BORACAY - The fun is about to start as some the country's popular bands are set to rock the island of Boracay in this year's "Soundskool" battle of the bands competition.

The Nescafe 3-in-1 SoundSkool, a yearly music competition, has 13 finalist rock bands from various colleges nationwide.

Bands like Pupil - led by Eraserheads' former vocalist Ely Buendia - and Sandwich - led by music mogul Raimund Marasigan - are just two of the mainstream bands that will serve as "band mentors" for this year's crop of finalists.

The Boracay event, to be held from November 5 to November 9, will serve as a "makeover session" for the finalists. 

Buendia and Marasigan - along with rock bands 6 Cycle Mind, Callalily and other respected Filipino musicians - will hold intensive music workshops.

Aside from learning from popular bands, the contestants will also have a chance to have head-to-toe fashion makeovers and one-on-one mentoring sessions with members of their favorite bands.

A "band camp" of sorts, the pre-Finals program will teach participant college bands to hone their song-writing skills, handling their finances, and how to cope with the pressures of fame.

After their tropical retreat, the 13 finalists will battle it out in the Grand Finals night on November 14 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila.

Balancing act

In an interview with abs-cbnNews.com, Nescafe Marketing Promotions and Events manager Eileen Rose Bangcoro said that the Soundskool, held for 5 years now, has become a platform for young musicians to hone their talents.

Soundskool is different from other band competitions, she said, because they ensure that college band members learn how to balance their academics with their musical pursuits.

It also gives them an opportunity to learn "good values so they become role models to other youth."

"We feel that its our responsibility to instill [these good values to young artists]. Kasi there's [an] impresssion na kapag banda, baka mapabayaan ang pag-aaral," Bangcoro explained.

"But again, we want them to learn at an early age that, yes you can balance things. You can study and hone your craft at the same time. Ang music parang sport. We felt (SoundSkool) is a good venue to support that particular craft," she said.

First day

During the first day of the workshop last Thursday, Nescafe's 2008 SoundSkool grand winner Letter Day Story took time to share what they learned so far as a newly popular mainstream band.

The band members said that joining a battle of the bands competition is not just about competition, but about sharing one's talents with the world.

"Dapat enjoy lang. Don't think of it as a competition but a way of sharing your talents," one of the band members said.

For band finalists like In Descent and Sundae Special, meanwhile, the workshop was about learning how to be humble, even if they "make it to the top."

"Lahat ng tinuro sa amin [importante]. Especially ‘yong major na, you have to learn how to [control or discpline] yourself," Mia Derillo, vocalist of the band Sundae Special, said.

Asked what they want to learn from future workshops, a band member from "Disco...Disco...Disco" said: "We are expecting to get more tips. ‘Yong mga bagay na makakatulong talaga di lang sa banda, pati yong personality development, the way you project siguro when you perform."

Though only one band will be proclaimed the winner of the 2009 SounSkool, most finalists said being in Boracay and meeting Filipino music legends is a prize in itself.

"We are just here for experience how it's like na makasama sila-- other bands and the celebrity bands. Win or lose, winner pa din. Pero sana manalo sa finals. We are to have fun. This is Bora and masaya," a musician from the newly-formed band Eevee said. Report and photos by Reyman Buan-Deveza, abs-cbnNEWS.com.