Finishing the Doctorate: The Long Road to DME

What I'm Working Toward

2024 will always be huge for me: I got married, and I became a doctor.

The first is personal, and the second, my Doctor of Music Education, marks a shift in identity I didn’t fully expect, not just in title but in direction. A few years ago, I still clocked 7-9 gigs a week: jazz clubs, festivals, Canto pubs, Siam dius, weddings, corporate shows, and every shape of the working musician’s hustle. That life ended with COVID-19.

During lockdown, I pivoted into teaching out of survival. Performance was banned, but teaching wasn’t. And as I taught more, I realised something clicked, hard. It felt meaningful. Connected. Like I could still be a musician without burning out. Like I could actually make a difference.

At the start of 2024, I had no fellowships. Just four performance diplomas, my MMus and BMus, and a pile of awards from Berklee and elsewhere. (Details are in the About section if you’re curious.) But the real shift wasn’t paper; it was focus. I evolved from a pure performer to a pedagogue, from being known as “the drummer” to rediscovering my musical voice through electric bass, harmonic, melodic, and compositional.

I no longer want to pack my calendar with gigs. I’ve done my time. Some weeks, I used to hit over ten. No soul left by Sunday. These days, I’ve walked away from regular bar gigs. I’m not chasing “the hang” or “the jam” unless I’m leading it, shaping it, making it count. If a show runs past midnight, it’d better be damn special.

So what’s next?

I want to teach students who will go on to teach others. I want to make a difference for those who will make a difference. No flashy artistic projects just yet, but I’ve started finalising the snare étude materials that I hope to release in 2025.

I’m not chasing institutional titles, but I love lecturing pedagogy, musicianship, theory, workshops, practical labs, and anything that lets people think differently about music and teaching.

My definition of success used to be money. Now? Impact. Especially in Singapore, where the arts are undervalued, I want to challenge mindsets and reframe what’s “worth doing.”

By the end of 2025, I hope to be deep into the next major writing project and to be seen in one line as:

An artist-educator shaping how the next generation learns, teaches, and creates.