Art of Finding a Story in a Melody

Jointly by:
Isabel Goh Ern Zi (Sr1ScB)
Tan Yi Khai (Sr1ScD)

On Saturday, 20 July 2019, two well-known music veterans from the local music scene, Mr Chang Sang Teck and Mr Chow Kam Leong had been invited to conduct a singing session for our students in the auditorium. Mr Chang and Mr Chow originally hail from Klang and Taiping, respectively. They have written great number of songs for local and international artists alike. With their unique voices and skilful strumming of the guitars, students were serenaded in the one and a half hour with melodies complimented with lyrics that told unknown stories of the past generation, collectively.

The simple, yet satisfying event started off with the Halo Song in which the duo interacted with our students. Strings of Halo song series were sung so that students responded easily to the familiar tune.  Next up was I Am Born Fortunate in which Mr Chang skilfully describes the hustle and bustle in the Klang harbour and the advice given to him by his parents. Mr Chow took over the baton by singing his own composition, Zi Zuo Zi Show – his struggle and passion for music. This song depicts Mr Chow’s one road to success, describing the silent streets around Puduraya Bus Terminal in the wee hours and his hard work put into building his career.

After introducing themselves through relaxing melodies, Mr Chang who is dubbed Malaysia’s Jonathan Li (internationally acclaimed musician and producer from Taiwan), presented yet another of his masterpiece Three Generation, having backed up by his partner, Mr Chow.  In this one, the stories of Mr Chang’s grandfather, father and himself had been nicely weaved into the song. The coolie (labourer) system and its effects were highlighted as well as special societal condition of that period.

Following, the seasoned duo engaged with our students by singing multiple songs together, all written and sung by local artists. Mr Chow then shared with us a song that had inspired him to take on this journey, The Brighter Futures, by the Beyond from Hong Kong. Next on the list came The Moon Represents My Heart and The Moon Is Round. Due to time constraints, the awe-inspiring duo had to end the day event with their final song, Petaling Street. This lively song has also reflected the live and culture in our own version of China Town streets, the breeding ground of local buskers and its trends.

We are very thankful to both Mr Chang and Mr Chow for having successfully introduced to our students music art in the most laid back and relaxed way. Our teachers and students present were able to learn more about the local arts scene and take a short break from their hectic work and school lives. This event was definitely a success and memorable one!