Personal
This section is more of a reflection of
myself as a person functioning in
society...sheesh.
Sometimes I feel that it's good to put
down your thoughts on paper, or on the
computer, whichever is convenient.
Articulate your feelings. It makes you
understand more about yourself and hence
make you a better person, if not, at
least makes you feel good about yourself!
Interview for Evon's feature article on some magazine...
1.What is it that has driven you and encouraged you to take up music as your career?
The sheer joy of being part of the music I listen to, and perform.
2.Would you prefer to be a conductor, a performer, or an educator of music? Why?
If I really had to choose one profession, I guess I would be most at home with being a performer, because I think that’s what I do best at the moment. But I would rather be all three, not necessarily at the same time, because I think that that would make me a better all-rounded musician.
3.How different is symphonic band music from classical orchestral music?
The difference essentially lies in the instrumentation, a symphonic band having no strings attached. More differences arise from this : colour, texture, effects, etc, all the result of employing a different set of instruments to play the same piece (perhaps an orchestral transcription). However, being different is not necessarily “bad” … in the words of John Philip Sousa, “Military bands are generally considered inferior to their orchestral counterparts. However this isn’t the case. It is just simply…different.”
4.Compared with the West, which has a long and rich history of classical music, do you think Singapore is at disadvantage as Asians playing Western music? How and why?
A lot of issues can arise from this question!
In this industry, only the fittest will survive. So it is entirely up to the individual Singaporean as to how he pushes himself up the musical ladder of the world. Of course, along the way, I suppose the opportunities of him/her playing Western music will be less than let’s say, someone in the USA – recitals, concerto appearances with orchestra, etc, of local musicians, although on the rise, but are limited to some extent. I think this is why some Singaporean musicians have chosen to base themselves overseas, because they would have better support there.
5.Would you see the rise of the music industry in Malaysia a threat or an opportunity? Why?
More of an opportunity than of a threat. Opportunity in the sense that it would be good for us Singaporeans to share whatever musical knowledge we know with our Malaysian counterparts, therefore promoting harmony amongst the two nations. It’s weird that Singaporean groups travel to faraway places to perform, yet give our neighbours a miss.
6.Are local compositions being supported by the music organisations, as well as by the local audience?
I think the classical concert-goer has developed a bias, if not, prejudice, against Singaporeans trying to make it in this field. All things Western are good, all things local, not so good. Although this might seem a bit extreme, it is true that the Singaporean would be quick to find fault with local works, rather than praise the good bits. SSO has from time to time premiered locally composed works, but we can’t expect them to make it a priority, due to programming constraints. Much has been done with regards to chamber repertory on this, with local composers sometimes performing their own works in their own recitals (e.g Tan Chan Boon). Not much has been done for the band scene though, most probably because many local composers are from the orchestral tradition, and are thus unfamiliar, or perhaps reluctant, to write for the symphonic band.
7.There is always the pressure of sales playing a part, to be realistic. How do you reach a compromise between performing music the audience wants to hear, and performing music you want the audience to hear?
That would depend on what kind of concert, and what kind of audience you’ll be having. If it were my own recital, I would rather play pieces I would WANT to play, because the audience would mostly be made up of the average classical concert-goer. Of course, I wouldn’t want my whole concert to consist of avant-garde works, and I will try as far as possible to produce a well-balanced program, or work towards a theme in my recital.
Similarly, a band concert would depend on the intended audience. I think the key to reach a compromise is to balance. For the coming West Winds in Concert 2001, I guess that was how we planned the repertoire, knowing that the main target audience would be band members rather than the general concert-goer. The audience would want to hear something easy on their ears, perhaps catchy, and something they can identify with. That would mean repeating pieces that have been played by other bands. Of course, this must be balanced with what we would want them to hear.
8.Would you choose to remain in Singapore to further your musical career? Why?
I don’t know. The lure of the world is there, although competition will be tough. Yet, family and friends and the stability of the environment (not to mention food ;p) is a pull factor for me to remain in Singapore. But what is most probably certain for me is doing a Masters in Performance, perhaps, overseas, as I think I will benefit from the experience.
9.What were/are the sacrifices you had to make in your pursuit of music?
Sacrifices….I must say that I don’t get to spend a lot of time with my family…..cos they’re either at work or I’m away for band practices….but my family understands that this is what I want to do. After all, my sisters were all band members themselves, and they know what it entails. I hope all my nieces and my cute nephew will all join the band in due course ;p
My social life is reduced to hanging around the internet community…heh…that’s because you get to hang around during the odd hour when everything else has ended. But not saying that it is that bad….I still make it a point to make time to go out and do stuff with my non-band friends (although end up that they’re ex-band members as well…)
10.How is it like for you as a music student? What are the difficulties faced and how did you overcome them? Ever felt like giving up?
