Unlocking new perspectives through diverse artforms
Published: 28 Aug 2024
By: Adeeb Fazah
Time taken : <5mins
Syed Ahmad is a Singaporean music and artistic director, composer and educator. He is most well known as the founder of Bloco Singapura, Singapore’s first Carnaval collective. Inspired by his sojourn in Brazil, the group reflects his deep passion and mastery of Brazilian rhythms, combined with his eclecticism and verve. Under his leadership, Bloco Singapura had the opportunity to perform in various musical festivals and shows locally and internationally, namely New York, Mumbai, Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Bali, Timur Leste, and Coburg, Germany for Europe’s biggest samba festival. Syed has been teaching music for 16 years to learners ranging from primary school students to tertiary students, teachers and corporate companies.
It was really a desire to share what I’ve learnt as a musician. It started with curiosity and passion and a sense of responsibility to express a cultural heritage in the proper context. I travelled to various parts of Brazil and introduced myself to different drum masters and learnt under their tutelage. Most of them remain dear friends and collaborators to this day. I continue to learn more from practitioners about their rich cultures and rhythms, even now.
I teach mostly Brazilian Carnaval rhythms and African diaspora music. This includes its performance, concepts, vocabulary, and ethnomusicology. I teach various demographics of people, from primary school to tertiary students. I also do various workshops with teachers or corporate companies.
Syed Ahmad with his students. Image Credit: Syed Ahmad
Singaporeans can learn so much from such a rich artform. Things like cultural expression, ethnomusicology, socio-politics, secular adaptations of ritual and spiritual music, syncretism, dance, choreography, and so much more. I mean, so much of pop and contemporary music is influenced by it, just that most people don’t know it.
In a nutshell, the more you understand other cultures, the better you understand your own.
You can watch my TEDTalk for a more in-depth discussion on this topic.
Of course, there have been challenges like being generally misunderstood, budgets, pandemics, plagiarism, and many others. I know this might sound cliché, but it’s really the passion for my music that has pushed me through it all.
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On a basic level, I hope that they enjoy the lessons and the rhythms I share in class. I also hope that they can find some kind of appreciation for all of it in depth.
Lastly, I hope that they develop their sense of curiosity, a keen cultural awareness and confidence in their self-expression.
Contributed by:
Adeeb Fazah is a theatre director, producer, playwright, and educator. He is the Artistic Director of The Second Breakfast Company, and co-founder of Impromptu Meetings, Strike Digital Festival, and In the Round. He teaches drama across secondary and tertiary levels, and currently serves as treasurer at Singapore Drama Educators Association. He also writes for the Critics Circle Blog.
