IT was the kind deeds of an aid worker at a time her family needed assistance that made Hoo Sim Li, a classically trained pianist who also minored in vocal and flute, decide to use her musical talents towards helping the community.
For the past three years she has been organising the All About Love concerts featuring volunteers – consisting of non-musicians guided by musicians – to raise funds for various charities. This year’s edition is on Dec 2.
HOW OLD WERE YOU WHEN YOU STARTED MUSIC LESSONS?
I was around 5 years old when my parents started sending me for lessons.
DID YOU TAKE WELL TO PIANO FROM THE START?
No, they were just classes that I attended because my parents made me go. I only really became inspired in my mid-teens when I attended a concert by the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. From then onwards, I knew music was going to be my career.
DID YOU FOCUS ON MUSIC FROM THEN ON?
Just focusing on music was a consideration because I was very sure music was what I wanted to do but my parents brought me to an academic adviser who felt that it was important I had a regular academic education, so I continued my studies in the science stream. After SPM I did a foundation in music, followed by a Bachelor’s degree in classical music and eventually a Master’s in piano performance.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW PROFESSIONALLY?
I work as a teacher in the music department at a local college as well as give some private instruction as well.
HAS MUSIC LESSONS CHANGED MUCH SINCE YOU STARTED?
Yes, in my time everything was paper-based but today the students all use iPads or smart phones for their lessons.
You have all kinds of apps that allow students to play along with backing tracks. It’s amazing what technology can do.
HOW DID THE ALL ABOUT LOVE CONCERT COME ABOUT?
When I came back from the US in 2014 after doing my Master’s, I was invited to take part in a benefit concert. Later in 2015 when my dad had a medical condition that required going for regular treatment, it was quite difficult for my family. I even considered resigning from my teaching job to take care of him.
My brother came across an organisation that provides help for cases like ours and a very kindly gentleman offered to send our dad for his treatments on a regular basis. We asked him how much he would charge and he said, “Just pay whatever you can afford”. That really touched us. It really impacted me in terms of thinking what good I could do to help others.
WHY A BENEFIT CONCERT?
I was exposed to benefit concerts when I was doing my Master’s in the US and my involvement in one here right after I returned made me think that this was something we could try to do every year. I know many people who are involved in music because of my work and I have many non-musician friends who like to sing and want to do some good work, so I thought of bringing them all together though a benefit concert.
WHICH CHARITIES HAVE YOU RAISED FUNDS FOR?
In 2015, we raised money for the National Stroke Association of Malaysia; in 2016 it was for the Breast Cancer Welfare Association and in 2017, it was for the Make-A-Wish Foundation Malaysia. This year, it will be for the Selangor and Federal Territory Association for the Mentally Handicapped.
HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHICH CHARITIES TO SUPPORT?
Our core group identifies some charities and we actually visit them to see for ourselves what they do and what they need. We try to do a different charity each year.
DOES YOUR GROUP ONLY HOLD ONE CONCERT PER YEAR OR WILL THERE BE MORE ACTIVITIES?
At the moment we can just handle one per year since all of us are volunteers and we all have day jobs. It’s not just the task of organising the event and the fundraising that takes time, training the singers is a year-long process since most of them are not professional singers.
WHAT’S YOUR ROLE AS THE LEADER OF THE GROUP?
I am overall in charge of the music, so you could say I’m the musical director. I’m also in charge of fundraising. But I have great colleagues who help me a lot, especially in training the choir which consists mainly of non-musicians – lawyers, pharmacists, and engineers – people who love to sing and want to do good at the same time.
WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PLANS, PROFESSIONALLY?
I’m considering doing a PhD in digital pedagogy for pre-schools students. It’s a topic I’m very interested in. But that depends very much on whether I can get a scholarship for it.
WHAT ABOUT IN TERMS OF SOCIAL WORK?
Well, hopefully the All About Love concerts will continue every year. But in the long run, I would like to see if there are ways we could use music as a means for change for the under-privileged segment of society. For example, I know of social development programmes overseas where music is taught to children whose parents are in jail. I would love to see how we could do something like that in Malaysia.
Music can also be used to help special needs children. Basically I’d like to do something for the community using music as a means to bring about positive change.
WHAT’S THE MOST FULFILLING THING ABOUT THESE CONCERTS?
At the conclusion of each concert, you get to see how your efforts can actually help others.
Even if you can help just one person with your contribution – as a performer or as an audience member – that’s already very good.