The VoiceMaster Teaches Teachers about the Future of Education

What is the future of education? In an era where information is literally “at the tip of your fingers,” what is the teacher’s role in educating students in the classroom?

This concern was addressed during the Teachers Induction Program organized by the DepEd Schools Division of Iloilo last December 26-28 at the Sarabia Manor Hotel and Convention Center in Iloilo City. Over 600 Elementary school teachers attended the event, to learn about the theme of the conference, “21^st Century Teachers: Meeting Standards and Exceeding Expectations.”

Pocholo “The VoiceMaster” Gonzales was one of the speakers during the Induction. Dubbed as the Filipino Futurist Speaker, Pocholo delivered an informative, entertaining and inspiring talk entitled “The Future of Education, Learning and Knowledge.” His talk started with the bold statement that “the future is NOW,” referencing the popular 80’s movie “Back to the Future,” where the lead characters travelled forward to year 2015. Pocholo then transitioned into explaining how the evolution of techonology has quickly changed the landscape of how we live – especially today’s youth who were born without knowing what it’s like to be “offline.”

Pocholo delved deep into how the young people of this generation has been shaped by their environment and technology, and how the old way of teaching is no longer relevant to the 21^st century classrooms. He made the audience realize the long-term impact of the internet, social media and touchsceen gadgets have on today’s kids. Pocholo’s talk was an eye-opener to the audience that someday, these young people will grow into full-blown adults, and they need to be prepared for the future of the future.

With all the gadgets and programs available for self-paced learning, Pocholo made the teachers realize how valuable their role is in shaping the minds of the youth, and how they can employ modern teaching strategies to make learning in the classroom meaningful, fun and relevant to these digital natives. He emphasized how VOICE was, is and will always be the teacher’s most valuable teaching tool, and gave them a few tips and strategies to use their voice effectively in teaching.

Pocholo left the audience with a powerful message that life is all about “doing something today that your future self will thank you for.”

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The VoiceMaster Shares his Time, Talent and Voices in a Christmas Charity in Silang, Cavite

A Christmas Giving Program was held on December 23, 2016 in Brgy. Bucal, Silang Cavite. Over 200 kids and their parents filled the venue for an afternoon of fun, games, prizes and giveaways from generous sponsors in the area.

The participants were welcome by the program host, Ada Cuaresma, one of the trainers of Pochology Academy. As the participants settled down, the program began with an opening prayer and welcome remarks from Fr. Arnel Valderama.

The VoiceMaster was then introduced to do a storytelling session for the kids. He started his presentation by doing the voices of characters and commercials he has made, like the voice of the puppets in the commercial of Bibo Hotdog. He also did a whole repertoire of voice impersonations – from famous celebrities to politicians to cartoon characters. The VoiceMaster left the audience in awe and amazement as he did a one-man radio drama of his childhood favorite “Gabi ng Lagim”. The VoiceMaster ended his talk with a short message of inspiration, telling the kids to always dare to dream and believe in their capacity to achieve.

The VoiceMaster’s storytelling session was followed by a series of games for kids and adults, where they won cash prizes and gift packs. Raffle draws were also held in between the program, where more cash and gift items were given away. The participants also enjoyed a generous afternoon snack before more games were played in the second half of the program. Finally, the Christmas charity ended with the participants receiving their noche buena package, and more cool giveaways for the kids.

Indeed, a great way to celebrate the Christmas season – with a generous heart to help and share blessings to the less fortunate.

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The VoiceMaster Bagged Two Awards at the Philippine Social Media Awards Night

The Philippine Social Media Awards was held on December 15, 2016, at the One Shangri-la Place in Mandaluyong City. The awards night was organized by the Philippine Social Media Examiner in partnership with Center for Sagip-Hirap Charity Foundation Inc. to recognize individuals and organizations that used the power of social media to create a positive impact to the society. Over a dozen awardees graced the event with their presence, to receive their Philippine Social Media Star Achiever and Philippine Social Media Star Brand Awards for their respective fields.

Pocholo “The VoiceMaster” Gonzales bagged not just one, but TWO awards during this event. The VoiceMaster was awarded the Philippine Social Media Star Achiever for Arts and Entrepreneurship, in recognition for his accomplishments and contributions to the voice acting industry. His company, Creativoices Productions, was also awarded with the Philippine Social Media Star Brand for Most Outstanding Center for Voice Acting and Dubbing.

The VoiceMaster is considered an institution in the voice acting industry. Being the most respected and recognized voice artist in the country, he has been true to his vision to make the Philippines the center of voiceover excellence in Asia for 20 years and still counting. He revolutionized the industry by creating the first and only voice acting school on the Philippines, the Philippine Center for Voice Acting. The school did not only raise the bar on the quality of talents that do voiceover projects, it also opened the doors of the industry to those who have the passion and commitment to practice the craft. Since 2005, Pocholo’s school has produced thousands of graduates, with hundreds of them making their name in voice acting, voiceover, hosting, broadcasting and even public speaking.

