At the mezzanine outdoor area of Parkmall in Mandaue City, there’s a music school that displays a poster with the slogan: ‘The Stars of Tomorrow Start Here.’
It’s not some PR drive to get aspiring singers recruited to Music n Motion Academy. You’ll see from their poster that they really did develop some well-known talents, such as Sheena Belarmino, John Clifford, and P-pop group BILIB member Rafael Mumar.
They have also trained those who would later compete in reality singing competitions such as ‘It’s Showtime’s’ regular segment ‘Tawag ng Tanghalan,’ ‘The Voice Philippines,’ and ‘Idol Kids Philippines.’
‘I wasn’t the one who came up with that slogan, but it was from a parent of one of my students,’ the school’s founder, Leonyl Navarro, told The FREEMAN. ‘I thought it was being too confident, and I would tone it down. But the parent was insisting as a declaration for people to know what my school was capable of.’
Navarro, 42, founded Music n Motion Academy in 2014 at J Center Mall (now SM JMall), where his students performed at a benefit concert to raise funds for victims in Northern Cebu affected by Super Typhoon Yolanda. Impressed by their performance, the mall’s former marketing manager suggested that he hold a summer voice workshop at the establishment.
Navarro was then a freelance music tutor with many mentees, gaining recognition for his time as a former voice coach at the Cebu branch of the Center for Pop Music Philippines.
He was a passionate musician, having been a dancer for his alma mater, the University of San Jose-Reflectors, a member of the drum and bugle corps, and part of a church choir.
There was a point when Navarro doubted his future as a music coach and sought to move abroad for better job opportunities before founding Music n Motion.
‘I had relatives overseas who could help me find a job. But I missed coaching after leaving the Center for Pop Music,’ he shared. ‘Parents kept calling me to teach their kids, and I said yes.’
That opportunity to move abroad presented itself again during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the music school was closed, briefly reopened, and then shut down again due to the mall’s renovation after SM acquired J Center Mall. Their current branch stands at Parkmall, where they can go overtime when lessons continue past mall hours.
‘I felt like I wanted to give up. Even some parents would tell me about job opportunities abroad. But I guess God’s grace reminded me of my passion, no matter how hard the business went through,’ he said. ‘I asked God what His plan is for me. I still had this vision that I could be used as God’s instrument to help these kids fulfill their dreams.’
It’s for this reason that the name ‘Music n Motion’ isn’t strictly defined by offering vocal and dance lessons. ‘It’s about moving toward a purpose, something greater in the future,’ he explained.
– A ‘kingmaker’ for dreamers –
The FREEMAN asked Navarro about his students who made names for themselves in showbiz, such as Kapamilya singer-actress Sheena Belarmino.
‘Sheena goes to our workshops a lot because she wants to strive harder and work on her singing. She noticed that some of her classmates were good, especially Yessha De La Calzada from ‘The Voice Kids’ under Coach Lea [Salonga]. Sheena was driven and challenged by the way I trained her. She has this perseverance to improve, and that’s when I thought I could see her getting far,’ he said.
As for John Clifford, who is from the Kapuso talent agency Sparkle, Navarro said that he gained his confidence as a performer at Music n Motion.
‘He was a quiet, shy type at first. But throughout, his confidence grew in our school. He’s a good kid and wanted to develop his singing skills more, like Sheena. I am happy to see them on TV,’ he said prior to Clifford entering the house of Pinoy Big Brother as a housemate in ‘Celebrity Collab Edition 2.0.’
While Navarro has different stories about his students who achieved varying levels of success, he imparts to all of them two valuable lessons.
‘One of the secrets of being popular is to always humble yourself,’ he shared. ‘And they should not sing to impress, but to inspire. Many would get too confident that they are good at this, and they start thinking of themselves above others. But no, it’s not about that. They should not only improve their singing but also their personalities. Onstage and offstage, you need to be humble no matter what.’
Wanting to launch an in-house talent pool, Music n Motion and Stage K.I.T. Artists Management will be debuting their P-pop group ARZA this December, consisting of students Isaiah, Angel, Sophia, Jana, Dorothy, and Niña.
‘When you see them, you will immediately think of ARZA, the same way when people see BINI, it’s BINI. That’s our plan for this group. We want them to have sassy movements with eye-popping visuals to show their versatility. I want that kind of group here, especially in Cebu,’ he said.
For Navarro, his motivation isn’t fame for himself but creating opportunities for others to achieve it, as his fulfillment lies in witnessing his students’ growth and success.
‘I remember a pastor asked me if I would rather be a king or a kingmaker. I reflected on that, and I realized that I don’t want to be a king; I want to be a kingmaker. I want to be an instrument for my students to achieve their dreams as performers. That, for me, is an inspiring thing that money can’t buy.’