The erhu and its role as a vehicle for syncretic music performance in Singapore : a thesis presented in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Music at Wellington Conservatorium of Music, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand

This thesis examines the erhu, a bowed lute from China and its development as a vehicle for syncretic music-making in Singapore. Chapter One considers the erhu's status in Chinese culture and focuses on the differences between how the erhu was perceived by the "proletariat" of the early twentieth century contrasted with the imperialists of that time. A central assumption in this study is that erhu music-making in Singapore is inextricably bound with the traditions of both Western and Chinese culture. This concept is introduced in Chapter Two, with a discussion on musical syncretism. The erhu is a member of the huqin string family and is one instrument in the new ensemble idiom of the Singapore Huqin Quartet. This ensemble is the first to have huqin set up together in the manner of a Western string quartet. This ensemble has been influential on and contributes to a broad range of musical happenings in Singapore. It also represents one development of erhu as "world music". Phoon Yew Tien, who writes for the Singapore Huqin Quartet, is introduced. Chapter Three encompasses the different instruments that make up the huqin family, as played by the Singapore Huqin Quartet (which will be referred to as the SHQ in abbreviation). It also looks at the development of the modern Chinese orchestra. Chapter Four provides the descriptions and characteristics of the erhu and its performance techniques. In Chapter Five, eminent musical figures such as Liu Tian Hua and Hua Yan Jun (also known as Abing) will be discussed. Their music composed for the erhu has become an important part of the repertoire of the SHQ. The concluding chapter outlines differences between Western and Chinese music and looks at the merging of the two. A product of this merger is the compositions of distinguished Singapore composer, Phoon Yew Tien. His works are a fine example of the erhu's musical qualities and demonstrate the compositional potential of the SHQ's syncretic idiom with the merging of the Chinese and Western art-music forces. A musical composition by Phoon viewed in a compositional perspective summarizes the possibilities of further development of this style

Asia-Europe Meeting: Contemporary Challenges and the Way Forward. Avia Policy Brief Issue 2019 No. 12 August 2019

The Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) was launched in 1996. Since its establishment, ASEM has experienced expansion of membership and a broadening of the scope of meetings and events. ❖ ASEM is an informal forum for dialogue that is meant to be candid and comprehensive but often ended being quite scripted. ❖ ASEM has been criticized as merely talk shops with no specific or concrete deliverables, and it has low public visibility and profile. ❖ In the current uncertain and volatile world, ASEM could fade into oblivion if it maintains the current practices of informal and low-key engagement. ❖ To make ASEM relevant in a more complex and contested world, there is a need to rethink ASEM’s objectives and modus operandi. ❖ ASEM can be transformed into a more dynamic and vibrant “marketplace” where ideas and actions flow

Some Consequences of the Hypothesis of Minimal Lengths

Talk presented at the 3rd International Symposium on Quantum Theory and Symmetries, September 13, 2003, University of Cincinnati, OH. Dedicated to the memory of Freydoon Mansouri.Comment: 8 pages, REVTeX

A case study of the integration of ICT in teaching and learning in a smart school in Sabah

This research investigates teachers’ views of their use of ICT in teaching and learning (T&LICT). The objective of this research was to study in depth the thoughts, beliefs and opinions of the teachers’ attempt towards pedagogical improvement as part of the Smart School Project. Specifically this research examines and describes the teachers’ implementation of T&LICT in the classroom in terms of the instructional practice, the instructional roles and the instructional environment. A case study research methodology is employed. The case is Sekolah Menengah Bestari (a psuedonym), which is a Smart School in Sabah. Analysis of data from 52 survey questionnaires complemented the qualitative data from the 13 interviews and 3 observations, as well as document analysis. Findings indicated that hardware and software technology infrastructure were available to support the T&LICT implementation. Nevertheless, the teachers felt it was not enough to implement T&LICT effectively. It was estimated that about half of Sekolah Menengah Bestari staff, mainly Bestari and ETeMS teachers, implemented T&LICT. Findings indicated that teacher practices were little changed. IT was used mainly to support the existing teacher-directed and teacher-centered approach. The role of the teacher extended to that of facilitating without releasing control of lesson to the students

Covid-19 Pandemic –Our Response, Our Future. Singapore EU Centre Working Paper 14th April 2020

We are facing an unprecedented challenge of containing the coronavirus, and the fear and uncertainty that it is spreading. How we respond to this challenge will shape the future not only of our individual societies and nations but also the wider regional and globalorder

MDG achievements, determinants and resource needs : what has been learnt ?

This paper reviews the effectiveness and efficiency of key policy instruments for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). Based on a simple cross-country regression analysis, the paper argues that average Millennium Development Goal progress is likely to be too slow to meet education and health sector targets in a number of developing countries. The paper further shows that MDG achievement can be described by a transition path with declining rates of progress. More detailed analysis reveals that the transition toward universal primary school enrollment in poor countries with low initial enrollment has accelerated considerably in the more recent past. The main part of the paper then focuses on the role of demand versus supply-side factorsin social service utilization in education and health. The review arrives at the following rules of thumb that reflect some of the key determinants of achievement of the Millennium Development Goals: First, specific single policy interventions can have a considerable impact on social service utilization and specific human development outcomes. For example, improving access to basic health services, in particular to vaccination, has been a key factor in reducing child mortality rates in a number of very poor countries. Second, demand-side policies have proved extremely effective, for example in raising school enrollment and attainment levels. However, there may be more scope for targeting the demand-side in the health sector. Third, policy effectiveness and efficiency are highly dependent on initial conditions and the specificities of the respective policy. Fourth, complementarities between MDG targets, in particular social service utilization, are likely to be very important.Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Health Systems Development&Reform,Primary Education,Teaching and Learning,Education For All

Hamiltonian cycles in Cayley graphs of imprimitive complex reflection groups

Generalizing a result of Conway, Sloane, and Wilkes for real reflection groups, we show the Cayley graph of an imprimitive complex reflection group with respect to standard generating reflections has a Hamiltonian cycle. This is consistent with the long-standing conjecture that for every finite group, G, and every set of generators, S, of G the undirected Cayley graph of G with respect to S has a Hamiltonian cycle.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures; minor revisions according to referee comments, to appear in Discrete Mathematic

Improving an inequality for the divisor function

We improve using elementary means an explicit bound on the divisor function due to Friedlander and Iwaniec. Consequently we modestly improve a result regarding a sieving inequality for Gaussian sequences.Comment: 8 pages, to appear in Bull. AustM