Malaysia and Singapore Music Tour 2025
18 Dollar Academy pupils and 3 members of the Music department went on a 10-day tour to Malaysia and Singapore during the October break.
The trip aimed to deliver a series of concerts in schools and educational establishments while experiencing the cultures of both countries. From the start of the new session, the pupils rehearsed weekly on a Monday night, learning a variety of instrumental and choral music across a range of traditional, contemporary and Classical genres.
After a 28-hour journey on Turkish Airlines, the pupils spent their first day at Marlborough College, Malaysia, performing a joint concert with the MC Jazz Band and Choir to parents and staff.
They enjoyed a raft building experience on the school lake, as well as teaching the Junior pupils ceilidh dancing, feeding the therapet pigmy goats and spending the evening singing karaoke at the Rector’s house (former Dollar Academy Deputy Rector Simon Burbury) with a delicious dinner of burgers and chocolate fondue.
After exploring Johor’s many temples and sampling the local cuisine, our Dollar pupils took to the stage once again — this time at Sunway International School, where their performance was warmly received by an audience of pupils aged 7 to 17.
Their visit continued with a boat tour through the Mangrove Forest, a stop at a colony of stingless black bees with a honey-tasting session, and some time for local shopping. Back at their 4-star hotel, pupils were able to relax and enjoy the infinity pool and à la carte dining.
The trip concluded with a memorable final day at Legoland Malaysia, where pupils explored the Aquarium, Legoland Village and Water Theme Park — and picked up a few souvenirs to take home.
Singapore brought a new dimension to the tour, with accommodation right in the heart of the city — again with a private pool. By this stage, the team’s ongoing game of Traitors was in full swing, and confidence was high after two very successful concerts.
Singapore did not disappoint. Despite the humidity, pupils enjoyed a wealth of sightseeing: the famous Merlion on the waterfront, the iconic floating Apple Store, the UNESCO-listed Gardens by the Bay with its collection of over 2,000 orchids, the 4 km stretch of shopping malls along Orchard Road, the Cloud Forest with its indoor waterfall and life-sized Jurassic Park dinosaurs, and, of course, Chinatown — brimming with food stalls and the infamous durian fruit, not for the faint-hearted!
A final concert at Raffles Music College offered pupils one last opportunity to showcase their talents and to teach both students and lecturers the Military Two Step — a fitting end to an unforgettable tour.
Whether tasting the water from a newly picked coconut or sampling bright green pandan cake, sipping fresh honey from the stingless bee honeycombs on the roadside or being blessed by the guru in the ‘First Glass Temple in the World’, ceilidh dancing in 30 degree humidity with 150 primary pupils or taking part in the best pool handstand and founding fathers competition, there were many memories made on this tour, not even mentioning the fantastic musical performances from our talented group.
Perhaps the most memorable however, was for Ellie, who celebrated her 16th birthday on tour and was subjected to 11 renditions of Happy Birthday throughout the day.
As always, the pupils were a credit to the school – congratulations on such a successful tour.
