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Encountering Musical Cultures of Asia

SG $40.00 – SG $110.00

  • Christine May Yong
  • 3 x 60-min session
  • Course will commence when there is a sufficient number of signups

This is a course that introduces participants to selected musical cultures within the region of Asia. Participants will be taken on a journey to discover some of region’s most iconic music and instruments from India to Indonesia. This course also features a practical component, where participants will learn the foundations of Solkattu, a technique of speaking and clapping Indian rhythms, over the span of 3 weeks.

Christine May Yong is an ethnomusicologist and gamelan musician by training. She completed her Master of Arts (Performing Arts – Music) at the University of Malaya and was a recipient of the Fulbright Malaysian Graduate Study and Research Program in 2013. She is a current academic staff at Sunway University’s Department of Film and Performing Arts, where she teaches World Music and Malaysian Music to classical and contemporary musicians.

Week 1
– Situating Asia
– Movement and mobilities: Understanding the Silk Route
– Getting to know selected musical instruments of Asia
– Solkattu practical session 1

Week 2
– The music of Indonesia: Central Javanese gamelan/Balinese gamelan
– Solkattu practical session 2

Week 3
– The music of India: Canatic/Hindustani music
– Solkattu practical session 3

Students will be learning how to count, beat and speak Indian rhythms (Solkattu) throughout the 3 weeks of sessions. During the segment on the music of Indonesia, students will be encouraged to “play” a central Javanese gamelan piece using a simple electronic gamelan.

FOR SINGAPOREANS ONLY

This course is supported under UTAP for 50% course fee support.

National Instructors & Coaches Association (NICA) was formed by the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) to be the collective voice to support freelance coaches and instructors from sports, outdoor learning and adventure, visual and performing arts, fitness and wellness, and enrichment, to strengthen skills, standards and opportunities.
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In supporting NICA members with skills deepening programmes such as the courses offered by SEA Music Academy Online, NICA members enjoy lower course fees through the Union Training Assistance Programme (UTAP) which provides 50% subsidy of the balance unfunded course fee, up to $250 per calendar year. Till 31 December 2025, NICA members aged 40 years and above will enjoy higher funding support up to $500 per calendar year, capped at 50% of unfunded course fee.
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If you wish to be part of a bigger voice for coaches and instructors, please sign up to be a NICA member at http://www.ntuc.co/nica (Note: to indicate ‘NICA’ under the field for Company Name).

Find out more about NICA at: http://www.nica.org.sg or http://www.facebook.com/nicasingapore

Here are some additional info regarding UTAP eligibility:

Please note that members are required to fulfil the following conditions to be eligible for UTAP reimbursement:

  1. Paid-up union membership before course commencement, throughout whole course duration and at the point of claim
  2. Course by training provider must be supported under UTAP, and training must commence within the supported period
  3. Course must not be funded through company sponsorship or other types of funding
  4. Unfunded course fee must be S$20.00 and above
  5. Member must achieve a minimum of 75% attendance for each application and sat for all prescribed examination(s), if any
  6. UTAP application must be submitted within 6 months after course completion

Please refer to the UTAP Application Guide for members to apply UTAP via the U-Portal. Should trainees have queries on the funding scheme, they can email to UTAP@e2i.com.sg or call NTUC Membership Hotline at 6213-8008.

FAQS

Yes, they will be made available for participants until 6 months after the completion of each course.

E-certificates will be issued on course completion to Active Participants.

Active Participants will be involved in class participation: interacting with course instructors, receiving feedback on class assignments/submissions, and they will have playing opportunities in class etc. Observers will be observing these segments of the class.

Active Participants will receive an E-certificate of participation, and Observers will receive a certificate of attendance.

5 days before the course commences.

Yes, simply get your friends together and send us an email to request for a second round of the course! If we receive sufficient signups we will repeat the course.

We do not conduct make-up classes. Learners who miss a session can catch up on the class content by watching the session recording thereafter. If there are any class assignments, learners are to contact the instructor directly.

We at the Academy do our utmost to make courses proceed as planned. However, there are times when unforeseen circumstances force a class to be cancelled. When this happens, we are committed to refunding the total amount, in an efficient manner, including any costs of using third-party payment gateways.

Should a participant need to cancel, we will make efforts to accommodate refunds, though costs of using third-party payment gateways will be borne by the participant.

Late cancellations may not be able to be refunded, as they will have been factored into the confirmation of running the course. We will provide a full refund for cancellations up to 2 weeks before the start of a course, following this a 50% refund with up to 1 week of notice. Notifications of fewer than 7 days will most likely not be eligible for a refund. We thank you for your understanding.