Avast ye, mateys! And listen to the tale of the Pirate ship, MMCO, and its musical treasure

It was a Friday night, the cold winds blew as the sun began to set, and pirates, mermaids, lads, and lasses—big, small, young, and old, in all shapes and sizes—assembled at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, docking pier of the pirate ship MMCO, eagerly awaiting the events to come. A small boat moved across the horizon, “Ahoy!” shouted Jivin’ Jaime, pirate apprentice along with his bucko, Perry the parrot. “We come with a message from the captain, Chino the Fearless.” They reached shore.

A scroll.
It read:

“Go off and find me some musical treasure—of beats and rhythm of years past.”
Eyes sparkled, grins widened.
“Are ye ready to set sail and discover some sunken booty?” Jivin’ Jaime exclaimed.
“Aye, aye sir” they said.

And sail they did.

Hands aboard the MMCO were given an overview of pirate etiquette (“Now, lads, sitting on yer arse is no way to greet them pretty lasses”), introduced to the different parts of the orchestra (wind, percussion, and the likes), and taught to be careful listeners, for the musical treasures they were to discover were like no other.

Jivin’ Jaime and Perry the Parrot, went and dove in search of sunken booty. They swam through the deep, alive with colorful fish, whose fins and gills danced in the water.  There they met Miranda, the enchanting little mermaid, who taught them to dance to Johann Strauss’ Blue Danube waltz, and graced them with a soothing rendition of Charles’ Tenet’s La Mer. (Oui, she speaks French!)

Ashore they met Bea Butterfingers, whose quick, light, and slender fingers barely seemed to touch the keys of the grand piano as she played Camille Saint-Seans’ Aquarium from Carnival of the Animals.

It seemed that the MMCO had carefully planned her journey, fulfilling everyone’s appetite for adventure. Ten lucky mates were chosen to play conductor, waving their starfish wands as the musical crew of the MMCO played Gilbert and Sullivan’s overture from Pirates of Penzance. Not to be missed was George Handel, the delightful talking gramophone who shared his Water Music. Then there was Crystal Silver Pipe, who displayed her exemplary talent, soothing the ship with Chaminade’s Concertino for Flute.

The children then grew sad, as they knew their adventure was nearing its end. But Ho! ho! Shiver me timbers! for the MMCO revealed their final treasure: Offenbach’s Can-Can from Orpheus in the Underworld, and both lads and lasses, young and old, shook their arses.

As the Ship finally set sail for home, the hands of the MMCO, fulfilled and satisfied, left with a motherload of music, dance, and knowledge in their duffels.

… and as them pirates like to say “ARR! Till the next hunt Matey’s”

PIRATE JARGON FOR THE CURIOUS:
Ahoy - An interjection used to hail a ship or a person, or to attract attention.
Arr! - An exclamation.
Arse  - buttocks
Avast - "Avast Ye!" from the Dutch term for 'hold fast' and means "Stop and pay attention." Kind of like, "Get a load of this."
Aye (or ay) - Yes; an affirmation.
Booty - Treasure.
Bucko - A familiar term meaning friend.
Duffle - everything a sailor owns, also the nickname for the bag that holds it
Hands - The crew of a ship; sailors.
Ho - Used to express surprise or joy, to attract attention to something sighted, or to urge onward.
Lass - A way to address a younger female.
Lad - A way to address a younger male.
Matey - A piratical way to address someone in a cheerful, if not necessarily friendly, fashion.
Motherload - The largest amount of booty discovered.
Shiver me timbers! - An expression of surprise or strong emotion.

*MMCO- Metro Manila Community Orchestra