OUR STUDENTS (Enlightening exchange with Gottfried Kaser, an Austrian expatriate)
First and foremost, I realize experiencing life overseas is cool in more ways than one. But how long have you been in Singapore?
7 years. I’ve actually been in Asia for a total of 14 years. I had been living and working in Vietnam and China previously.
Wow, that’s quite a while. Your job must really involve great intimacy with the Asian region. What is it that you exactly do?
I work for an Austrian company, whose regional headquarters is based in Singapore and currently expanding its operations in the Asian region. I hold
the position of regional finance director and work with 10 subsidiaries in the region, including countries like Australia, the Philippines, India, Vietnam and
China. I’m also responsible for the function of project management and legal corporate issues.
7 years. I’ve actually been in Asia for a total of 14 years. I had been living and working in Vietnam and China previously.
Wow, that’s quite a while. Your job must really involve great intimacy with the Asian region. What is it that you exactly do?
I work for an Austrian company, whose regional headquarters is based in Singapore and currently expanding its operations in the Asian region. I hold
the position of regional finance director and work with 10 subsidiaries in the region, including countries like Australia, the Philippines, India, Vietnam and
China. I’m also responsible for the function of project management and legal corporate issues.
What businesses is your company involved in?
Firstly, we offer laboratory services for analyzing various food and animal feed samples. Secondly, we sell feed additives for the poultry and swine industries. It is our company’s
vision to promote safety for feed for animals and also food for human consumption. In a highly connected and globalized world, contaminated animal feed leads to contamination
higher up the food chain, thereby harming other animals and humans as well. We offer solutions to rid food and animal feed of these toxins.
How has your educational background prepared for your present challenges? Can you tell us more about that?
I did East Asian studies in my university days. That was where I learnt Chinese and Vietnamese, in addition to the English and French languages I had picked up during my school
days. I was also schooled in cultural studies and economics. Regardless of your field of expertise or the amount of education you’ve accumulated, I feel nothing is as important as
language mastery when it comes to understanding the inner workings of a country. Language is the key to understanding foreign cultures. Without language, understanding the
thinking and cultural processes of another country is impossible.
I wholeheartedly agree. What else have you done to be more in touch with a culture other than your own?
I had a university scholarship to study in Shanghai and I got there by taking the train, the 7-day Tran-Siberian Express to be exact. While in China, I took the opportunity to do a bit of
traveling in places like Guangxi, Guangzhou and Guizhou. I even went to live in a Tibetan monastery in Qinghai to experience the spiritual side of life there. Once there, I was always
woken every morning by this deep, resonant trumpet-like instrument used in the monastery’s early morning ritual. It was a profoundly moving sound, unlike any I’ve heard before.
Music can really speak to one’s soul.
Fascinating! Speaking of music, what’s your musical background like?
Alright, my first instrument was the accordion, which I learnt from the age of 6 until I was 10. It was very severe training in both the practical and theoretical aspects of music. But my
foundation in music was laid. I even gave concerts organized by my school. But I never liked the instrument itself – it just didn’t have any appeal for me. So I stopped playing it when I
was 10. When I was in high school at the age of 14 till 18, I started focusing on music again. This time I played the guitar and the training was, like before, based on the classics. I
was not taught any 20th century music. It was only about 5 years ago that I picked up the piano. At first, I had no teacher and merely played simple songs from scores I bought. After
a year or so, I finally joined a music school where I began preparations for the classical grade 3 piano exam. But I grew quite frustrated as my teacher handled me like a kid. Also, the
teachers were hardly inspiring as they could not play anything besides what they had been trained to play.
Firstly, we offer laboratory services for analyzing various food and animal feed samples. Secondly, we sell feed additives for the poultry and swine industries. It is our company’s
vision to promote safety for feed for animals and also food for human consumption. In a highly connected and globalized world, contaminated animal feed leads to contamination
higher up the food chain, thereby harming other animals and humans as well. We offer solutions to rid food and animal feed of these toxins.
How has your educational background prepared for your present challenges? Can you tell us more about that?
I did East Asian studies in my university days. That was where I learnt Chinese and Vietnamese, in addition to the English and French languages I had picked up during my school
days. I was also schooled in cultural studies and economics. Regardless of your field of expertise or the amount of education you’ve accumulated, I feel nothing is as important as
language mastery when it comes to understanding the inner workings of a country. Language is the key to understanding foreign cultures. Without language, understanding the
thinking and cultural processes of another country is impossible.
