AYN: Heritage Music Trail on a Hippo Bus!
Leading up from our Interview with Quek Ling Kiong, the day has finally arrived to hop onto a Hippo Bus for a heritage Music Trail around Bedok. I hardly undermine the abilities of my children and so, they came along with us. They may not understand the full story behind Bedok but I was pleasantly surprised when I noticed Faye listening intently to Quek Quek's [how they affectionately refer to Quek Ling Kiong] narration on the bus. She turned to me and repeated, "He say we turn left right?" *haha* Yes, the bus is turning left my dear. With Ewan, he woke up from his afternoon nap some three hours later and said, "Do you remember Bedok?"
To me, these were good enough for a four and two year old to take back. After the trip, they know that Bedok is derived from the Malay word for “drum” spelt as bedoh where the “h” is pronounced like “k”. It is also the reason why this trail featured heavily on different types of drums.
The Hippo Bus naturally attracted my children. They were running towards it and insisted to take the seats on the upper deck. Oh they have to because the programme was held upstairs anyways - Win Win!
Boy was it hot! Good thing we brought hats for cover but I immediately regretted not slapping some sunscreen on our faces and shoulders. Thankfully, the breeze from the moving bus helped ease the heat.
The most enjoyable part of the trail was the brief stop-over at Bedok Food Centre, a hawker centre built to represent the Minangkabau style with distinctive pitched roofs. The interior seatings are circular in shape and designed to replicate the communal life of Bedok's kampong past. It is not a huge compound but instead, intimate enough to gather everyone in one seating to enjoy a musical performance for the morning.
We were treated to the famous Chng Teng, Goreng Pisang which the children kept stuffing their faces into and a plate of delicious bee hoon! While eating, the troop from Dicapella serenaded the food centre with their bamboo flutes which brought life to the food centre! I was mighty impressed that the group's average age is 19 years old! We had two primary school kids playing for us that beautiful morning as well and I was so proud of them.
On the way back to Bedok Town, our party was taught how to play the tambourine and kompang [a kind of Malay drum]. We were split into two groups. As we walked through Bedok Town to the covered amphitheatre, we performed for the awaiting crowd at Bedok Town with our hand-held instruments. I wasn't sure if we did a good job but our conductor - Mr Quek - led us well! I wasn't paying much attention to the "lessons" on the bus because it started to drizzle and the kids were priority. However, under Mr Quek's reign, I think I managed it quite okay. Ewan was doing great as well thumping to the beats.
We had the residents of Bedok joining in our drummings with the many drums on display around the square. Everyone from age zero to eighty-nine were seen having fun with the instruments! Absolutely loved that spirit.
Performances on stage continued to entertain the audience. We took back many memorable moments from this Arts in Your Neighbourhood programme and absolutely loved the initiatives behind it. The sheer dedication and fervent love for arts brought together by these group of individuals from various musical establishments deserve a standing ovation. It is one thing to put together a performance for the public. It is another to bring arts to the community for free.
This is Arts Imprints Around My Neighbourhood and let us all cross our fingers that they will bring this back again! There were only two sessions this season and it was a sell out!
The Hippo Bus naturally attracted my children. They were running towards it and insisted to take the seats on the upper deck. Oh they have to because the programme was held upstairs anyways - Win Win!
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credit: NAC   |
The most enjoyable part of the trail was the brief stop-over at Bedok Food Centre, a hawker centre built to represent the Minangkabau style with distinctive pitched roofs. The interior seatings are circular in shape and designed to replicate the communal life of Bedok's kampong past. It is not a huge compound but instead, intimate enough to gather everyone in one seating to enjoy a musical performance for the morning.
We were treated to the famous Chng Teng, Goreng Pisang which the children kept stuffing their faces into and a plate of delicious bee hoon! While eating, the troop from Dicapella serenaded the food centre with their bamboo flutes which brought life to the food centre! I was mighty impressed that the group's average age is 19 years old! We had two primary school kids playing for us that beautiful morning as well and I was so proud of them.
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| credit: NAC |
 |
credit: NAC   |
 |
| credit: NAC |
 |
| credit: NAC |
 |
| credit: NAC |
We had the residents of Bedok joining in our drummings with the many drums on display around the square. Everyone from age zero to eighty-nine were seen having fun with the instruments! Absolutely loved that spirit.
Performances on stage continued to entertain the audience. We took back many memorable moments from this Arts in Your Neighbourhood programme and absolutely loved the initiatives behind it. The sheer dedication and fervent love for arts brought together by these group of individuals from various musical establishments deserve a standing ovation. It is one thing to put together a performance for the public. It is another to bring arts to the community for free.
This is Arts Imprints Around My Neighbourhood and let us all cross our fingers that they will bring this back again! There were only two sessions this season and it was a sell out!
This is just one out of the more than 40 entertaining, fun and interactive performances and activities which residents in neighbourhoods will enjoy in the November edition of Arts in Your Neighbourhood (AYN), presented by the National Arts Council (NAC), taking place from 12-27 November. There will be great music, theatre, dance and multi-disciplinary performances, as well as art installations, music, art and photographic tours.
Arts for All Links:
Website | Facebook | Instagram
Read our interviews with artists for the following programmes:
Time for Opera!
The Enchanted Flute by Paper Monkey Theatre
Arts Imprints Around My Neighbourhood with Quek Ling Kiong
Read our interviews with artists for the following programmes:
Time for Opera!
The Enchanted Flute by Paper Monkey Theatre
Arts Imprints Around My Neighbourhood with Quek Ling Kiong
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A stay at home mum, blogging to widen her social life.
We want to echo the sound of love through our lives to inspire other mothers alike.
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