Featured Musician: Lee Yu Ru

Featured Musician: Lee Yu Ru

Singapore-born percussionist Lee Yu Ru (Yuru) has had quite a musical adventure. Having started his musical education since the age of 4 through the piano, Yuru proceeded to enroll in the newly established School of the Arts, Singapore (SOTA) in 2008 with a...
Going Abroad: Cheong Kah Yiong

Going Abroad: Cheong Kah Yiong

One of the most highly sought-after percussionists in Singapore due to his flexibility in Western and Chinese music literature, Cheong Kah Yiong has performed with many of Singapore’s most important ensembles including the Singapore Chinese Orchestra,...
The Instrument Selection Process

The Instrument Selection Process

Every band member will have to go through the process of being sorted into different sections at the very beginning of their ensemble music-making journey. Most students will have an instrument in mind before they even know name of the instrument or the sounds they...
Conductors to Watch: Jasen How

Conductors to Watch: Jasen How

With an interest in music since young, Jasen How joined the band in Nan Hua Secondary School (now known as Nan Hua High School) where he played the Saxophone. It was in Secondary Three that he volunteered to move sections when the band ran out of percussionists. He...
Drumming with Colin Currie

Drumming with Colin Currie

Hailed by Steve Reich as “one of the greatest musicians in the world today” (Herald Scotland), the Colin Currie Group, together with Synergy Vocals, brought their exciting version of Steve Reich’s seminal work ‘Drumming’ to Singapore in their first-ever...
Fostering Young Percussionists at SPEF 2018

Fostering Young Percussionists at SPEF 2018

The Singapore Percussion Ensemble Festival (SPEF) is an international percussion festival founded in Singapore in 2014 and organised biennially by the award-winning Singapore Wind Symphony Percussion Ensemble (SWSPE). SPEF is one of the biggest events in SWSPE’s...
Let’s Talk Percussion: Iskandar Rashid

Let’s Talk Percussion: Iskandar Rashid

Travelling throughout Asia, Europe and the USA, Iskandar Rashid, a solo and chamber percussionist based in sunny Singapore, gives masterclasses and performs with prestigious orchestras. Iskandar’s musical journey started back in his secondary school days, where his...
My Band Journey: Khaliq Athari

My Band Journey: Khaliq Athari

Khaliq Athari (Singapore) Percussion/ Springfield Secondary School Band ITE Concert Band It all began in 2012 when I was a Secondary one student in Springfield Secondary School. I was looking for a suitable CCA and that is when my school band was recruiting...
Cultivating Character Through Band

Cultivating Character Through Band

Kasaoka Tsuneyoshi I had my 11th visit to Singapore in March and April 2016, and visited bands of different schools. During my stay, I taught some bands from primary and secondary schools, junior colleges and universities, and also went to listen to some concerts. In...
The Art of Solo Percussion

The Art of Solo Percussion

Emmanuel Séjourné is a celebrated French composer, pianist, and percussion artist. His music is rhythmic, romantic, energetic, and is inspired by both the Western classical tradition as well as popular culture (jazz and rock). His compositions are played in dozens of...