[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/surviving-being-non-essential-in-the-time-of-covid-19\/#NewsArticle","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/surviving-being-non-essential-in-the-time-of-covid-19\/","headline":"Surviving being \u2018non-essential\u2019 in the time of Covid-19","name":"Surviving being \u2018non-essential\u2019 in the time of Covid-19","description":"It was in June 2020 that The Sunday Times published a bold survey listing artists as the single most non-essential job in \u201ckeeping Singapore going\u201d amid the Covid-19 pandemic crisis.\u00a0 (Photo source: The Sunday Times) The Internet community took to social media to denounce the framing of the survey. It also expressed concerns over how [&hellip;]","datePublished":"2022-01-18","dateModified":"2022-04-15","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/author\/rachel-teng\/#Person","name":"Rachel Teng","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/author\/rachel-teng\/","identifier":367,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/Rachel_Teng-100x100.jpg","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/Rachel_Teng-100x100.jpg","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"TheHomeGround Asia","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/photo_2021-07-22-222533.jpeg","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/photo_2021-07-22-222533.jpeg","width":640,"height":640}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/Featured-Image-1.jpg","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/Featured-Image-1.jpg","height":900,"width":1600},"url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/surviving-being-non-essential-in-the-time-of-covid-19\/","video":{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"VideoObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=-psK61cafiE#VideoObject","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=-psK61cafiE","name":"900-Strong Singapore Virtual Choir sings Home (Dick Lee)","description":"Voices of Singapore is proud to present the Singapore Virtual Choir Project with Dick Lee's \"Home\". \n\nOver 900 voices of people living in Singapore together with Singaporeans from 26 countries around the world unite to sing for hope, strength, and love in the first ever Singapore Virtual Choir. We believe that music has the power to bring us together.\n\nSinging the nation\u2019s most well-loved song, \"Home\" written by Dick Lee with choral arrangement by Darius Lim, the Singapore Virtual Choir initiative has demonstrated the resilience of Singapore as a country. It has been incredibly heartwarming to witness the extraordinary strength, love and support from those in Singapore, as well as Singaporeans all around the world. Wherever we are in the world, we are proud to be the voices of our nation - We are SGUnited.\n\nPresented by Voices of Singapore, supported by Singapore Tourism Board (STB), and partnered by Pink Noise and Createurs Productions.\n\nList of singers available at: http:\/\/www.voicesofsingapore.com\/virtualchoir \n_________________________\n\nAbout Voices of Singapore:\nVoices of Singapore is a not-for-profit arts organisation with a vision of promoting and\nbuilding a Singing Singapore. Its mission is to empower and inspire Singaporeans to sing, create and learn through choral participation.\n\nThe Voices of Singapore has a range of active performance ensembles, an education wing that provides top-quality singing education through the VOS Workshop series and the children\u2019s choir, and also has a research wing that in partnership with NUS, looks into preventing dementia through choral music. The Voices of Singapore Festival, Singapore\u2019s largest non-competitive choral festival began in 2016 and now brings together large networks of choral music enthusiasts. The VOS festival now spreads its reach to a wide range of singing ensembles that include school choirs,  alumni groups, community choirs, semi-professional ensembles, research groups, as well as cultural ensembles. \n\nhttp:\/\/www.voicesofsingapore.com \n\nAbout the Conductor:\nSingaporean Composer-Conductor Darius Lim is the Founder and Artistic Director of Voices of Singapore. An internationally published composer (Edition Peters, Walton Music, Cypress Publishing, Pana Musica) and award-winning conductor, he is most known for his unique infusion of lyrical, dramatic, instrumental, and theatrical elements in both the choirs he directs as well as his choral music.  Darius Lim is also involved in serving the larger community as Deputy General-Secretary of the National Instructors\u2019 & Coaches Association and a council member of the Asia Pacific Choral Council.