Temasek Polytechnic’s Music Vox is 2-in-1 CCA and pop group

Music Vox’s latest song Chamomile Girl took four years to write, record and refine before it was finally released on Spotify in August 2024 and performed live at events.

The members of the multi-vocal and multi-instrumental group recorded their parts of the song multiple times, before the producers pieced everything together.

Such is the art and craft of any rock band.

But, unlike British rock stars Coldplay or local band Subsonic Eye, Music Vox discussed the lyrics of Chamomile Girl – which is about the warm, fuzzy feeling of falling in love with someone new – with some instructors and a co-curricular activity (CCA) adviser.

Yes, CCA – Music Vox is not just a music group, but also a CCA at Temasek Polytechnic.

Music Vox was founded by a group of students who were passionate about music, and the band made its Spotify debut in 2020. Since then, the group has released 13 original songs on the platform, where it has around 790 followers.

Student-founded CCAs are initiated and primarily led by students. Those who want to join Music Vox have to submit a video of themselves performing music to a panel of 12 judges, made up of the Music Vox student committee, section leaders and the CCA’s adviser.

Songwriters have to submit the original lyrics to a song they had written, while producers send in a soundtrack featuring their own music arrangement to a song.

Temasek Polytechnic supports Music Vox with funding, resources and mentorship.

Music Vox also gets to hold an annual concert at the school – and of course, Chamomile Girl was performed at the 2024 concert.

Songwriter and keyboardist Evangeline Koh, 19, current president of Music Vox, said: “There was no official celebration for the release of Chamomile Girl but we performed it multiple times. It was a long journey of four years and everyone was excited and proud to see it come to life.”

Music Vox has also performed Chamomile Girl, along with other originals such as Lighthouse and Back Home To You, at events such as the Homegrown Festival in 2024 at OCBC Square, which celebrated the local arts scene. Local artists featured at the festival included Jean Seizure, Dominic Chin and Fusion Percussion, another performing arts group from Temasek Polytechnic.

Currently, Music Vox has 122 members, comprising seven sections – vocalists, guitarists, bassists, keyboardists, songwriters, drummers and producers.

Each of the seven sections holds separate practice sessions – at least once a month – in one of the three band rooms provided to Music Vox. The practice sessions of the different sections are led by their respective instructors or student section leaders.

At a typical practice session for bassists, for instance, the Music Vox members play their instruments to complement any song that is played. No one comes prepared with music sheets, relying instead on their gut feel. The instructor would suggest tweaks to their playing and demonstrate some parts on his own bass guitar.

Some equipment, such as the keyboards, drums sets and production equipment, were bought specifically for the group by the school. One of the band rooms has an in-built recording studio. On a table outside the recording studio lies production equipment such as sound mixers.

Producers work together in this band room to structure and arrange songs using the equipment and consult their instructor for advice. During the creation of original songs, the student producers are supported with external post-production help. The school funds the cost of professional services for the mixing and mastering of tracks.

When it comes to live performances, it is, obviously, impossible to have all 122 members on stage. For such performances, a band is formed from existing members, averaging two vocalists, two guitarists, one bassist, one drummer and one keyboardist. Members are assigned roles in the band by Music Vox’s student committee, the instructors and the CCA’s adviser based on their skills and suitability for the song performed.

And, perhaps surprisingly for something as apparently spontaneous as a live rock music performance, the members work on their stage presence, too. They practise their movements like running, jumping, shaking their bodies to the beat of the song and playing their instruments with bigger actions.

Ms Jilline Yong, 20, Music Vox’s administration and publicity head, said: “Stage presence is the key to creating a dynamic performance that the audience will enjoy watching and remember. Members look out for one another and point out ways to improve their performance skills.”

Music Vox members are also guided occasionally by the group’s alumni such as Mr Aniq Rusyaidi, 24, a singer who is now studying for a bachelor of music (music and society music, collaboration and production) at Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music. 

It is the former members’ way of giving back to Music Vox.

Mr Aniq, who has performed alongside Japanese vocalist Ryna Smile at Victoria Concert Hall in 2024, said: “Music Vox was a place where I could try out different styles and was exposed to so many different genres... At the time, I used to be an R&B singer, but I loved performing punk, which inevitably led me to discover J-rock through my love for Japanese songs.”

Another Music Vox alum is singer-songwriter Marian Carmel, who has been featured as Spotify EQUAL’s cover artist of the month, representing women in Singapore and Malaysia. She has 41,011 monthly listeners on Spotify and is produces indie-pop music.

As Ms Yong puts it, “Music Vox is just a starting point.”