary rudiments in music. All students are presented the same chart so that they know where they fit into the rondalla spectrum. For those students who want to become composers and arrangers and even conductors, this chart, with other similar comprehensive charts and allied worksheets, become a tool for self-paced individualized study.
