"Ben Noynay is a wonderful music teacher. He has positive attitude towards his music and his students."
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"He is very helpful and he listens to his students’ needs. He has helped me immensely with my vocals, songwriting and production."
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"I would recommend him to anyone seeking a teacher and mentor."
Lorie Leggatt
Singer-Songwriter
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
"I am a great lover of music. I love Jazz music and I love to play Classical Jazz music with my guitar. I may not be able to play perfectly this time due to my 'senior moments,' but I still love playing it."
"You may not know, but let me tell you that the two most important people that inspired me, and led me to this 'addiction’ to Jazz music is no other than our guru, the musical genius, Msgr. Rudy Villanueva; and you my friend- the Singer/Composer and 'THE GUITARIST,' MR. BEN NOYNAY. I would always look up to both of you when music is the topic of the day. Thank you for the music my friend Ben."
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"For all that has been and the musical influence… thank you!
To all that will be… good luck to us. God smiles at us for we bear fruit with the talents he has given."
Fr. Gerry Cabije
School Colleague from San Carlos Seminary College
Cebu, Philippines
“Ben has always shown his love for music ever since I knew him. During our seminary days he could always be trusted when you needed someone to play for our church music. He is very musically talented and can give an accompaniment in whatever song you want to sing. Music, I know, is always in his soul. I am grateful to have sung with him in our gatherings.”
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“You always give life to the music you played. More power to you my dear friend. Keep up the good work. I am very proud of what you are now. I already knew then that you will come this far. God bless.”
Fr. Alberto Sescon
School Colleague & SCSC Special Choir Member
Now Pastor at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church
La Follette, TN 37766 USA
“Ben and I were classmates and members of SVD NOVICE Class 1977 at Divine Word Seminary in Tagaytay City, Philippines. In the novitiate we Ora et Labora, we pray and work, it is at this time that I saw that Ben was a musically gifted man. We were members of Novitiate Choir. He has mellow baritone voice, he was very good in playing a guitar. He tinkers with every music instrument; big bass , tambourine and even the piped organ. He honed his talent more in the novitiate. He became the choir master of the Novice Carollers in Tagaytay. I know that someday he will be known in music, and I did not make a mistake.”
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“May you Continue to live your dream, training people to be musicians, to make music to the Lord! May God bless us All!”
Robert Mangahis
Former classmate, Divine Word Seminary
Tagaytay City, Philippines
"I would like to endorse Ben Noynay on his being a reliable Musician. We have known & worked together for more than 10 years. He has amassed awards & compositions even when he was still a seminarian. He used to be the assistant choral director to Msgr. Rudy Villanueva (a well-known musician in the Philippines with Bachelor & Master’s Degrees in Music, Major in Piano & Composition)."
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"I've worked with Ben as his pianist and him as the composer in Community Choirs & Songwriting Competitions. I hope to give Ben a boost in his Career as a Musician."
Soledad “Cholet” S. Librando
Professional Pianist & Music Teacher
Guam, USA
“Way back in 1988, I remembered that it was Ben Noynay, a well-known music teacher then in Cebu City, Philippines, whom I reuested to organize a choir in my branch, Far East Bank and Trust Co., Capitol Branch, Cebu City. Those who joined the choir were busy employees in their jobs and active in their own families, but because of their patience and perseverance to learn, they made it great. I am indeed proud of that accomplishment, thanks to Ben Noynay, a good friend of mine.”
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Antonio C. Tolosa
AVP Branch Manager, Central/Eastern Visayas Area Head,
Far East Bank and Trust Co., Cebu City, Philippines
"It is an honor and privilege to know a very good friend Ben Noynay, a former seminarian, a renown singer and songwriter. Ben was one of the 12 finalists in the Cebu Pop Music Festival. I have known him to be a down to earth person, an artist far excellence and recipient of many awards in the field of entertainment."
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Joe S. Go
Vicor Music Corporation - Sales Manager for Visayas and Mindanao, Philippines
BEN: WITH OR WITHOUT MUSIC
Without music, Ben would be an error. Without music, he would be a cosmic joke. But God made music so that Ben would be complete and then everything about him falls into place. What a man, what a talent!!!
With music, Ben creates the motion of emotion that carries with it everything in its path, into a feeling of intense passion that only Ben can understand. Into that path I once stood and had been carried away – San Carlos Seminary College, Graduation Class March 1980. Ben composed our Graduation Song, “Brother, won’t you please.” Even after 32 years the notes still reverberate in my brain and in my heart like a “last song syndrome” that just doesn’t stop until you sing it aloud.