I wholeheartedly agree. What else have you done to be more in touch with a culture other than your own?
I had a university scholarship to study in Shanghai and I got there by taking the train, the 7-day Tran-Siberian Express to be exact. While in China, I took the opportunity to do a bit of
traveling in places like Guangxi, Guangzhou and Guizhou. I even went to live in a Tibetan monastery in Qinghai to experience the spiritual side of life there. Once there, I was always
woken every morning by this deep, resonant trumpet-like instrument used in the monastery’s early morning ritual. It was a profoundly moving sound, unlike any I’ve heard before.
Music can really speak to one’s soul.
Fascinating! Speaking of music, what’s your musical background like?
Alright, my first instrument was the accordion, which I learnt from the age of 6 until I was 10. It was very severe training in both the practical and theoretical aspects of music. But my
foundation in music was laid. I even gave concerts organized by my school. But I never liked the instrument itself – it just didn’t have any appeal for me. So I stopped playing it when I
was 10. When I was in high school at the age of 14 till 18, I started focusing on music again. This time I played the guitar and the training was, like before, based on the classics. I
was not taught any 20th century music. It was only about 5 years ago that I picked up the piano. At first, I had no teacher and merely played simple songs from scores I bought. After
a year or so, I finally joined a music school where I began preparations for the classical grade 3 piano exam. But I grew quite frustrated as my teacher handled me like a kid. Also, the
teachers were hardly inspiring as they could not play anything besides what they had been trained to play.
Then I joined Antim (Academy of Networked Thinking in Music), a school founded by Professor Wei Tsin Fu who also founded a research institute in
Germany. The teaching method applies knowledge about human brain functions to piano lessons, developing the left and right brains, cerebellum,
bone marrow and nervous system through playing music. The school is renowned for producing world-class musicians and whose syllabus has
been proven successful for both adults and children.
First I wasted one year by having a teacher who has not even grasped the basics of this unique teaching method. When I discovered this, I
requested for a change of teacher. My second teacher was very dedicated, however, the focus was again on classical music. We even got into
fights when she wanted to prove that my preference for minor and diminished chords was due to excessive stress or some other personal
imbalance. Even though I would highly recommend the system created by Professor Wei, it seems its teachers did not have a deep enough
understanding of it. I left a tense and frustrated man.
Germany. The teaching method applies knowledge about human brain functions to piano lessons, developing the left and right brains, cerebellum,
bone marrow and nervous system through playing music. The school is renowned for producing world-class musicians and whose syllabus has
been proven successful for both adults and children.
First I wasted one year by having a teacher who has not even grasped the basics of this unique teaching method. When I discovered this, I
requested for a change of teacher. My second teacher was very dedicated, however, the focus was again on classical music. We even got into
fights when she wanted to prove that my preference for minor and diminished chords was due to excessive stress or some other personal
imbalance. Even though I would highly recommend the system created by Professor Wei, it seems its teachers did not have a deep enough
understanding of it. I left a tense and frustrated man.
Your journey in music has certainly been a long and arduous one. Do you think your course at Play by Ear will finally fulfill your desire to both understand and
enjoy music?
I came to Play by Ear in the hope of finding instructors who would inspire me to greater heights personally and musically. This has certainly been my first focused course in
contemporary music without any interruptions. I yearn to play jazz but I’m still learning the basics. I’m not yet able to play something without scores, but I am on the way to applying all
the theory and chords I’m learning now.
Jazz music offers a highly fascinating sound and rhythm as opposed to traditional music. For me, classical music speaks to the mind but jazz music touches the heart. Listening to
jazz and the array of sounds it produces is almost a spiritual experience. Singaporean jazz pianist Jeremy Monteiro is one of my idols and I’ve attended all his concerts. And when I
witnessed Hiromi, a Japanese fusion jazz pianist, playing in her Singapore concert, I truly felt that God himself was playing the piano.
PLAY BY EAR MUSIC SCHOOL (SINGAPORE) - SPECIALISING IN POP PIANO & JAZZ PIANO IMPROVISATION COURSES FOR ADULTS
ADDRESS: 245A / 245B VICTORIA STREET, BUGIS VILLAGE, SINGAPORE (188032) | TEL: 63387939 | EMAIL: INFO@PLAY-BY-EAR.NET
ADDRESS: 245A / 245B VICTORIA STREET, BUGIS VILLAGE, SINGAPORE (188032) | TEL: 63387939 | EMAIL: INFO@PLAY-BY-EAR.NET
