Music has been an integral part of our life. Numerous artists are putting out music every day for the people to enjoy the craft and profit from the passion of these artists. Different genres of music are made to embody somehow various aspects of our life; that’s why people tend to rely on this art through the good and bad times in their life. In the crisis that we are still suffering right now, which is the pandemic, the music industry is not that affected than other fields. The public is still consuming music in their respective areas and waiting for artists to put out content. Many people thought that the industry would be at a halt when the pandemic started because of COVID restrictions and social distancing, which would affect how artists and producers make their craft. This is not what happened in the year 2020, as many music artists thrived and created new and break records; that is surprising due to how we are in a pandemic. Concerts, Festivals, and any kinds of mass gathering are prohibited, and I think that was one of the damages that COVID did to the music industry.
    In this age, advancements in technology made creating and listening to music easily. There are free streaming sites for people to listen to music, such as YouTube, Spotify, Soundcloud, and many more. Artists could also use the advantages of technology improvements by utilizing applications created for creating and producing music. Many advanced applications can create realistic sounds like those made in an instrument that artists can use to create their music. Also, the problem that I stated that affected the music industry, which was the mass gathering events, there are already solutions that the industry created for that problem. Gabler (2020) stated that the future of music venues was uncertain, but there are already artists making their moves by using the power of technology to meet their fans online. They can share performances and content that the fans can consume in their respective houses.
As a K-pop fan, I can see how it also affected my favorite groups to promote their music to avoid contracting the virus. Still, the industry continues to adapt to the circumstances because those artists and idols need profit and at the same time perform for their fans also to entertain them and somehow get their mind off from the problems that they are suffering due to a lot of issues in life that they encounter. Numerous people, including myself, rely on the contents that the artists put out for entertainment and make the reality less exhausting because it can affect my mental health, knowing how the pandemic hit the world hard.
        Aside from the pandemic context, music can also be a way to spread awareness of different causes and be a way for people to gather money and donate it to charities. Aside from the pandemic context, music can also be a way to spread awareness of different causes and be a way for people to gather money and donate it to charities. Otera (2012) stated in his paper that the Great East Japan Earthquake struck the country with a magnitude 9.0 and generated a tsunami. He started to send his music CDs to local radio stations and requested specific music to help their listeners sleep at night. In this way, it was beneficial for the people to have some comfort in their life in the time of calamity, and music can be a way for them to sleep at night better. This can also be justified by this statement made by Spotify, a music streaming platform, in an article written by Hall (2020), stated that the number of added subscribers in the first quarter of 2020 that there are changes in the routines of customers that relaxing genres is becoming popular.
Music is something that people consume every day whatever the context of the life of the public is. Here are some of the music that is helpful to listen to in times of calamities and disaster;

Photography:

    A picture that can mean many things in terms of the context it was taken and the mood that it depicts on the individual. Photography became a norm that people do it every day in their life. Social media became a tool for the public to share the photos they took and want the people to see regardless of its context. It can be used for sharing knowledge and information with people on what is happening in life. The media use it to share what is happening in the world through pictures, and it can create a better sense of meaning to the public rather than just saying it through words because they can see it through their own eyes.

    An article covered by National Geographic and written by Than (2013) shared that the photojournalist David Guttenfelder went to the Philippines to capture the disaster that happened because of typhoon Haiyan that the media coverage would overlook. Instead of using his personal Instagram for diary, he utilized it for communicating with his followers and the public about what happened in the country because the typhoon killed a lot of people, and the damage was significant. People need to know what happened. For more of story, click HERE

  Since the country yearly encounters deadly typhoons and other natural calamities, we must share the circumstances that the people experienced not to be ignorant of what is happening in their area. It can also help other countries help the country because they can see that the people are suffering and can donate like other countries did when we are constantly hit with typhoons. 

    Here are some examples of photos that were used for awareness of calamities and disasters in the Philippines:

   Theater, in general, is not that popular when it comes to the public. There are numerous stereotypes against people who are watching theater because, in the Philippines, there aren't many who are doing it. Some of the shows here are being called out as "elitist" since it is only available to places like Solaire or Resorts World and the people who want to watch the shows are required to conform to dress codes, which can be a way for people to not go through the hassle of watching it. In the year 2020, there is a time where the theater arts was given a kind of recognition, and it trended in the Philippines. One of the famous theater shows called " Ang Huling el bimbo" was uploaded on YouTube and is free to stream online. It attracted a new audience because it was solely put out for the entertainment of the Filipino's due to the lockdown. It created a domino effect that theater companies are already putting their shows online since people are consuming theater if made available to them. Despite these circumstances, theater arts was greatly affected by the pandemic. Even though online content is uploaded for the audience to enjoy the show in their houses, there is something different about watching the artists and the production in a live setting. An article written by Picchi (2021) stated the problems that the theater arts industry also impact the personal aspect of the artists that rely on the performing to get their profit and now are suffering and thinking of their uncertain future. Theater arts are not conformed in one genre because they can be made into numerous topics that people can relate to and be informed on that specific topic they want to show to the audience. Theater as an art form that will deal with other media or arts cannot or will not touch. Watching theater live will give you a different experience than watching films or something on your television because you see the artists and the production live. Those people worked hard for the magic of theater to get into the audience's mind.
Here are some of the theater shows that I would recommend for people to watch, whether through streaming online or waiting for the theater halls to open:
In the year 2020, there is a time where the theater arts was given a kind of recognition, and it trended in the Philippines. One of the famous theater shows called " Ang Huling el bimbo" was uploaded on YouTube and is free to stream online. It attracted a new audience because it was solely put out for the entertainment of the Filipino's due to the lockdown. It created a domino effect that theater companies are already putting their shows online since people are consuming theater if made available to them.
Despite these circumstances, theater arts was greatly affected by the pandemic. Even though online content is uploaded for the audience to enjoy the show in their houses, there is something different about watching the artists and the production in a live setting. An article written by Picchi (2021) stated the problems that the theater arts industry also impact the personal aspect of the artists that rely on the performing to get their profit and now are suffering and thinking of their uncertain future.
Theater arts are not conformed in one genre because they can be made into numerous topics that people can relate to and be informed on that specific topic they want to show to the audience. Theater as an art form that will deal with other media or arts cannot or will not touch. Watching theater live will give you a different experience than watching films or something on your television because you see the artists and the production live. Those people worked hard for the magic of theater to get into the audience's mind.

Here are some of the theater shows that I would recommend for people to watch, whether through streaming online or waiting for the theater halls to open:

 

References:

Otera, M. (2012). What do music therapists need to know before the disaster strikes. Voices: A world forum for music therapy. https://voices.no/index.php/voices/article/view/2038/1782

Gabler, J. (2020). Music news: How is the pandemic permanently changing the music world. The Current Organization.

https://www.thecurrent.org/feature/2020/08/18/pandemic-permanently-changing-music-world

Hall, S. (2020). This is how COVID-19 is affecting the music industry. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/05/this-is-how-covid-19-is-affecting-the-music-industry/

Picchi, A. (2021). Performing arts industry faces ‘utter devastation’ amid delay in getting federal aid.         CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/performing-arts-covid-pandemic-aid-struggles/

Than, K. (2013). Photojournalist captures resiliency in the Philippines after typhoon haiyan. National Geographic Website.                https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/131123-david-guttenfelder-photography-typhoon-haiyan-philippines

INFOGRAPHIC ABOUT  "ARTS IN FEU"

    In doing this activity, I realized that the university I am enrolled with contains many artworks created by numerous artists recognized in the art industry. Far Eastern University is not just a regular university that teaches their student their specific programs; it is home to artworks that comes with a history that is why it is placed on the campus. In his article, Jacob (2020) stated that FEU is an institution that is surrounded by pieces of art created by national artists, from art deco buildings, sculptures to the artistic design of the stairs. The university is home to artworks that sometimes even the students are not aware of how valuable the pieces are since it is created by artists recognized and the meaning behind the artworks. 
    Despite being located in the busy area of Manila, the campus of Far Eastern University is a relaxing and conducive environment for the students to learn better and surround themselves with arts that can be a part of their journey in learning about the university itself. A student wouldn't be bored enough because the campus is interesting enough to search for the meaning of every piece and surroundings of the university. Ongpin (2019) stated that the university collected and collaborated with different artists, recognized or not, to build a collection of artworks for the campus. It resulted in an astonishing accumulation of artworks that students can see and boasts to other schools that FEU is not just an ordinary university that focuses on academics, but also on arts that is paramount to the development of the students, whether they acknowledge it or not. The students will remember their campus as something unique with artworks created solely for their university, and it will also be a way for them to know the history that can be forgotten in the present time. 

References:

Jacob, D. (2020). FEU in 11 frames. Philippine Daily Inquirer. https://www.pressreader.com/philippines/philippine-daily-inquirer-1109/20200229/282402696422995

Ongpin, M. (2019). Silanganan: FEU's art treasure. The Manila Times. https://www.manilatimes.net/2019/01/04/opinion/columnists/silanganan-feus-art-treasure/491492/

Music