With music, Ben brings people together. With Ben and his music, a group of former seminarians produced a two-hour concert of songs we used to sing while we were inside the seminary. Aptly entitled “Nostalgia 88,” the concert brought together more than 50 former seminarians and their families.
With music, Ben inspires several choirs and singing groups, from all walks of life. And when there are no choirs, he created one so that people can gather together. Wherever Ben goes, there you find music. Whatever Ben does, there you find harmony. He becomes music and music becomes him.
It was a pleasure being a part of Ben’s world where music plays a major part of life. It was a privilege being with him all those years when my love of music was enhanced by his passion for perfection. I thank God for creating music, and making Ben complete.
Danny Niñal
School Colleague & SCSC Special Choir Member
Auckland, New Zealand
"Ben Noynay, my virtual master, is very competent when it comes to the field of internet marketing and online business. I was able to get a preview of the unlimited possibilities of online business during my initial session with him. Ben is very optimistic and will assure you that it's not too late to begin NOW. Ben is the right business coach for you."
"Ben's love for music is overwhelming. He is one of the most qualified music coaches I've known. His love and passion for music made him see the world in a different perspective. Integrating his passion and his business skills as his means of earning a living is just like not working at all but enjoying the pleasures of it."
Eugene Tan
Multi-Awarded Singer/Songwriter
Lapulapu City, Cebu, Philippines
"I have found Ben a very patient and encouraging singing teacher. I'm still on my journey in life and still continue to learn things along the way but the lessons that Ben has instilled in me will remain to be passed on to our future generations. I would not hesitate to recommend any future singing or music student to Ben. He is truly a man used by God to impart his gifts and talents to many students. Thank you Ben for sharing your love and friendship."
Prince Searancke
Voice Student
Melbourne, Australia
"I count myself privileged to have known Ben. He was the assistant Music Director in the seminary where we studied together. Ben was a self-taught musician. He was already a guitar wizard when I met him. Then he taught himself how to play the keyboards. Later on he widened his musical horizon when he started composing and singing."
Jude Palces
School Colleague & SCSC Special Choir Member
USA East Coast
"I know Ben Noynay to be a great music coach to many aspiring choir and theater performers in Cebu City. His music compositions touch the heart , one of which he allowed me to use as the theme song of a movie I directed and where he did a sterling performance as the lead actor. This same song which spoke about a new beginning and which was a finalist in the biggest song competition in Cebu, he sang during my wedding."
Bien Fernandez
Director/Professor
Cebu, Philippines
"As I recall, I have three important events in my life with Ben Noynay:
First, was our humble beginnings in music where we used to practice singing mass songs, etc., in the seminary under the baton of Msgr. Rudy Villanueva. Ben also played the guitar and in some other times, he played the organ. We just had one thing in common and that is, our love for music.
The next thing that happened, we already saw each other jumping so high inside the Philippine Folk Arts Theatre, celebrating our victory as national champion, together with the same choral group, the San Carlos College Seminary Choir. Ben played the native bamboo percussion instrument called "tagongtong" during that championship rendition, while I played my role for the vocals belonging to the second tenor group.
Thirdly, when we were brought to the test of living life outside the seminary, getting married and pursuing our quest for happiness in cebuano musical composition.
We shared ideas and notes during free moments, at the Salonga Music Center, where we worked as part time coaches in voice,piano, guitar, etc. We, both reached the finals (with our entries) in the Cebu Pop Music Festival, and all in a high note: believing each other's special talent in the field.....So, Ben, keep up your good works!"
Efren G. Tarongoy
Composer, School Colleague & SCSC Special Choir Member
Cebu City, Philippines
"I was a conscientious student of music many years ago, but life sometimes has its way of becoming so busy with work and making a living that, well, those things that are precious to us can be misplaced or even lost. Through the years - as they passed by, I always thought: “One day before I get too old, I’ll get back on the drums and percussion. One day.”
"I am so thankful that BEN NOYNAY and my path crossed in February 2008, truly a blessing. I can’t thank God enough for the influence and encouragement that Ben has had in re lighting the fire for percussion, his wisdom, his guidance, and his patience. Thank you Ben."
