THE THUNDER of drums and the sharp, rhythmic clash of instruments fashioned from bamboo and recycled materials are unmistakable signs that Dinagyang season has arrived.
Without the booming drumbeats and the hypnotic melodies that pulse through the streets and performance grounds, Dinagyang Festival would lose much of its soul. The movements of dancers and warriors — from the Kasadyahan sa Kabanwahanan to the Ati tribes competition — draw their power, timing, and emotional weight from music. It is the unseen force that binds choreography, story, and devotion into a single, electrifying spectacle.
This is why music has taken center stage in recent years, with the Iloilo Festivals Foundation Inc. (IFFI) giving heightened recognition to musical excellence through the Best in Music and Best Musical Director awards — honors that now stand alongside choreography as pillars of competition.
Behind the drumline, however, are individuals often unseen by the crowd: the musical directors, whose work demands years of study, discipline, and creative precision.
From drummer to award-winning musical director
Among them is Ivan Legada, also known as “Kidd,” 41, a resident of Zarraga, Iloilo, and the musical director of Tribu Pan-ay of Fort San Pedro National High School. Despite being in his first year with the tribe during Dinagyang Festival 2025, Legada captured both Best in Music and Best Musical Director in the Ati tribes competition — an achievement that underscored his veteran status in festival music.
Legada has spent more than 12 years honing his craft as a musical director in Dinagyang and various municipal festivals across the country.
“If there is no music, the audience cannot fully appreciate the dancers,” Legada said. “The drums and instruments give a different level of excitement that cannot be replaced by sound systems alone.”
A passion forged in high school
Legada’s journey began when he was in second year high school, after joining Tribu Bola-bola of Iloilo National High School as a drummer. By 2004, he had become deeply familiar with the “stick notes” — a unique system used by festival drummers to translate choreography into rhythm.
“We were trained early by our mentors. As drummers, we were already being taught how to read and understand stick notes,” he recalled.
His skills were later tested and refined in municipal festivals across Iloilo, where he worked with groups such as Tribu Pantat of Zarraga, Tribu Kasag of Banate, Cry of Jelicuon of New Lucena, and Hirinugyaw-Suguidanonay of Calinog, among others.
After earning multiple recognitions as Best Musical Director in local festivals, Legada stepped onto the Dinagyang stage in 2015, serving as musical director of Tribu Salognon of Jaro National High School until 2018. In 2017, he again clinched the Best in Music and Best Musical Director awards.
He later joined Tribu Paghidaet of La Paz National High School in 2019 and 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily halted festival activities. His return in Dinagyang 2025, this time with Tribu Pan-ay, proved triumphant.
“You don’t enter Dinagyang without experience,” Legada said. “You have to prove yourself first in the municipal festivals — and you have to win.”
The challenge of composing ‘stick notes’
Creating stick notes, Legada explained, is one of the most demanding aspects of his work. Every beat must align precisely with the dancers’ steps and movements.
“It’s extremely difficult because the music is based entirely on the choreography,” he said. “You cannot compose freely — you have to follow every movement.”
For Dinagyang 2025, Legada spent nearly four months composing and rehearsing music with around 50 drummers, ensuring perfect timing and harmony with the dancers.
This year presents an even greater challenge. With IFFI assigning a specific theme to each tribe, Tribu Pan-ay’s concept revolves around the “Higantes frog.”
“We base everything on the story,” Legada explained. “If the choreography imitates a frog, then the sound has to feel like a frog as well.”
Beyond composition, he also personally crafts many of the drums and instruments, carefully adjusting their sound to match the animals and characters portrayed in the performance.
Teaching rhythm, one note at a time
Training drummers to understand stick notes — especially first-timers — remains a challenge.
“We explain what each note means and what sound it represents,” Legada said. “Every musical director has their own system, so only the composer fully understands it at first.”
Fortunately, many of his drummers this year are experienced, making rehearsals smoother and more efficient.
A name recognized beyond Iloilo
Legada’s reputation has extended far beyond the province. His expertise has led various local government units across the Philippines — including Abra, Pangasinan, and Cagayan Valley — to hire him as a musical director. His work has also taken him abroad, further cementing his place in the festival music scene.
While dancers and warriors command the spotlight during Dinagyang, it is the steady hands and sharp ears of musical directors like Legada that keep the festival’s heartbeat alive.
They may stand behind the scenes, but without them, Dinagyang would never truly come alive./PN