Pocholo has also brought pride to the Philippines in the international voice acting scene, by becoming the only Filipino/Asian panelist in the 2012 VoiceOver International Creative Experience (VOICE) convention, which was then held in Anaheim, California. His company has also taken on one of its biggest international clients, SEGA Games, in 2008, and did voiceovers for their video games such as Golden Gun, Operation Ghost, Harley Davidson King of the Road, and Transformers: Human Alliance.

The Philippine Social Media Star Achiever award was also given to multi-awarded legends such as Comedy Queen Ai Ai delas Alas and world-class ballerina Shirley Halili-Cruz during the evening.

Truly, a recognition fit for the “man behind a thousand voices.”

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The VoiceMaster Hosts Oyayi TV Launch in Davao City

The newest children’s show on Philippine Television took Davao City!

On December 14, the cast of Oyayi TV invaded the Davao City National High School gymnasium to meet and greet with thousands of students and teachers from the school. A half-day program of fun, games and learning was prepared for the students. The event was hosted by voice artist, youth advocate and motivational speaker Pocholo “The VoiceMaster” Gonzales, who also hosted the grand launch of the show in Manila last November.

Pocholo’s perfect blend of hosting skills, wit, and voice acting prowess made him a one-man powerhouse onstage. The audience roared with laughter as he made the program fun and exciting all throughout. Honorable guests from the Department of Education, National Council for Children’s Television, and CBN Asia also spoke onstage to highlight the importance of having a values-oriented program for children, amidst tons of consumable content on the internet and social media.

During the program, the VoiceMaster did not just entertain the audience, but also shared his experience in understanding how young people today think and behave differently. As a youth advocate, he reminded the parents and teachers present that educating today’s kids is very different from how the older generation learned as students. He encouraged the adult in the audience to embrace the truth that digital technology is now part of young people’s lifestyle, so they should understand instead of reprimand its use.

In the middle of the program, the students were engaged in a fun game, followed by a preview of one of Oyayi’s episodes. Then the long wait was over, as the cast of Oyayi was soon called onstage for meet and greet and photo opp with the students. Led by the main character Kuya Maki, the Oyayi crew is composed of characters inspired by animals that are native to the Philippines – Tama Raw, Bon Haribon, Diva Butanding, Tarsiera, and Dok Pil.

Oyayi airs every Sunday morning at 9:30am in ABS CBN. The title is derived from the Tagalog term meaning “lullaby,” and was based on an award-winning story of the same title by Fernando Rosal Gonzales.

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The VoiceMaster Inspires the Youth During AIB’s Outreach Program

Christmas is the season of giving. But for awesome people like the Awesome Team of AIB Training and Events, Christmas is the season of giving back.

Led by AIB’s Chief Awesome Officer and Founder Al Ian Barcelona, “The Awesome Outreach Program” was held last December 12 at the Manila Youth Reception Center. Around 100 at-risk teenage boys – so-called ‘juvenile delinquents’ of the society – attended the event for a day of fun, celebration and inspiration.

It was an outreach program with a heart, as motivational speakers from the AIB team and its partner organizations also did their share in giving inspiration and motivation for these young people, whom, through the aid and intervention of the government and organizations such as AIB, are on their way to being re-integrated to the society. Among the speakers present during the event were Pambansang Inspirasyon Lloyd Luna, and Pocholo “The VoiceMaster” Gonzales.

The speakers took turns onstage to inspire the participants to make better choices and to rekindle the fire of their passions and ambitions. A breakout session was also conducted, so that the participants get their turn to share their dreams and realizations as they journey towards healing and repentance.

The outreach program was made possible in partnership with DSWD, Elevaxion Project, Negosyo University and Creativoices Productions.

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The VoiceMaster Speaks at the First Youth Print Media Congress

The United Print Media Group and Creativilla organized the first-ever Youth Print Media Congress, on December 10 at the Manila Bulletin Convention Hall in Intramuros. Around 200 students from various colleges and universities attended the event, which was aimed to encourage the appreciation of reading and writing among the youth, albeit the proliferation of touchscreen and voice-activated devices.

Noteworthy speakers from various sectors – government, PR and marketing, technology and media – were invited to share their experiences on the importance of print media in the age of digital technology.

[caption id="attachment_4915" align="aligncenter" width="820"] The VoiceMaster Speaks at UPMG Youth Print Media Congress[/caption]

Pocholo “The VoiceMaster” Gonzales was one of the speakers in the event, who spoke about “The Voice of Reading.” In his short but sweet presentation, the VoiceMaster introduced the industry of voice acting to the audience. He shared the story of how he got started with voice acting, including the challenges he met that led him to build his company and the first and only voice acting school in the country. He encouraged the audience to discover their passion, and to use it as a fuel to overcome obstacles in pursuit of their life purpose.

