MANILA, Philippines?Now, it?s time to give back.

Julia Abueva, the 13-year-old singing prodigy who was featured in the ?Search for the World?s Smartest and Most Talented Kids? on ?The Oprah Winfrey Show,? has signed up as creative consultant for Encore, a school for the performance arts.

The granddaughter of two UP presidents puts a premium on education. (Paternal grandfather is former UP president Jose Abueva; while maternal grandmother is current UP president Emerlinda Roman.)

Julia believes in the importance of starting kids early in the arts.

She herself began singing at family gatherings at age 1 and went professional at 7.

?Some kids may want to perform but are scared. I?m here to encourage and inspire them to attain their dreams if they believe in them,? she said.

Julia has appeared in nine musicals, released two singles in Singapore, and shared the stage with two of the country?s ?Miss Saigon? leads?Lea Salonga and Monique Wilson.

She picked up quite a few pointers from Lea and Monique, Julia said.

?Monique really internalizes her roles,? she related. ?When I do musicals, I study my role, too. I research and Google it.?

On the other hand, Julia described Lea as an ?amazing singer ? with a powerful, beautiful voice. She told me I should focus on the job at hand, not to worry about socializing when I?m working.?

She?s putting these lessons to good use in her own career and is sharing them with other child performers at the Encore school.

After all, not every teenager gets to sing on ?Oprah.?

After her YouTube rendition of ?The Prayer? was featured on the TV show, friends and family in the US and Singapore (where she?s based) flooded her with e-mails and text messages.

Julia, however, has yet to catch her own ?Oprah? stint. ?But my friends told me that Oprah said: ?Watch this girl ? she blew our socks off!??

She was invited to appear on ?Oprah? last November, but was in the middle of preparations for her first solo concert at the Esplanade in Singapore. ?I?m still keeping my fingers crossed ... to get another invitation.?

She?s also hoping to record her debut album next year??a mix of Broadway and pop tunes.?