Singapore Lute Arts Development

Due to its geographic location, the population of Singapore is highly diverse; consisting of Chinese, Malays, Indians, Eurasians, Caucasians and Asians of different origins. This combination of various races has resulted in a unique mesh-up of cultures, in turn influencing music and the arts.The early 50s saw a surge of Chinese immigrants into Singapore. With them, they brought their cuisine, language and music. The Pipa was one of the Chinese instruments that came along with them. From an entirely unrecognized instrument, the Pipa had undergone several stages and developments to reach where it stands today.Over the years, the public became more aware of traditional Chinese instruments such as the Pipa. This was achieved by the government's move to promote traditional culture and art forms. Schools and community clubs had gone along and started their own Chinese Orchestras; there were frequent and affordable performances from traditional Chinese performing groups; schools and community clubs had gone along and started their own Chinese Orchestras. This in turn resulted in the awareness of the Orchestra's unique sound. Appreciating the art sufficed to another level as many were not only interested in watching these concerts, they wanted to learn how to play the instruments.Although there was an increase in the number of people learning the Pipa, the process was quite a task. The Cultural Revolution had hit China and it was not easy getting music materials such as scores and instruments. The Pipa Maestros from China were unreachable and that made learning very limited.It was only in the early 90s, when China opened itself to the world, that Pipa started its real development in Singapore. Several Pipa teachers from China migrated to Singapore, bringing with them music materials, information and techniques. In a short while, the performance standard of the local Pipa scene was raised.In the meantime, many influential Pipa Maestros were playing concerts in Singapore. Along with the concerts came regular master classes, which enabled the local Pipa students to interact with the experts, gaining new insights and exchanging ideas. Through such interactions and performances, local Pipa musicians were more equipped with information. They started to have ideas and harbor plans on how to contribute to the development of this art in the future. Soon, new activities such as National Competitions and Grading took place. These activities pushed local Pipa players to take the art more seriously and thus had a great overall effect on the local performance standard. Although the Pipa standards in Singapore have improved tremendously throughout the years, there is still a lack of proper basic training. Compared to what the students are taught in the music conservatories of China, local education still lacks in many areas, such as proper technique training.Achieving a better standard in the near future is reliant on the local music academies and Pipa educators in Singapore, all playing a big part in the future developments of the Pipa.