The world’s most familiar musical instrument, the piano, is used in a myriad of musical genres, from classical music to jazz, and even modern day pop music. It is also used for solo or ensemble performances, accompaniment, and rehearsals. The piano is often the instrument of choice for inspiring composers because of its versatility and ubiquity. […]
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner again this year, after Chinese New Year. A common legend states that St. Valentine, a Christian martyr, defied the emperor’s orders and secretly married couples to spare the husbands from war. It is probably for this reason that this patron saint’s feast day is associated with love. Over […]
The Race for the Chinese Zodiac by Gabrielle Wang, tells of a popular myth behind the Chinese Zodiac: Long ago in ancient China, the Jade Emperor, ruler of Heaven and Earth, proclaimed a mighty race: The first twelve animals to cross the river will each have a year named after them, and each animal’s position […]
Raising cookie monsters in the house means you end up with a sizeable amount of cookie tins you cannot bear to discard. So, I thought I would upcycle the tins and disposable chopsticks lying around in the house, into a drum set that my kids can play with! I was considering various ways to bind […]
I cannot remember exactly what started me on my musical journey. But I do remember attending music lessons at Yamaha, and performing in mini Electone concerts throughout my learning journey. My level of motivation to practise dropped as I got older and stressed with school, but I still appreciate good music and talented musicians. During […]
The concept for International Friendship Day was originated in 1930 by Joyce Clyde Hall, the founder of Hallmark, the greeting card company. It took many years, but 30 July was finally designated as the International Day of Friendship by the United Nations, and countries are encouraged to observe this day in accordance with the culture […]
August is always the time to celebrate our homegrown artistes! Singapore has no lack of talents who have made their mark both locally and globally. I am very privileged to interview Benjamin Kheng for our feature this year! Did you know he has synesthesia? Synesthesia comes from two Greek words, syn meaning “together”, and aisthesis […]
Singapore turns 53 today! Over the years, we have had many heartfelt songs composed to commemorate our Independence from Malaysia in 1965. “We Are Singapore” is 2018’s theme about celebrating our people, our nation, and our home. It invokes the strength and resilience which built Singapore, and it reminds us that we will collectively shape […]
In one of our previous Trivial Trivia, we learnt about the piano and how it works. In this post, let us take a look at the difference among the acoustic piano, digital piano, and the keyboard. Acoustic Piano The term ‘acoustic’ was added after the advent of digital pianos. The acoustic piano has been […]
ukulele pronounced as you-ke-lay-lee Legend has it that ‘ukulele’ was the nickname of Englishman Edward William Purvis, Assistant Chamberlain to King David Kalakaua (the last reigning King of Hawaii), perhaps because of his small stature, his energetic personality, and his expertise in playing the ukulele. It was thought the instrument he played for the King […]
