Nurturing the Soul: How the Arts influenced the lives of four NUS Students

The university experience is one that explores academic enquiry, friendships, and self. For many students, the Arts offer a window into themselves; a way to balance their academics, form connections, hone leadership skills and be part of a community spurred by passion.

Embracing the Arts in NUS

The decision to join an arts group under the NUS Centre For the Arts can be taken at any time. While many students join as they enter the university, some students like Muhammad Fahmi Bin Hazmi of NUS Ilsa Tari, embrace their artistic community even before they start at NUS!

“I joined Ilsa Tari when I was still in National Service in 2014, so 2020 marks my seventh year with the group. Throughout my time with Ilsa Tari, I have been given so many opportunities to learn, lead, and most importantly, live.”

For others like Amanda Tan, joining the NUS Chinese Orchestra allowed her to explore other aspects of herself beyond her medical degree.

“In medical school, I witnessed many of my friends giving up on their passions due to the demanding workload. Honestly, this was something which I considered as well, especially when our schoolwork kept piling up. However, I came to realise that we are not just defined by our degree, but by our passions too, and my time in NUSCO has definitely shaped me.”

Joining NUS Wind Symphony (NUSWS) brought Yeo Xinhao out of his shell and gave him the courage to challenge himself.

“I think I used to be a very passive person because of self-confidence issues. I always had these doubts in my head telling myself that I wasn’t good enough to try something that was beyond me. NUSWS gave me an opportunity to learn more about myself and what I am capable of.”

For Levine Thio of NUS Dance Synergy, the Arts reached out to her in the form of a supportive senior in the freshman year,

“One senior told me in my freshman year that “joining Synergy would be the best decision you will make in uni” and she was not wrong.”

Nurturing Friendships

In speaking with these inspirational artistes, the themes of community, empathy and personal growth resonated strongly. For each of them, their arts group added to the richness of the relationships in their lives and provided them with skills that they could apply beyond their co-curricular activity (CCA). For Levine, Dance Synergy provided her with close relationships, a source of support and a space free from judgement to help her grow.

“I believe that my time in Synergy has made me a better person. Through the friendships, bonds and connections I’ve made with my peers and tutors in Synergy, it has taught me these valuable life lessons that I will bring into the future. With the openness and familial culture that Synergy has, it has become a very comfortable place to learn and better myself as a person and dancer.”

With the support of his peers, Xinhao developed into a confident person who could handle failure without letting it deter his dreams.

“Running for president, giving multiple speeches/presentation, performing solo with the band; there has been countless opportunities that NUSWS has given me. There were many crazy impulsive decisions made throughout this journey but the unwavering encouragement from those around me made me believe that I am capable of achieving wonderful feats. This self-confidence in knowing that I am good enough is something really, really, valuable to me going into the future.”

Fahmi grew to appreciate his friends at Ilsa Tari as his core support group during university. They provided him with an avenue to express himself and feel a sense of belonging when faced with the challenges of university life.

“The friends I have made in NUS Ilsa Tari ended up becoming my backbone for my entire university life. Life as a student is difficult and it’s tiring, but they made it a lot better. We danced together, we studied together, we laugh and cried together.”

Growing as a Leader

Leadership is a quality valued greatly in our society. The best leaders understand that it is not only direction, but also empathy, patience and resilience that define their role. In fact, developing such qualities not only makes students key assets to their CCAs, but also impacts the other areas of their lives.

Amanda’s transformation as a leader in the NUS Chinese Orchestra (NUSCO) brought out qualities of compassion and confidence which she applied in other areas of her life.

“I had the opportunity to interact with musicians from all walks of life; drawing from these experiences allowed me to become more empathetic towards my patients, as I am better able to understand them. The fact that music is a universal language also allows me to better connect with my patients, and we are able to share our memories and love for music with each other.

CFA and NUSCO have provided me with plenty of performance and leadership opportunities, which have made me much more comfortable with crowds — not just on stage but off stage as well. Being a doctor calls for having a confident front, especially in tense situations where my patients or patients’ relatives look to me for assurance. My performance opportunities have also taught me to discern varying expectations from different audiences, allowing me to be much more mature in public speaking and adapt my communication approach according to the situation.”

Interacting with different types of people helped Fahmi realise the subtleties of communication, and the need for authenticity when connecting with others.

“My time with Ilsa Tari taught me how to communicate effectively; be it with my Artistic Director, my fellow dancers, my alumni members or with CFA itself. I think that’s the most valuable lesson I have learnt because these four relationships each have different dynamics. Being in a position of leadership for the dance group makes you realise you have to understand their needs and reach out to them not only as a leader, but as a person that shares a similar love for the art.”

For Xinhao, being a leader in NUSWS allowed him to appreciate the value in diversity and different perspectives.

“I think one thing I’ve learnt from being at NUS/CFA is to learn how to look at things from different perspectives (kind of like appreciating an abstract piece of art). Instead of being quick to judge/criticize when things doesn’t go your way, you are much better equipped to find a solution when you have the advantage of multiple perspectives. Of course, it also keeps you in touch and better manage human emotions, something that is unavoidable for all of us when working in teams with others.”

Passing it Forward

The four graduates believe in the transformative power of the arts and share encouraging words for incoming freshmen.

As Amanda gets ready to serve society as a Doctor, she reflects on how NUSCO helped her realise her strengths, and how it now allows her to help others achieve success.

“There’s a very strong positive culture of peer learning in NUSCO and CFA. Ever since Day [one], members have been encouraged to help one another musically, or even take up leadership roles to conduct student-led rehearsals. Some of us also got the opportunity to attend CFA’s annual Arts Leaders’ Retreat, where we [learnt] from the experiences of students in other CFA groups. Not only has this peer learning culture given me the opportunity to draw from my peers’ knowledge, it has also helped me cultivate my own mentorship skills.

We live in a society where everyone excels in their own way. Exceling is one thing but being willing and able to impart your knowledge and expertise is another. Thus, a skill I really value is that of mentorship. Being someone who really enjoys learning from peers and field experts, I too want to be able to share my experiences with others. The joy of seeing someone gain something from my mentorship is vastly different from the joy of keeping the knowledge to myself.”

Fahmi emphasises the power of shared passion and connections as he reflects on his student journey and looks ahead towards his career.

“Working with people with the same passion for the arts made me realise how important it is to be resilient and committed to what we love. After four years, I can safely say that you can’t survive your university journey alone. As I approach graduation, I realise [that] communication skills are important for the workplace and in other areas like group projects. It’s a skill that’s necessary but often overlooked. I’m glad CFA has provided me with enough opportunities to learn.”

A sense of nostalgia envelopes Levine as she approaches graduation and her next chapter in life.

“My journey in Synergy has been very fulfilling and memorable. My leadership position in Synergy has enabled me to develop and learn valuable leadership and teamworking skills. At the same time, I’ve learnt the value of patience and kindness through the friendships and bonds that I have made in Synergy… Joining Synergy has by far been one of the best decisions I’ve made in university. Make the most out of your university experience!”

Lastly, Xinhao sums up his CFA experience as one that is uplifting and comforting.

“In CFA, there is really a platform for you to go and try things that you never thought you could [achieve] if you put your heart into it. I think these times spent with my peers made university life much less boring, as cliché as it sounds. Memories formed from these four years definitely will be there to stay for a very long time, and it can be very comforting to look back at the good times.”

Amanda, Fahmi, Levine and Xinhao – thank you for sharing your years at NUS and CFA with us! We wish you all the best in the journey to come and look forward to welcoming you back as CFA Alumni, to lead, encourage and share your passion for the Arts with future members of CFA.