The OCBC Local
Undergraduate
Scholarship provides
talented and
outstanding individuals
with the opportunity
and resources to develop
their potential in their
chosen fields. OCBC
Scholar Indra Chen
tells us more about her
passion for Chinese
classical music.
The OCBC Local Undergraduate
Scholarship was founded on the
belief that every student deserves the
opportunity to have a university education.
The scholarship has seen over 400 talented
recipients, many of whom are now doctors,
lawyers, teachers, engineers and musicians.
OCBC’s scholarship, which is bond-free,
is a hallmark of OCBC’s approach to helping
remarkable individuals achieve their aspirations,
regardless of whether these individuals choose
to join the Bank after graduation.
One such individual is OCBC Scholar Indra
Chen, who is currently pursuing her Bachelor
of Music at the Nanyang Academy of Fine
Arts (NAFA) and well on her way to becoming
an established musician. Indra was shortlisted
by NAFA to apply for the OCBC scholarship
based on her academic performance and active
community involvement.
Indra shares, “The scholarship not only helped
me alleviate my financial burden, it also gave me
the opportunity to make my own career choices
and pursue my dreams after graduation.”
Pursuing her dreams early
While others might remember their childhood
piano practices as forgotten habits of yesteryear,
Indra’s piano-playing (from the age of five)
eventually blossomed into an immense love for
music. She joined the Guzheng ensemble with
her friends in primary school and received many
opportunities to perform and considerable
exposure to different genres of music.
Indra Chen Shanhui
OCBC Local Undergraduate Scholar
Designation:
Bachelor of Music (with Honours),
Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts
Studied:
Diploma in Music,
Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts
“The Guzheng instructor’s dedicated
coaching and strong encouragement made my
learning experiences meaningful and enjoyable.
These experiences led me to realise that I
wanted to pursue a career in the performing
arts or as a music teacher,” Indra recalls.
In fact, Indra is already a part-time Co-Curricular Activity music instructor at a primary
school, where she teaches music to children
aged nine to 12 how to play the Guzheng as well
as basic music skills such as rhythm-counting
and pitching.
According to Indra, the primary school
children she teaches are working towards
winning a Distinction at next year’s Singapore Youth Festival competition. “My experiences
and my mistakes serve as learning opportunities
for my students, and sharing them makes my
lessons more interesting and motivates them to
attend my sessions. It also helps me bond with
them,” she muses.
Indra certainly echoes the belief of OCBC’s
Scholarship Programme of empowering
individuals and giving back to society. She
wants to ensure that children are given ample
music-related opportunities to increase their
levels of creativity, cultural knowledge and
music appreciation.
She adds, “I want to nurture the young and
contribute to growing Singapore’s talent pool.
Giving them more exposure to music helps
them develop new ideas and shape their own
performance style. This will hopefully see
local productions and performances increase
in number as well as grow and diversify in the
future.”
An eventful educational journey
And when she’s not conducting lessons,
Indra is making strides towards completing her
own education. Her NAFA degree incorporates
more than just learning the theoretical aspects
of music, practicing her instruments and
performing. It also gives her exposure to new
learning experiences through her involvement
in community and group projects.
For instance, Indra took up a chamber music
module to fulfil an aspect of her last academic
year’s curriculum. This module required her
and a group of performers to jointly perform a
set of chamber music repertoire for their final
assessment.
She tells us, “Everyone had a busy schedule
and it was tough juggling both work and
rehearsals. Even during the final lap, we
encountered absences due to members' health
and personal issues. I was on the verge of giving
up because our time was running out before the
assessment and we had not practised enough.
“Thankfully, I witnessed a change in my team
members' attitudes at the eleventh hour and saw
how they sacrificed their personal time for late-night
practices. My teachers were also there to
guide us through our final few rehearsals. On
the day of the assessment, I saw all the hard
work and effort put into our performance and
felt sincerely thankful and touched by the spirit
of our teamwork.”
"With all the support I have received, I
am empowered and motivated to share the beauty of Chinese classical music
with the community, especially the younger generation of Singaporeans."
Throughout her degree journey, Indra
has learnt much and taken on various new
perspectives. She elaborates, “I have learnt that
success requires perseverance, focus and the
discipline to practice. My friends’ determination
to progress motivates me to stay focused, and
through the healthy peer pressure from my
friends, I’ve also realised the importance of
setting personal targets to persevere towards
my goal of becoming a successful professional
musician.”
Empowered to reach goals
In addition to Indra's short-term goal of
becoming a professional Guzheng musician
in Singapore, her long-term goal is to increase
Singaporeans' level of appreciation for
Chinese classical music. She also hopes
to obtain a Doctor of Music and apply her
extensive knowledge in her plans to promote
musical appreciation among children and the
community.
She is thankful for the OCBC scholarship in
helping her achieve her goals, as it has given her
unique opportunities such as performing at the
OCBC scholarship ceremony.
Indra believes that good results are only the
first step before aspiring OCBC scholars clinch
the scholarship. OCBC assesses candidates'
discipline and active community
involvement. She shares her concluding
words, “Life is about falling and learning
how to stand up from such a fall. I am
ready to accept my challenges and
overcome the obstacles in front of me
to keep my passion in music burning.
With all the support I have received,
I am empowered and motivated to
share the beauty of Chinese classical
music with the community, especially the
younger generation of Singaporeans.”