Singapore National Youth Orchestra (SNYO)

Since 2018, Blangah Rise Primary School has embarked on a collaboration with the Singapore National Youth Orchestra (SNYO), a leading orchestra dedicated to the training of young orchestral musicians as part of the Singapore Symphony Group. SNYO alumni are full-time musicians in Singapore and in orchestras around the world, and many also educate the generation of musicians and play significant roles in the growth of Singapore’s cultural scene.

In 2018, under the guidance of one of the orchestra’s tutors, Mr Zhu Zhengyi, students had the opportunity to further develop their interests in music and participate in a short performance of percussion ensemble music at the school’s annual Speech and Prize-giving Day.

This year, the school embarked on a percussion workshop in collaboration with SNYO. We began with an intensive two-day workshop during the September holidays. During the workshop, students participated in two classes led by musicians and teachers from the orchestra. In one part of the workshop, students were led by Dr Wong Su Sun, an experienced musician and teacher, in a Dalcroze music and movement class intended to sharpen their understanding of musical concepts through movement.

In the other part of the workshop, Mr Lim Meng Keh, an SSO percussionist and SNYO percussion tutor, taught students rudiments of music theory and rhythm in a percussion class. The hard work put in by the students and SNYO tutors will culminate in a performance for the year-end Speech and Prize-giving Day.