Transcript of interview with Hazeeq Abdullah (conducted by Amanda Lee), 5 February 2017, 5.30 pm, Skype.
Hazeeq is a 16-year old male Malay Singaporean who is a secondary four student at Victoria School. Hazeeq recently started watching Korean TV shows and has been listening to the soundtrack for those shows. Hazeeq does not really listen to English pop music and does not know much about it. Hazeeq thinks that perhaps local singers like The Sam Willows represent Singaporeans better than the overseas English pop rock acts. Hazeeq likes composers like Stravinsky, Leonard Bernstein, and Gershwin as they compose pieces for the trumpet which he plays. He thinks that Western classical music is part of global culture as it is accessible and played everywhere. Hazeeq does not really listen to Malay pop rock music as he feels that the songs and the scene are dated. He liked the Malay pop rock songs from the 70s and 80s as he grew up watching the shows where these songs were played. Hazeeq thinks that traditional Malay music is dated as well. He thinks that a lot of people do not listen to music of their mother tongue. Hazeeq thinks that this kind of music can help one connect with their roots but does not connect them to their peers. Hazeeq does not listen to Chinese pop rock music and does not have much exposure to it. Hazeeq does not listen to traditional Chinese music but has heard it being played in school by the Chinese orchestra. He does not like the music they play and thinks that the music is old and dated. Hazeeq thinks that it expresses a cultural connection to mainland China but thinks that the mainland Chinese might not listen to it as well. Hazeeq liked Chinese crossover music and thought it was an interesting rendition of Adele’s songs. Hazeeq thinks that this music could help people connect with their Chinese roots. Hazeeq did not really know what to make of experimental Chinese music but thought that they were trying to mimic the sounds of insects. Hazeeq used to listen to The Sam Willows but gradually stopped listening to them when he gained an interest for orchestral and band music. He thinks that there is a Singaporean musical style as there is a more authentic vibe to the music as compared to British or American music. Hazeeq enjoys singing National Day songs when National Day is celebrated and thinks that these songs make him feel proud of Singapore. Hazeeq plays in the school band since he joined in secondary one. He plays the trumpet and can play the other brass instruments as well. He joined the band as his siblings were playing in one and he thought that playing music in an ensemble setting was appealing. Hazeeq enjoys playing in a band as he likes the idea of teamwork and working together. The band practices three times a week and is facilitated by the conductor, who decides on what the band needs to work on for each practice. Hazeeq plays both pop and classical pieces in the band but he personally enjoys playing the classical pieces more as he finds that these are most compatible with the band instruments. Hazeeq had music lessons in secondary school and learned about Western and Chinese instruments. He does not think that music lessons are necessary for all Singaporean students as those who did not have interest in music found it to be a waste of time and did not have any use for the knowledge in the future. Hazeeq thinks that students could be interested in music if lessons incorporated pop music as most of them listen to pop music.
“I mean recently I started watching Korean dramas. So I’ve been listening to the Korean OST also. Ya, ya, the soundtrack for the drama series.”
“I mean ... I don’t really know much about [English pop music] actually because like – I haven’t been listening to this kind of music like awhile. Ya, so it doesn’t really cater to my preferences as of now. So there’s nothing much I can really say about it.”
“I don’t think [English pop rock music expresses a cultural connection]. I think like the local – the local singers, er, represent us better. Like The Sam Willows, etcetera.”
“I mean, there are a few composers whom, er, because I play trumpet, so – so there are – there are few composers who compose, um, solo pieces for trumpet. So, er, which relate of course. Like it really like appeals to me. But some of the more, er, general composers – maybe include like Stravinsky, um, Bernstein – Leonard Bernstein, Gershwin. Ya.”
“I mean in the case of – in the case of Stravinsky, his music is very exciting. Um, it – ya, I would say that his music is very extreme. There are some very extremely loud, um, sections, some very soft and delicate. So the music contrast really, um, it’s really appealing.”