John Panozzo
Christian Drummer
Melbourne, Australia
"What shall I say that you can have use for? Something that says how long you have been in the business of making music? Well, the jingles you wrote for some businesses here have been on air long after you have left. Your song "Panumpa" is now a certified Visayan Classic by the way it is played alongside Visayan greats like "Olivia", "Kamingaw sa Payag" and the rest. You have indeed come a long way :)"
Orlan Dalguntas
School Colleague & SCSC Special Choir Member
Burnaby, British Columbia
"I left TMX in 1992 to focus on my photography business. With God's grace, it has developed into a business-a wedding and event photo-video studio (www.papicture.ph/http:blog2.papicture.ph). Recently I have been interested in short film making. I just realized now that the principle of photographic design, cinematography and musical composition are the same. Before I started my photography, my interest was song writing. That was my starting point of appreciating art and my first and only teacher in song writing is you that was around 1983-85 if I'm not mistaken."
Lemuel Arrogante
Songwriter, Photographer, Business Owner & TMX Choir Member
Cebu City, Philippines
"The first time I've joined the Filipino Choir of St. Francis in Melbourne, months before Ben joined, I didn't see the commitment of the members on putting in their best efforts to improve the quality of their singing as they had different singing backgrounds and had their own style of singing. But, when Ben came and taught new contemporary songs, some of which he personally arranged "on the spot" beautifully with several voices, the choir was tranformed into a "world class" choir with committed and inspired members. Everyone learned the proper breathing, quality of voice, phrasing, harmony and blending, and we started hitting the right tones with the right volume! Never have I met such a professional with a lot of knowledge, experience, and, a passion for excellence in his undertakings. Truly, he is a remarkable maestro with a lot of wisdom for teaching!"
Antonio Noel de la Pena Jr.
President- Filipino Choir of St. Francis
Melbourne, Australia
AN OBSERVER’S TESTIMONY -
"The Filipino Choir of St. Francis - Melbourne, was founded in 1992 and, as all choirs, has had its periods of growth and development. The beginning was marked with much enthusiasm and generosity but there was a felt need for a more professional leadership and, at the same time, instruction on breathing, voice production and other techniques to bring the best out of the latent talent and possibilities of the dedicated choir members. The arrival of Ben Noynay was a real gift to the choir as he had the musical talent, leadership skills and background required for a good choir director. The Filipino Choir profited from his expertise and achieved a high level of performance under his direction.
Eventually Ben Noynay moved on to follow his career but his legacy remains with the older choir members who still follow his methods and, to some extent, help newcomers to appreciate what it means to be dedicated to singing in a choir. He is on all accounts an excellent teacher and his skills and discipline bring out the best in a choir."
Fr. Edward Wood
Chaplain to the Filipino Choir of St. Francis
Melbourne, Australia
"Being a music teacher myself, I encounter different challenges in convincing and keeping students' interest. The case being students are in a hurry to get to play what they LIKE rather than what they NEED. There are no shortcuts to get to a "near-professional" level of competency and this is where BEN NOYNAY comes in. His dedication and expertise will bring out the most not only in your talent but also in your person. This is based on my experiences working with him both on a personal and professional level."
Victor Oria
Singer-Songwriter, Music Teacher, Keyboard Player
Adelaide, South Australia
"Since Bro. Ben joined the church I was attending in Melbourne, Australia, he conducted training for voice and playing instruments for the music team. Within weeks, I saw the great improvements of our music team in terms of playing instruments and singing with confidence."
"Besides that, he also assembled a choir which most of us didn’t have experience in singing but the result was fulfilling. I could not even imagine myself singing in a choir."
Kevin Bane
Church Keyboard Player
Singapore
"I knew Ben since their seminary days with my brother Danny. Every visiting time, I stay there the whole day just hanging around with them. I loved it so much especially during choir practices. Ben was in-charged if Msgr. Rudy Villanueva was not around. That moment, I can attest his skills in music. It was then that I started idolizing him. I even imitated his way of strumming the guitar."
"Years after that, Ben led his fellow former seminarians (including my brother Danny) in singing during my wedding at the Archbishop Palace. His prowess in music was even more enhanced. It was a dream-wedding-came-true epic spiced up by the fact that the administering priests, all three of them, were their classmates and choir mates in the seminary. You just could not imagine how good the music was at that particular moment."
"I am pretty confident to say that Ben had a lot to offer when it comes to music and as a person himself. And I was so glad to have known him on a personal level, as a brother and as a friend. I felt so lucky and blessed to have felt and get a taste of his music which I will treasure all the days in my life."
