Playing her way down a path less travelled

While her peers are poring over their books in school, Pung Rae Yue is taking a less conventional route this year - to tickle the ivories.

The 14-year-old is taking a two-year leave of absence from her school, St Hilda's Secondary.

The young pianist will use that time to pursue a piano performance diploma under renowned pianist Andrzej Jasinski, who has taught many concert pianists and judges top music competitions.

From next month, Rae's life will be a jet-setting one that will see her shuttle between Singapore and Italy, spending about a month in each country. She will also travel to various countries for performances and competitions.

"Getting to learn from Professor Jasinski is a very good opportunity and I hope to improve my skills even more," she said.

Rae is currently enrolled in St Hilda's but has not attended a day of lessons since Secondary 1. She only goes to school to take her mid-and end-of-year examinations.

After a family discussion, her parents decided to hire tutors to home-school her, which gives her more flexibility in her schedule.

A typical day for Rae sees her waking up at 8am, followed by three hours of practice. She then spends the rest of the afternoon with her tutors until 6pm. Her day ends at midnight, with another three hours of practice after dinner.

She plans to sit the O levels next year.

"I want to be a concert pianist but if I don't succeed, I need something to fall back on," she said.

In the meantime, she plans to keep on competing.

Earlier this month, she topped the under-18 category at the first edition of the Piano Island Festival organised by Singaporean pianist Wang Congyu.

She won $500 and a scholarship to perform at the Alion Baltic International Music Festival in Estonia, as well as at the Blue Danube Festival - accompanied by an orchestra - in Hungary later this year.

Last year, she took part in 10 competitions and was placed first in nine of them. Taking part in competitions helps develop her stage presence, Rae said. Currently, she has four performances lined up for this year.

Rae's music journey began at the age of three, when her mother, Madam Gan Siew Hui, 41, started teaching her to play.

"Being a piano teacher myself, I wanted her to learn a bit (of the piano)," Madam Gan said.

"After teaching her for a while, I noticed she had a talent for it and encouraged her to go further."

When Rae was four, she enrolled in the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music as a private student under Professor Thomas Hecht and Associate Professor Albert Tiu. The two often attended her performances and gave her feedback afterwards.

"I'm usually calm during a performance but worry about what comes after," she said with a laugh, referring to how they would point out areas for improvement.

"But it's good to have my teachers correcting my mistakes."

When asked if she feels like she is missing out by not being around people her age, she shook her head. "This arrangement allows me to work on my craft and work towards my dream. Everything I do now is for the sake of my music."