HELP International School (Kuala Lumpur), Crescendo-HELP International School (Johor Bahru), and Tunku Putra-HELP School (Kuching) came together for a week-long music festival that showcased the talents of 149 students aged from 8 to 17 years old. The festival was held from 14 to 17 March 2023 at HELP International School.

The music festival aimed to provide a platform for students to learn and collaborate with their peers from different schools, and to celebrate music and the art of performance. The festival included various musical workshops and mini public performances, such as lunchtime concerts, before the grand finale.

The students auditioned and prepared for the festival as early as June 2022, assembling their teams and practising their pieces. Led by HELP International School Music Teacher Ms Chew Yi Tien, the festival provided an opportunity for students to build long-lasting friendships, develop resilience, discipline, and teamwork, as well as learn new skills.

The festival culminated in two back-to-back concerts, “Animericanos,” held on 16 March 2023, which were attended by Datin Chan-Low Kam Yoke, the co-founder, Chairperson and Group CEO of HELP  International Corporation and Dr Gerard Louis, the CEO of HELP Education Services and Founding Principal of HELP International School.

Ms Ida Tan, the Assistant Principal (Pastoral) from Tunku Putra-HELP School, expressed her gratitude for the opportunity, saying that being part of this festival was a good exposure for the students and such meaningful experience will form lasting school memories.

Ms Kim Yoonju, mother of Cho Amin, a Year 7 cellist from Crescendo-HELP International School, thanked the HELP Group of Schools for providing an extraordinary platform for her daughter to take part in a musical ensemble under the guidance of talented guest conductor, Mr Gerald Ng, a teaching fellow at the Music Department of Universiti Putra Malaysia.

The festival was a huge success and highlighted the importance of music education and collaboration in building a vibrant and diverse school community.

When asked about the main challenge of organising such wonderful concerts, Ms Chew, who led the festival, highlighted the difficulty of getting everyone to be in sync with their instruments. She explained that the students from the three campuses had never met each other before and had been practising in their own campus. Therefore, when they finally met and rehearsed together for the first time over two days, she was amazed at how well they were able to adapt to each other’s style.

Dr Gerard commended the commitment of students and teachers as instrumental in the success of the festival, “We are proud of our students from three campuses all over Malaysia for coming together and showcasing their talents in such a collaborative and inspiring way. Through events like this, friendships are forged, and students gain invaluable experiences that will stay with them for a lifetime.”

The festival provided a unique opportunity for students to learn beyond academics and develop essential life skills in teamwork, leadership, organisation, creative expression, and self-esteem building. The students’ dedication and hard work were evident in their high-spirited and evocative performances. Dr Gerard expressed his hope that this would inspire more collaboration and creativity among students in the future.