Ascend DNHS: A Hymn On Its 20th Founding Anniversary

Hello, music enthusiasts in Hive! It's me your cup-bearer, allow me to share with you my 1st song composition. The Daantabogon National High School Hymn which I offered on its 20th Founding Anniversary.

Our school was founded in the year 2003. It is located in Barangay Daantabogon, Tabogon, Cebu. I was assigned here in the year 2016. And in my almost 8 years of teaching, I made a lot of contributions that would surely leave a mark on the school's alumni. One of the contributions is the school logo. It was my first logo design. I made it when we were about to participate in the District Festival of Talents logo-making contest. I explored the features of Photoshop before I trained the learner participant of the said contest.

The beautiful landmark of DNHS. This photo was taken from Tribu Daantabogon.

Last 2017 I told my close friend and colleague, Vincent, that it would be nice if we could make a hymn for DNHS. It will help remind the learners of how they should become in the future as they choose to enroll in this institution. As I am a musically inclined person, I trained and coached different choral groups in Tabogon Town. The CTU Tabogon Glee Club and the Angels' Choir of San Isidro Labrador Parish. But these experiences would not be possible without my brother who is skilled in musical instruments.

My brother excelled in playing guitar (either acoustic, lead, or bass), piano, ukulele, and even drums. While I remained a singer for the glory of God. I was a member of the Lectors and Psalmists Ministry of SILP. However, due to unexpected circumstances, I stopped serving in the church. Nevertheless, these experiences honed my music skills and made me useful in imparting them to the DNHS Campus Ministry.

The Making of the Hymn

The dream of having a hymn has come true in the School Year 2022-2023. I spent 2 days in making the lyrics of the hymn. Vincent helped me improve some of the lines that would fit the school's vision, mission, and goals. I always refer my choice of words to the hashtag that Vincent and I created for the school, #ascend. The word ascend means in Merriam-Webster Dictionary, to move upward or to rise from a lower level. We look up the work of excellence of our school.

The DNHS Hymn Lyrics

Verse 1:
Behold to thee, Alma Mater
Hear our song of joy and courage
Your commitment to excellence
A value of truth and trust
An institution we love so well
As she moves ahead it's a story to tell
Sing praises as we soar toward the sky
And we will cherish the years gone by.
Chorus:
We will ascend Daantabogon National High School
We are looking up to you; your daughters and sons as you prepare the future of our land.
Hail our dearest Alma Mater
We will remain your loyal learners
We'll hold you forever in our hearts.
Verse 2:
Your green color is a mantle of love
Reminds our beginnings and our growth
It gives strength in rooting for abundance in our lives
Together we march forward
With morals and a grateful heart
In reaching our dreams you shine throughout
Our DNHS be our guide and our light.

https://fb.watch/rm0gBIlAO7/?mibextid=Nif5oz. This is the link to the music video that I created for the launching of the school's official hymn which was posted on the DNHS FB page.

I experienced difficulty in making the melody of the hymn. I kept on singing it, and even my son and daughter were able to familiarize the song. When I had a recording of the melody, I sent it to my brother so he could create the music and prepare for our official recording together with our Campus Ministry. He suggested minimal changes that resulted in what was best. He also proposed an outro of the hymn which I agreed since he knew me better in playing musical instruments.

He finalized the music using piano and bass guitar. He edited it using an app on the laptop. I immediately downloaded it and started the practice with the Ministry members. We had our daily practice. We even had weekend practice at our home just to make sure that they would be able to sing well during the recording. Many of them did not make it easy to familiarize the melody of the song. We were supposed to have blending and voicing but we were out of time since the launching date has come near.

During our practice at our home.

The Recording Day

My brother scheduled the recording at our home. Despite the distance from Danao City, he came to put life into our hymn. Some of the members were not able to attend due to sore eyes. We started right away the individual recording. We preferred individual recording at that time to easily edit their voice. I also took a video of their performances which I included in the music video. We successfully finished our recording journey and my brother promised to send the final output before the launching date.

During our recording.

Indeed, he sent me the audio a day before the big event. We launched our official hymn during the Completion and Graduation Ball. I felt content in making one of my dreams for the school a reality. A big thank you to Vincent and my brother Nelson for helping me with this fulfillment. An acknowledgment also to the Campus Ministry members who faithfully produced sweet-toned voices of their Alma Mater song.

I grabbed this photo from Dr. Vincent Y. Tabanao's FB profile.

I grabbed this photo from my brother's FB profile.

The sweet-toned voice Campus Ministry of DNHS.

I never thought that I was capable of composing a school hymn. I just tried and persistently did the best I could do. Hearing and receiving positive comments from my previous learners filled my heart with joy. At least, they were glad that I made it for them. One day I would spend enough time to improve the existing hymn. I am hoping that someday it would have a remade version with the Choristers of Our Lady.

Music to an Ear

According to research, music can lessen the impact of depression and anxiety. Maybe it's true because when I'm sad or emotionally unstable, I just keep on singing worship songs to ease the pain. Well, I missed serving the Lord through singing in the choir. I hope one day so soon, I can it make happen again.

I hope you had a great time reading this blog.

Thank you. 🥰

The lead image was edited in Canva