\n_________________________\n\n\nMusic Credits:\nConductor: Darius Lim\nMusic & Lyrics: Dick Lee\nVocal & Choral Arrangement: Darius Lim\nMusic Production & Arrangement: George Leong\nMixing Engineer: George Leong\nAudio Engineers: Daniel Wong (Ardant Studio) & Wei Xiang\nMastering Engineer: Damien Quintard\nMastering Studio: The Mono Company (Paris)\nVoiceover: Gerald Wong\nGuitar: Daniel Chai\nBass & Flute: Colin Yong\nStrings: Han Oh & The Boutique Chamber Players\n\nVideo Credits:\nInstructional Video Production & Virtual Choir Post-Production and Effects: Createurs Productions Pte. Ltd.\nVideographer & Lead Video Editor: William Loh Wei Liang\nVideographer & Video Editor: Hosni Altway\nVideo Editor: Regine Ang\nAssistant Video Editor: Amir Shahiran\nVideo Post-Production Coordinator: Wee Yi Ling \n\nVoices of Singapore Team:\nMervyn Ye \nDione Au\nGabriel Ching\n\nSpecial Thanks to:\nSingapore Tourism Board \nThe Majurity Trust\nPerennial Real Estate Holdings Limited\nCatherine Tan\nDick Lee \nWill Oswald & Lim Lin Li\nDr Maurine Tsakok\nElaine Teo\nElisabeth de Rothschild \nTan Shook Wah \nDr Lee Tuck Leong\nChristopher Cheong \nKatharine Kit Ying Ho","thumbnailUrl":["https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/-psK61cafiE\/default.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/-psK61cafiE\/mqdefault.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/-psK61cafiE\/hqdefault.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/-psK61cafiE\/sddefault.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/-psK61cafiE\/maxresdefault.jpg"],"uploadDate":"2020-04-14T13:30:12+00:00","duration":"PT4M33S","embedUrl":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-psK61cafiE","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCqWXvKDxbm3JOPZm9ge1Gow#Organization","url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCqWXvKDxbm3JOPZm9ge1Gow","name":"Voices of Singapore","description":"Voices of Singapore (VOS) is Singapore's largest singing organisation. It is dedicated to transforming lives and fostering a Singing Singapore through the power of music and choral singing. With over 30 singing groups and a community of more than 2,000 members, VOS provides platforms that celebrate, build and inspire a Singing Singapore.\n\nFrom large-scale productions to inclusive community initiatives, VOS creates opportunities for people of all backgrounds to experience the joy of singing. Its flagship programmes include the VOS Festival, Singapore\u2019s largest non-competitive choral festival; Community Impact choirs that welcome seniors, persons with special needs, and underpriviledged youths; and the VOS State Choirs, which represent Singapore on prestigious global stages.\n\nAs an arts charity, VOS is committed to making music accessible to all, championing an inclusive choral culture that enriches lives and strengthens communities across Singapore.\n","logo":{"url":"https:\/\/yt3.ggpht.com\/ytc\/AIdro_m1D6j0a_VYIJgPpOU8QsdUaRAY94jQzblCSs6FoJOY5Q=s800-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj","width":800,"height":800,"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=-psK61cafiE#VideoObject_publisher_logo_ImageObject"}},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=-psK61cafiE#VideoObject_potentialAction","target":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=-psK61cafiE&t={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required 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It also expressed concerns over how the findings could degrade several occupations and deter people from joining them.The controversy that flared within the arts industry was palpable, to say the least. It has even attracted its own dissenters and supporters. Artists such as local poet Madhu Raghavendra retaliated with the viral poem \u201cArtist\u201d, which spotlighted how the arts are non-essential, until it is not.\u00a0While the saga may have died down somewhat, the effects the pandemic had on the entertainment industry have not. There remains little end in sight for the live music scene which has become a faint shadow of what it once was.\u00a0Key food and beverage (F&amp;B) locales where people can enjoy live entertainment have not survived the pressures of the pandemic measures, including all seven of the german-themed Starker bar outlets and Switch by Timbre.\u00a0Dr Jeremy Lim, an associate professor at the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore (NUS), told CNN last month that the lifting of restrictions is &#8220;important to resuscitate a devastated food and beverage sector.&#8221;The closest the Singaporean government has come to reinstating live music was on 8 November 2021. F&amp;B establishments could now play \u201csoft recorded music\u201d. While unmasking and singing at weddings and events were allowed from Nov 2021, live music at F&amp;B establishments remains banned.\u00a0These restrictions were based on the rationale that louder or heavier \u201cbackground noise\u201d encourages people to speak louder, increasing the risk of Covid-19 infections, CNN reported.What local musicians are lamenting\u00a0\u201cMusic was the first to go, and now, the last to come back. As a matter of fact, everything is returning except the arts scene,\u201d says Mr Lai Jee Yon, 33, a prominent guitarist in Singapore\u2019s nightlife entertainment scene.