Paterno P. Niñal, Jr.
Singer-Songwriter
Cebu City, Philippines
"When I was still in college, one of the things I would anticipate every morning at Mass was the singing. Not that our voices were in their top form during that hour, but it was because we had such great guitarists in the person of Ben Noynay, Fritz Malinao, and a few others. Oh, how I envied them--how I wished I could play the guitar the way they did."
"But more than that, our guitarists/musicians during our time were the main drivers/inspirers of how we sang, instead of the other way around. I remember those times, for instance, when we rehearsed (for Mass or prior to a concert)--our guitarists (Ben among them) were so patient in trying to squeeze from each of us choir members to hit the right note at the right moment. And in most instances, we did!"
"I attribute my aptitude towards music not only to Msgr. Rudy Villanueva, our choir director and one of the finest Cebuano musicians, but also to his bevy of accompanists and guitarists--his co-artists. And I'm proud to say that I'm passing on this legacy to my kids, who are growing up to be also music-lovers."
Adelfo Briones
School Colleague and SCSC Special Choir Member
San Fernando, Pampanga, Philippines
"Way back 39 years ago in college, I remember Ben as a young hardworking, vibrant, talented, & driven individual. Remembered him most as co-member of our Seminary College Concert Chorus. We were together in chorus competitions, concerts, & in special event performances for two years. He was an excellent guitarist & pianist. Never thought of him as a music teacher & composer then. Lost contact of him after I left college. Then couple of years later I started seeing & reading his name & his accomplishments in our city newspapers. And sighed, wow Ben I'm proud to have known & worked with you during our formative years in college!"
Nestor Soque
School Colleague & SCSC Special Choir Member
Mahwah, New Jersey, USA
"In the years that I came to be associated with Ben, he wasn't just an ordinary friend and classmate in Seminario Mayor de San Carlos (SMSC), he was already an accomplished student of music. Long before "multi-tasking" came into vogue, Ben was already into it. After his stint in the seminary, he later became a popular DJ and radio host. "
"There was an activity back in 1981 in the seminary that saw me collaborating with Ben: he organized and led that year's Live Band Presentation by seminarian-theologians. That kind of activity was unheard of in the hallowed halls of SMSC. Like the Beatles' mythical Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Ben's band gave the audience that evening a night of fun, thrill, excitement and surprises. Indeed, it was not just a great success but it was also a wonderful show, mainly because of one unassuming guy, a certified musician, artist, director and producer: BEN NOYNAY!"
Nestor P. Nuez
Partner
Alvarez Nuez Galang Espina & Lopez Law Offices
Cebu City, Philippines
"I am a trial lawyer in the Philippines on my 27th year of legal practice. I belong to the first batch of lawyers after the 1986 EDSA revolution. I was blessed with a chance to help shape the 1986 Philippine Constitution, as legal counsel of Sister Christine Tan, the only nun, member of the Constitutional Commission."
"But, I was equally blessed to have shared a part of my life with BEN NOYNAY, as my classmate at the novitiate class in 1977-79, at the Societas Verbi Divini (SVD) Seminary in Tagaytay City, Philippines. He was not only intellectually gifted, he was also morally upright and musically talented. While our class was blessed with the most number of talents and the most number of cum laudes, etc., BEN NOYNAY stood out as among the best, especially in the field of music."
"Being naturally-gifted in music, I recommend BEN NOYNAY as capable music teacher, especially in the area of voice, instruments and composition. He is likewise a competent guidance counsellor and professional life-coach. I am particularly proud, not only of his dedication to his professions, but also to the height of his success in his field of service, even in a far away country."
Atty. Audie C. Arnado
Arnado & Associates Law Firm
Mabolo, Cebu City, Philippines
"Ben Noynay was our tutor in the Treasure Craft Company employees' choir way back in the mid to late 1980's: It was really my first lesson in music where I learned from him that when one sings, he has to get the air boost from his diaphragm so that the air will facilitate one's vocal chords to properly vibrate like when a wind instrument is being played. In addition, I had learned that one has to add the sound of the letter "H" to the first syllable of a word if it starts with a vowel as an aid in the proper projection of that word when one is singing.
Indeed there were a lot of things in music relayed to us by Ben which I considered then as my first basic lessons in singing that even until now have helped me in my "Karaoke" encounters."
Oscar Lequit
Choir Member, Treasure Craft Company Employees Choir
Mandaue City, Philippines