“I mean of course because I’m in band so then of course it’s important for me to understand like the different roles that my instrument, um, um, has. So that I can of course improve my playing. Of course not just ensemble – for my ensemble point of view, but also for – from a solo point of view. So I think really listening to Western classical music can really help, um, widen my perspective about my instrument.”
“I think it’s more of a global culture because like, um, music – Western music – Western classical music is very accessible, um, everywhere. Like, um, it’s very – like everybody listens to it like – if you say like – maybe if I went to the US, and said like, um, one of – one of the famous composer’s name, they will probably like – like, “Oh, it’s that guy.” Ya, so I think it’s like an internationally-recognized genre.”
“I feel that, um, a lot of Malay songs are sort of like dated. Er, and like because I’m – because I also don’t speak Malay like very regularly, so it doesn’t really like appeal to me as much as maybe like, um, songs from English singers.”
“Because when I was small I used to watch like the Malay shows. Er, like the – like the – like the TV drama series with like my, er, my parents and grandparents. So really like the – the old [pop] classics are like really frequently played. So I guess like when you watch it a lot it sort of like gets engraved [in] your head. Ya.”
“I mean in this age, a lot of people don’t really listen to like their mother tongue language. Like most people, um, listen to the English songs or like the Korean dramas, er, fans listen to the Korean drama songs. So I, um, maybe [traditional music] will help us to get in touch with our roots but maybe not as a form of connection between our – my peers.”
“Maybe when I was in primary school, in secondary school, I sort of became like more Westernized. Like I began – like I kind of like stopped watching Malay shows and everything. Like I was watching like, um, English dramas, English movies more as compared to Malay – Malay, um, shows. So I kind of think I kind of lost my touch with like the Malay side of me.”
“I don’t really have much exposure to like Chinese music at all. So it’s kind of hard to say. But that means – there are like a few songs here and there which is like – which I like. Er, which I kind of know [be]cause like a lot – there’s like some people find it very popular. Like for example, Na Xie Nian, er, from [You Are the] Apple of my Eye (2007)? Ya, it’s – it’s – that song is nice I feel.”
“I think [traditional Chinese music is] more of associated to like, um, which specific instruments like – like – maybe like – because my school has a Chinese orchestra and then I always listen to them maybe play like the – the guzheng, the erhu, the pipa, the suona. Ya. So I feel is – is kind of revolves around the same instruments.”
“And then they’re trained, um, musically from a Chinese perspective, a more traditional perspective. So I guess, er, we have the perception that – I mean – [the Chinese orchestra] play the very old and dated kind of music, while we play the more recent kind of music.”
“I would guess [traditional Chinese music expresses a cultural connection], I guess. Um, but – but then again a lot of people – a lot of people – like I said, I mean it’s the case for all races I think. Like, um, a lot of people don’t really listen to their traditional music anymore. Um, ya, maybe like a lot of people find it dated, etcetera.”
“Er, ya, actually I kind of found [Chinese crossover music] quite interesting. Um, like I found that it gave a very – it was a very interesting rendition of some of the Adele’s classics. Ya.”
“I think [Chinese crossover music is] certainly very interesting and definitely can be more, er, explored. Er, so I think really it – it can be one of those kind of musics where it really like helps like people from this age to connect with, um, their past – their roots, etcetera.”
“Um, I – I don’t really know what to say actually but, um, I think [experimental Chinese music is] interesting how they’re – they’re trying to like mimic different, um, kind of sounds with like the traditional Chinese orchestra. Ya. Er, I mean – I mean it’s quite clear from the title it was like, um, they’re trying to mimic the sounds from like insects.”
“Er, I used to listen to, er, The Sam Willows. Er, I guess, um, like – because as – as I spend more time in band, I think my liking for like, um, um, music with like singers kind of like, um, went down. And I became more interested in like orchestra music and like band music.”