\u00a0Mr Lai performing at a live bar gig, pre-Covid-19. (Photo courtesy of Lai Jee Yon).\u201cThis is the time when we really have a chance to grow the local music scene as people no longer have the same options of going out of country for live music and concerts. Everyone is more focused and looking for things to do in Singapore,\u201d says Mr Daniel Sid, 26, one of the country\u2019s up-and-coming singer-songwriters.\u00a0By clamping down so hard and restricting all these avenues of performances, this will not be possible, he adds.\u00a0At present, sports and fitness activities have resumed. Singaporeans may participate in indoor mask-on, outdoor mask-on and mask-off sports in groups of five, regardless of vaccination status. Up to 30 people are allowed for indoor mask-off high-intensity activity in gyms and fitness studios.\u00a0Spin class participants exercising unmasked and in close proximity. (Photo source: Zula)Mr Daniel believes this sends the message that the arts in Singapore is less important \u2014 or in other words, non-essential. \u201cWith much less ventilation in a confined space where everyone is breathing excessively because of exercise, how much more likely are you to contract Covid-19 from one extra live singer at a bar?\u201d he asks.\u00a0\u201cMany performers would be agreeable to safety protocols if it means live music can be resumed,\u201d adds Mr Daniel. These could include putting up an invisible sheet between singers and diners, or mandating performers to take an Antigen Rapid Test (ART) before they go on stage. \u201cThere are ways to work around it. It\u2019s just whether the government is willing to ease restrictions and make that happen,\u201d he says.\u00a0Countries like Korea, Malaysia, and ironically Wuhan, China have resumed large-scale music festivals as the pandemic becomes normalised.Thousands of people at a music festival in Wuhan as Covid-19 become less of a concern in China. (Photo source: Reuters)Where have our artists gone?\u00a0Before the pandemic, which seemed a lifetime ago, Mr Daniel would be playing in a different country every month. Back in Singapore, he would be performing up to 13 live gigs a week at bars like Going Om and Timbre.\u00a0\ufeff\ufeffBeing one of the more premium acts, live gigs constituted a significant portion of his income. \u201cTo go from seven nights a week to zero is, of course, a very big adjustment,\u201d he says. Thankfully, for him, music has always been his supplementary income source.\u00a0Since Covid-19, he has turned towards music production and being a TV host. But if given the chance to perform nightly again, he would go back in a heartbeat.\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s not exactly a \u2018blessing in disguise&#8217; that I\u2019m picking up other skills. Right now, it has really just been about making the best out of a bad situation,\u201d he says.\u00a0Others have not been so lucky. Mr Lai, had been a full-time live performer since he completed his National Service more than a decade ago. Three months into the Circuit Breaker, he knew there was no chance of live entertainment returning for at least the next year.\u00a0\u201cWith the extra component of live streaming these days, coupled with smaller budgets, things are moving very slowly [for me]. I\u2019m just hanging around, surviving day to day, seeing if there are shows or wedding gig opportunities to hop on,\u201d he says.\u00a0Mr Lai performing at a &#8220;semi-live&#8221; wedding gig, as guests watch him through a screened live broadcast. (Photo courtesy of Lai Jee Yon)While Mr Lai still plays for the occasional wedding, performing over a Zoom screen barely compares to the full experience, for both the audience and himself, he says.\u00a0\u201cIt lacks a lot of elements. I don\u2019t get to see their smiles and sh*t, I just see one big camera. The guests are all just seated there, they can\u2019t mingle, dance, or move,\u201d he says.\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m not the kind of musician who just gets the job done and gets off stage. I like to entertain and connect with my audience. But for livelihood and semi-live music, I\u2019ll keep doing what I do,\u201d he adds.\u00a0To pivot or not to pivot?\u00a0S-pop veteran George Leong says musicians here are \u201cdepressed and feeling displaced\u201d. He even organised a town hall and focus group discussions with the NTUC Union to represent voices in the music industry, which was \u201cin tatters\u201d.\u00a0\u201cThe main keyword that came up was &#8216;sustainability&#8217;. At that point, we were wondering whether it was sustainable to continue being a musician, and if so, what can we do about it?\u201d he says.\u00a0Mr Leong started a fundraising campaign under the name \u201cSingpop Music Limited\u201d to help tide musicians through these tough times, and is working to launch long-term programmes that will support budding young artists.