The VoiceMaster also talked about the art of storytelling, and encouraged the audience to read and expose themselves more to the stories of the greatest men and women of history. He emphasized the importance of voice in bringing stories to life, and even demonstrated it by doing a quick one-man live radio drama performance! In the end, the VoiceMaster left the audience with a message of inspiration and motivation – to make sure that they live their life to become a story worth telling.

[caption id="attachment_4916" align="aligncenter" width="820"] Pocholo The VoiceMaster Gonzales speaks about the Voice of Reading[/caption]

In the last few minutes of his presentation, the VoiceMaster called onstage his son, Patrick Gabriel Gonzales. Dubbed as the country’s youngest broadcaster and motivational speaker, Patrick amazed the audience with a quick yet powerful speech on how they should believe in their capacity to succeed, as long as they dedicate their lives to their passion.

The United Print Media Group (UPMG) is the premier association of major publications in the Philippines, including major newspapers, tabloids and magazines.

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The VoiceMaster at Psicom’s “Dreaming of a Write Christmas” Book Sale

On December 4, hundreds of book lovers flocked the SM Megatrade Hall in Mandaluyong City for one of Psicom Publishing’s biggest book sale of the year, “Dreaming of a Write Christmas”. Psicom readers did not only enjoy discounted prices for old and new titles, they also got the chance to get freebies, win prizes, and meet and greet with Psicom authors for a photo opp and autograph.

Over 30 Psicom authors graced the event with their presence, to have the opportunity to personally meet with the readers of their books. Among them were Melai Quilla, (“Bukas na Lang Kita Babastedin"), Bryan Olano (“Mga Hugot Para Sayo”), Marco Pile (“Eh Kasi Mahal Ko Pa”), Youtube sensation Lloyd Cadena (“Eng Serep Megwele”), and Vinci Glodove ("Mapagmahal Problems"), among many others.

Filipino motivational speaker Pocholo “The VoiceMaster” Gonzales came to the event to meet and greet with the buyers and readers of his book, “Gusto Kong Maging Voice Talent.” Dozens of students, anime enthusiasts and book lovers lined up to meet the VoiceMaster for an autograph and selfie. He was also given time onstage to introduce himself and his book, and to showcase his voice acting skills.

“Gusto Kong Maging Voice Talent” is the first-ever voice acting book in the Philippines, where the VoiceMaster shares 20 years of his joys and pains, successes and faiures, wins and losses in the voice acting industry. He shares the tools and techniques that would help aspiring voice artists to kickstart their voice acting career. More importantly, the VoiceMaster leaves an inspiring message to the readers to always follow their passion and to be an instrument to help others find theirs… which he has done through the use of his voice.

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Philippine Association of Public Speakers: The Future of Filipino Motivational Speaking

December 1 marks a milestone in the public speaking arena in the Philippines, with the ceremonial signing of the Philippine Association of Public Speakers (PAPS). PAPS is the first and only organization in the country that aims to standardize the quality and professionalism of public speakers through training, certification, and best-practice sharing.

The ceremonial signing was held at the Manila Bulletin headquarters in Intramuros, Manila. Eight of the founding members of PAPS participated in the signing – Pambansang Inspirasyon Lloyd Luna, AIB Training’s Chief Awesome Officer Al Ian Barcelona, Pocholo “The VoiceMaster” Gonzales, SM Retail Creative Director Cleo Serevilla, TAG Media and Public Relations Founder Grace Bondad-Nicolas, 2002 Bb. Pilipinas-Universe Karen Ostrea, Professor and Author Carlo “Pido” Aguilar Jr., and Manila Bulletin Head of External Affairs Barbie Atienza.

The evening began with a fun-filled dinner, where they took turns sharing their story and how they ventured into public speaking. It was evident that each person has his or her own story of frustration, defeat and challenges which they have overcome to get to where they are today.  For instance, Barbie shared how he has survived a late-stage cancer, and is now inspiring others with his story of courage and persistance. Karen shared how she went from being a college kick-out to Bb. Pilipinas-Universe, and to now as an owner of a Personality Development school. Pocholo told of how he has been rejected and passed on for roles as a young voice artist by the veterans, and how those negative experiences fuelled his desire to open the doors of the industry to all aspiring voice artists, which led him to open the first and only voice acting school in the country, the Philippine Center for Voice Acting.

The ceremonial signing happened after the sumptuous dinner, which signified the official launch of PAPS. Planning for its future initiatives and programs will be scheduled in the coming weeks.

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