Nabillah Jalal and her music mentorship programme ArtSee: Giving underprivileged boys access to music

“My mum was a tiger mum,” Nabillah told CNA Women. “For years, she brought me to my piano lessons at Yamaha Music School every week.”

By the time Nabillah was eight, piano practice had become a daily habit, and she discovered how much she enjoyed playing the instrument.

“It helped that I liked music-themed anime like Nodame Cantabile. I felt cool that I could play the piano the way the characters did and I recognised the music in the story,” she said. 

On some days, she practised for as long as six to eight hours. “It was intense, but I kept hearing my mum’s voice telling me, ‘quitting is never an option’.”  

Her brother, who is 10 years older, would sit next to her on the piano bench with a cane in his hand. He was acting as a proxy for their mum and Mrs Rosy Tan, her piano teacher at Yamaha Music School – in case she showed signs of slacking. 

“I was terrified at times, but looking back, it’s something we still laugh about today,” Nabillah said. “Those days drilled into me the importance of practice and commitment, and they highlight how crucial my family and teacher were in my music journey.”

Her discipline paid off. By the time she was in junior college, she was simultaneously studying for her A-Levels and working towards her diploma in piano performance from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM).

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