I guess it’s life as usual studying music (and mathematics) in NIE. Although my class only meets for three (EXCRUCIATING!!) hours each week, there will be other “unseen” hours put into self-practice, lessons with instrumental teachers and ensemble work (ie. for me…that is NIE band). So being a music student in NIE is not only three hours per week as anyone else not doing music would think!
My main difficulty is a lack of foundation in theory. I’m the odd one out compared to the rest of my classmates, all of them having achieved at least a grade 7 in theory and practical, some of them even higher. Not being able to play the piano itself is a disadvantage sometimes, when our lecturer discusses examples involving piano works. I would then not be able to appreciate them fully as my classmates would do. But I just take it in stride and make the best out of it. After all, the exams are not a test of piano-playing ability ;p. My advantage against them would be my …decent knowledge of orchestral literature.
Give up? No…..just take up the flute and start practicing again…..
11.Would you encourage Singaporeans to study music and take it up as a career? Study music locally or abroad – why?
If music is your passion, why not take it up. Where you do your degree would depend on your intended career path eg if you want to be a world-class performer…go to a world-class conservatoire, and this is usually outside of Singapore. But I think as far as possible we should support our own music programs here in Singapore, although they might be in an infancy stage compared to established systems worldwide, it is progressing.
12.Difficult (or temperamental) musicians you had to work with – how did you handle them?
Basically you got to keep your cool, try to reason perhaps, but I’d rather ignore them and let myself not be bothered by such…er…showing of ego (which is usually the case).
13.Do musicians have to be socially adept to be able to function well?
It’s an advantage for them.
14.Tell me of a time you experienced grief in your pursuit of music, and a time you experienced great joy in the same pursuit.
Grief : don’t think anything that bad has happened to me
Joy: satisfaction after a good performance
15.What are the difficulties facing the music scene in Singapore today? Can these problems be solved in the near future?
Funding, lack of attention… My solution is..if you want to get ppl to pay you to watch you play…you’ll have to give them a preview of yourself first….ie….for free!
16.What think you of the future of music in Singapore – cynical or hopeful? What are you plans on it?
The pop industry’s booming…I don’t see why the classical music industry shouldn’t. Let’s hope the completion of the Esplanade will give a boost to the arts scene in Singapore, and more Singaporean musicians develop their own enterprenuership skills in showcasing themselves to the general public.
17.What would you say to the Singaporean who’s not a fan of symphonic or classical music?
Try it. If you don’t like it…at least try to articulate why you don’t like it, not just dismiss it.
18.What would you say to the budding musician?
PRACTICE !!!!!!!
That’s the only way you can achieve success, no matter what level of musicianship you are at.
PRACTICE!!!!!!!!
19.Did
you have to give up anything to pursue your interest in music eg studies, to go
to NIE?
Answered above…right?
20.What
do you study in NIE?
I study Mathematics and Music at NIE. Mathematics is pretty standard, Calculus, Statistics..bla bla bla.
Music attempts to cover a wide range of perspectives of music in general. The first two years involve a study of music with regards to the social and historical contexts involved in the creation of the music – not only we discuss the musical aspects of set works…we also discuss the circumstances surrounding the creation of the work, ie. social, cultural…even political. The third and fourth year devotes time to specific techniques of music making i.e. composition, orchestration, conducting, research, depending on what you want to specialise in. At certain points in the four years, there will be modules in music education (as well as for Mathematics too) whereby you’ll be “taught” the basic tenets of teaching the subjects in primary or secondary schools in Singapore, whichever program you are in (Pri or Sec programs….me in Sec). There are also two periods of time whereby I get to go out and…teach! Pretty much like the “industrial” or “professional” attachment that engineering and business undergraduates undergo during their four years of study. I look forward to mine next year..heh.
One more thing, we alternate between Western classical music and Ethnomusicology in the first two years of that historical study thingie…… first semester of the year on Western…next semester on Ethnomusicology, which is the study of music outside that of Western art music. Last semester we did Chinese, Malay and Indian music in Singapore…this semester we’ve done Western music from the 19th century to the present, next semester I’m not sure which part of the world whose music we will be studying. There’s also an option to specialise in Ethnomusicology in the 3rd and 4th years of study. This world-like look in music should be the way to teach our young, and current “textbooks” for music lessons in Secondary schools have incorporated the musics of other cultures as well.