Kuala Lumpur, 12 September 2017 - What better way to bring a community closer than collaboration and compassion? Last week, Taylor's International School Kuala Lumpur (TIS Kuala Lumpur) stepped out from their classrooms to reach out to the local community in the city. Fuelled with a mission to strengthen and build close friendships with the surrounding schools, the performing arts students of TIS Kuala Lumpur organised the Festival of Music and Arts, together with the music students of SMK Cochrane Perdana.

Held on 5-8 September 2017, the Festival of Music and Arts is a four-day event where students of TIS Kuala Lumpur and SMK Cochrane Perdana used music and arts as the theme that binds them together. With the students' creativity, artistic talents and teamwork placed on centre stage, TIS Kuala Lumpur hosted the festival in conjuction with a charity drive.

Encik Wan Haris, the music teacher from SMK Cochrane Perdana, was excited with the returning collaboration for the third year running. "It was a great exposure for us, especially our students of SMK Cochrane Perdana, to be able to collaborate with an international school like TIS Kuala Lumpur. From the environment to the facilities, it gave a whole new experience for the students and teachers".

TIS Kuala Lumpur's Head of Performing Arts, Ms. Belinda Tan was equally enthused with this joint artistic effort. "I’m very proud of the students who worked together and organised a successful concert within four days," praised Ms. Belinda. "You can feel their sense of fulfilment when all of their hard work paid-off. The happiness and pride on the student’s faces says it all".

This year, the students bonded over their favourite traditional and contemporary art forms in various collaborative workshops. Some students performed a Chinese folk song titled 'Moh Li Hua' (meaning Jasmine Flower) to the melodies of traditional gamelan. The choir also sang their rendition of Michael Jackson’s ‘Black or White’ backed by a symphony of Indian tabla, Chinese drums and gamelan. It was inspiring to see students from various ethnic backgrounds playing together harmoniously.

Working behind the scenes were the secondary students of TIS Kuala Lumpur who organised a successful charity drive to support their friends at the Festival of Music and Arts. Fresh from their community service projects, the secondary students were inspired to lend a helping hand. From meeting handicapped people, refugees, and senior citizens to spending time with orphans and very sick children, they were always seeking for new ways to give back to the community.

Hence, the charity drive was kick started to raise funds for those in need. Delicious food and refreshing drinks were all around as well as the sale of toys, games, and Festival of Music and Arts concert tickets were sold. A total amounting to RM25,000 was collected and will be donated to the charity organisation of choice.