Alumni Voices: ​​'All types of music are equal and all deserve to be studied'

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Clara studied at the Royal College of Music, before moving to King's for her masters. Her talents struck a chord with fellow alum, David Stanley BEM, who now mentors her. David founded the acclaimed Music Man Project, an educational programme for people with learning disabilities.

Here, Clara fills us in on her time at King’s, the mentorship so far and her plans to start a charity of her own.

‘Before coming to King's, I was training to be a professional pianist. I spent 4-6 hours a day practicing alone, and even more before performances or exams. The loneliness started weighing on me and it had really affected my mental health, especially during Covid. Eventually I thought, “I just want a break from this. I don’t want to practice anymore".

‘Music runs in my family and I’ve been playing piano since I was four, so withdrawing from college was a difficult decision to make. I wanted to finish my masters and King's has a good reputation for music research, so I decided to apply. It turned out to be one of the best decisions I've ever made!’

Tuning into new perspectives

‘While at King's, I focused on Musicology and Ethnomusicology. The course took a very interdisciplinary approach, spanning lots of research areas – from sociology to anthropology. I’m not academic at all, but my tutors were amazing and really helped me.

‘I did a module at SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies) on how people from across different cultures and backgrounds express themselves through music. As part of this, I interviewed a Hong Kong-based choir of domestic helpers called the Unsung Heroes. They were predominantly Indonesian and Filipina women who acted as live-in helpers for Hong Kong families (which is quite popular in Hong Kong).

‘I was brought up by domestic helpers, so the project was close to home. These helpers face unique challenges working in a foreign country, so the choir has become a way for them to amplify their voices and share their perspective through music.

‘My King’s education forced me to step out of my comfort zone. As a classical musician for almost two decades, whenever I heard the word "music", I would think of certain Western classical composers and pieces. Here, I learnt about forms and cultures of music I wouldn’t have had the chance to study otherwise. I realised that all types of music are equally important and all deserve to be studied.’

A musical mentorship

‘After graduating, I was really struggling and I didn’t really know what to do with my life. I then had plans to set up my own charity, running music classes for siblings of disabled people. This is based on my own experience growing up with an older sister with multiple congenital anomalies, including a cleft palate, which affected her ability to eat, speak, and breathe. She was often in and out of hospital for surgeries when we were younger. She also faced a lot of bullying. It was difficult seeing this, especially since I didn’t know how to help. I often felt very lonely and isolated.

‘This made me want to build a space where individuals with siblings who have special needs can use music to feel seen and heard. ​ ​

‘I was having difficulty making the idea for my charity come to life. I was on the verge of giving up when I received an email from King’s Alumni Office, encouraging alumni to connect with mentors. I’d heard about David Stanley’s Music Man Project, and it sounded similar to my idea, so I decided to message him. I never thought he’d reply!

‘In our first meet up, he asked me: "How will you make your charity work?” I hadn’t thought that far, so I’m glad he challenged me (though it was scary at the time). I then sat in on one of David’s music workshops, observing how he taught his students. He offered a lot of practical advice on planning my own workshops.’

High notes

‘More than any competition I’ve won, my most meaningful musical moment would have to be seeing my mum cry for the first time when I played a Chopin Nocturne for her. My mum is a very tough “superwoman” figure in my life. I’d never seen her cry, but that moved her to tears. So, I thought I must have done really well’

My proudest moments in my career have always been when I’ve been able to evoke an emotion in my audiences. A couple of times, I’ve had people approach me after a recital and tell me, “Your music reminds me of my late husband, who played piano too.” Or “Your music reminded me of my dreams of playing piano when I was younger.”

‘But I now have a new aim through music.’

Finding joy in music again

‘My next step is to continue working on my charity. As well as teaching music, my goal is to create a space where my students can socialise and find common ground.

‘I also plan to expand my musical skills and learn improvisation, which I hope will enrich my teaching as part of my future charity. Genres like jazz have a looser structure and are harder to define, which is new for me. Being a classical musician, I struggled to have fun with music and to find joy in it. I felt I always had to be perfect. Visiting David’s charity helped, as all the participants were having fun and dancing around. That’s what music’s all about.

‘My advice to aspiring musicians would be to go for it. Music can be very lonely. There is a lot of competition and it’s very subjective. Not everyone will like your music. Even if you fail now, that doesn’t mean you won’t succeed in the future. Or as my mum always says, “Don’t judge your success in one day.” You never know what might happen in ten years.’