JOHOR BARU: At the tender age of five, she was one of the winners of the “Golden Classical Music Awards”, a New York international competition meant to discover young talents.
That was just one of the many triumphs achieved by young pianist Kiyo Nai Yow Jia.
Now at 10, Kiyo is exploring composing and music production.
Recently, she received a Merit in the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) Music Production assessment.
The London-based ABRSM, which started in 1889, is an examining body aimed at promoting “high standards of musical education and assessment”.
Kiyo’s mother, P’ng Kher Ching, who is also her music teacher, said her daughter took the assessment in July after it was introduced earlier this year.
“Normally, music examinations focus on classical music or specific instruments such as the piano and violin. Kiyo already had some experience in composing and music production, so when the assessment became available, we looked at what was required, prepared her work and submitted it,” she said in an interview.
Music production involves creating music using technology, including applications and other equipment, P’ng explained.
She said her daughter’s previous exposure to composing and music production at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in Britain helped prepare her for the assessment.
“Kiyo has been taking online piano lessons with Guildhall since October last year under pianist, composer and educator Melanie Spanswick.
“She also participated in a composing competition organised by the school, which exposed her to music production even before the new ABRSM assessment was introduced.”
The single mother said her only child, whose name means “pure” in Japanese, has gradually expanded her musical talent beyond the piano and can now play multiple instruments.
“Her main instrument has always been the piano, but over the years, she has gradually picked up other instruments.
“I think her exposure to different instruments has helped develop her creativity when composing and producing music.”
She believes that Kiyo can create music for films or even games.
“I think musicians in the future should not only know how to play an instrument but also know how to create their own music using technology.”
P’ng said her daughter is now coming up with a song for Invictus International School, where she is studying.
Kiyo wanted to compose a song for her school as a gift for all the support it has given her, she said.
The young girl said she enjoyed composing because it allowed her to turn melodies from her imagination into music.
“Sometimes, I have a tune playing in my head, and I will try to play it on the piano first.
“Then, I will experiment with different sounds and instruments to see which ones sound nice together.
“I like composing because there is no one way to do it. I can try different things and create something that is my own,” she said.