“I guess you could say that [there is a Singaporean musical style] actually. Because, um, like Singaporean music has a very – certain ... special vibe, ya, that I can’t really like kind of describe. But – ya, it’s a vibe that you can get where – and – and you can know it’s Singaporean as compared to like maybe like, um, British or American.”
“It’s kind of hard to say. Ya. But it’s also like some of like the Singaporean, um, like local, um, group, they like perform renditions of like, um, of like, um, um, sort of like what people consider Singaporean songs like Home (1998). Like for example The Sam Willows, um, er, performed the special rendition of Home (2015). Ya. So I guess it’s like the more – it’s a more personal, it’s a more authentic kind of vibe that, er, I feel I can connect to more.”
“The only instrument that I play is trumpet. But because it’s a brass instrument and – so I can sort of play, um, the other brass instruments also. Um, I learned – I, er, started learning like how to play it, er, when I was sec[ondary] one.”
“I guess it’s like the idea of teamwork. It’s like you’re working together. Like it’s not – it’s not like – like, um, an individualistic thing. It’s more of like working together with other people, um, in a musical setting to create good music, um, so that it can, um, impress the audience.”
“In like the last three months before the concert, our practices were three times a week. So there was Monday, Wednesday, and Friday after school until about 6.30 [pm]. Um, and most of the time, um, the practices will be, um, er, like it will be conducted by our conductor. Um, but there will always be sometimes, um, where we have sectionals where we will break out into our individual instruments and then we will solve like the section problems, etcetera.”
“It really depends on the needs of the, um, of the band and the sections. Like for example if, um, if you went into rehearsal with the conductor and then we realize that there are still, um, a lot of section, um, problems that need to be solved then – then of course we’ll break into sectionals. But of course if there are – if there are little to no section problems, then we can move one step higher to solving ensemble problems with our conductor.”
“There was a performance when we were performing with another band. So then, er, so then the rehearsals required that the other school come to our school to have a joint rehearsal as a mass band. So I guess it was really like, er, it was really interesting and kind of exciting to see like, um, a very big combined band. And to – to have – to play together and play really good music together.”
“I mean most of the stuff kind of made sense. Maybe like the ridiculous stuff is like the gimmicks for the concert. Ya. But it was all good fun. Er, like because it was during our concert then we had a few pop songs. So like, um, so for some of the pieces it required that [we] stand up, um, like sway to the left, sway to the right, um, point our instruments in different directions. Ya, etcetera.”
“Because like one of the basis of band is that you must have really good teamwork. Um, so I guess like – it’s sort of like ingrained in us to like, um, look out for one another, really listen out. Um, really match with each other, give and take, etcetera. Um, apart from that also like because band – band is, um, is a time-consuming CCA. So of course you see the same people again and again. So I guess – ya, we become closer as time goes by.”
“I think one of the topics that we – that we learned [in music classes in secondary school] was about instruments. So we learn about, um, the Western instruments as well as the Chinese instruments.”
“Er, I mean again because I was from band, so I guess it was quite interesting for me. But for those who were like a sports CCA or the – or the uniformed groups, I think [music classes] didn’t really appeal to them that much. Because for most they probably won’t do anything with the knowledge that they – that they learned from the music classes. Ya. Um, also like – ya, it – it’s just a matter of, um, interest, I guess. Like they weren’t really interested in like learning the theory side of music.”
“I mean, um, because I’m a brass player so I don’t really know much about like the string instruments, or like the percussion instruments. So maybe that could be, um, something for me to learn in the future.”
“Right now I’m trying to join an external band, um, apart from – apart from school bands. Um, so – ya, I guess this part of like me trying to like, um, expand my and – and widen my perspective. And not just like stay, um, like very narrow, to just like one band.”
“I really like like the idea of like – maybe like ten years from now, I’m like performing with like a band. A really good, prestigious band. But, um, I guess there’s like a stigma where that – that musicians won’t really like earn a lot of money. So I guess it’s also like, um, it’s a matter of passion, I guess. If you’re really willing to see it through then I think – I think it should be fine.”
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