Silvia singing the haunting & melodious piece, Hanya Darimu

Sean rocking the house with his song entitled, Don't Care

Pei San and Stephanie beltling out the only Chinese pop ballad that night

Kuala Lumpur, 13 August 2008 - Students from the Contemporary Music degree programme of UCSI today held their song-writing concert for the public. The students performed 10 original pieces to an awed audience at the UCSI auditorium. They were treated to songs from a range of genres, from a Chinese pop ballad, to a hard metal number. The 20-odd students were all from the song-writing class, a core subject, under the tutelage of Mr. James Phillip Sheng Boyle. Punctual and orderly, the concert showcased not only their talents as singers and song-writers, but also their ability to organise a successful event. 

“I keep on running, keep on fighting what I want it to be, I’ll never give up, no matter what it could be,” were the lyrics for the opening number, which like a diary, tells so much about the person who wrote it. Tommy Chan, who wrote and performed I’ll Never Give Up, said “I wrote the song to give myself encouragement to persevere in my studies and everyday life.” The haunting but melodious tunes from Silvia in Hanya Darimu spoke of the realization that her achievements to date would not have been possible without divine guidance. Next came Sean who wrote, sang and played lead guitar to the hard metal number Don’t Care. He admitted to writing the song at the last minute, and said that the song was an outlet for him to vent his frustrations about certain things in life and provide him emotional peace after it was written.

Pei Saan, sang as lead vocal to her original number Believe which is a refreshing Chinese pop ballad. Wei En’s You Were Once Mineand Jeanie and Denis’ Memori Cintaku was about young love, and love lost. Kawai’s Lullaby for Teary Eyes is a song to comfort those who are feeling disenchanted, but are uplifted by their faith in God. Chearn Yau sang about freedom in his coming-of-age song, Flee, while Evelyn Choong’s Ho Ya Hi Ya He and Wei Keat and Derene’s Stop Wasting Time were a musical treat for the senses, with almost the whole class playing an instrument to the scores. 

This concert is part of the students’ final year projects which are usually held in classrooms. This time however, their lecturer, Mr. James Boyle, suggested that they try a different approach, and organise a public concert instead. “This way, the students feel a greater sense of pride in their work, and we get to showcase their music to the public,” he said. 

All of the students go through the process of finding the right melody, harmony and preferred style for their songs. “Some are better at writing ballads, while others are more apt at writing songs with a fast tempo. We try to identify their strengths and use them in the process of writing the song,” he added. Melinda Sik, a student from the Contemporary Music course and emcee for the night quips, “It isn’t hard to write a song, but it’s hard to write a good song.” This explanation makes one appreciate the students’ efforts even more, notwithstanding the sterling quality of the songs performed.