\u00a0\u201cThe truth is that many pop musicians are self-employed and half take on a second or third job to supplement their income,\u201d he writes on his page.\u00a0\u201cCovid-19 has cancelled not only gigs, but has revealed unfair contractual practices. Nonetheless, [&#8230;] most musicians are committed to music as a career. Because of this, a musician\u2019s work is dignified, despite less-than-dignified working conditions,\u201d he says.In light of this, Mr Leong believes adapting is essential for local artists to remain&#8230;well, essential.\u00a0\u201cI think that for survival, we should always keep an open mind. During the SARS pandemic, I became a club DJ because music production was badly affected,\u201d he says. \u201cWith our collective industry being rather small, I think we may need to increase our breadth and pick up any work that comes along to help us get by another day to be still doing what we are passionate about.\u201d\u00a0Mr Leong, who helped produce one of the nation\u2019s first virtual performances during the pandemic \u2014\u00a0a rendition of \u201cHome\u201d by Dick Lee featuring 900 participants \u2014 finds that maybe it\u2019s time for musicians to engage audiences over digital platforms.\ufeffBut Mr Daniel depicts the harsh reality for many other struggling musicians. \u201cAfter depleting some of their savings during the first couple months of Covid-19, many have no choice but to find another job,\u201d he says. \u201cImagine putting years and years into pursuing your craft, and then suddenly being abandoned in a place where you have to start from zero and learn new skills all over again.\u201d\u00a0By stark contrast, Mr Chiya Amos, an award-winning Russia-based Singaporean conductor, worked as a FoodPanda delivery rider when his tours around the world came to a complete halt.\u00a0While there were opportunities for him to stay in the music industry \u2014 teaching or accepting ad-hoc performance invitations \u2014 he chose instead to work for FoodPanda \u201cto not cheapen [his] craft\u201d.\u00a0An unlikely transition. (Photo source: Chiya Amos \/ TODAY)\u201cAt least with FoodPanda, I\u2019d get paid fairly by the number of hours that I put in. As musicians, we want to be rewarded for our efforts fairly too. Especially since it\u2019s a passion for many of us, it affects our mental health when we are being regarded as third rate in our craft,\u201d he says.\u00a0Intangibly essential\u00a0Can we still call the arts essential? Mr Amos wouldn\u2019t jump to label artists as \u201cessential\u201d amid the ongoing pandemic.\u201cI give my full respect to the healthcare professionals and other frontline workers. But I would say it would be nice if people understand that without artists, the circle wouldn\u2019t be complete,\u201d he says.\u00a0\u201cAs artists, we have the ability to provide spiritual sustenance for the mind and soul; and that\u2019s what differentiates humanity from other animals and ensures a sort of harmony in the world. Unfortunately, during this pandemic, we are slowly losing that humanity,\u201d he adds.\u00a0Agreeing, Mr Daniel believes that music has the power to alleviate the mental stresses of the Covid-19 restrictions. \u201cIf you look around, there is so much more conflict. Everyone has this built-up tension and frustration that they don\u2019t know how to relieve,\u201d he says.\u00a0Regardless, Mr Amos believes that the problem is not with the media or government labelling the arts as non-essential. \u201cIt\u2019s because of the shock and alienation many industries are facing that we start to play this game, comparing who is more essential,\u201d he says.\u00a0Rather, there is a general perception that culture is entertainment \u2014 and therefore, easily and dangerously considered non-essential. \u201cUnlike entertainment, culture is the preservation of inter-relationships between people, and that\u2019s very important to preserve,\u201d says Mr Amos.\u00a0Mr Leong adds that furthermore, music can add as a time capsule. \u201cThe songs artists are writing now are actually a snapshot of what our lives are like right now. If we don\u2019t capture them, future generations would not know what we\u2019re going through at this current point in time.\u201d\u00a0\u201cWhen performing is on hold, our dreams are also on hold,\u201d adds Mr Lai.\u00a0Join the conversations on TheHomeGround Asia&#8217;s Facebook and Instagram, and get the latest updates via Telegram."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Destinations","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Singapore","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/\/singapore\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Surviving being \u2018non-essential\u2019 in the time of Covid-19","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/surviving-being-non-essential-in-the-time-of-covid-19\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]