Sure, you may rejoice at the fact that free Wi-Fi is now made available at 33 MRT stations, but this is probably greater news to rejoice over.
Senior Minister of State for Transport Josephine Teo took to her Facebook account to announce that busking is now allowed on 15 MRT train stations, in a bid to make train rides a more pleasant experience for commuters.
The Land Transport Authority’s Facebook page clarified that there was an initial pilot programme of five stations where busking was allowed under an extension of the 1997 Busking Scheme managed by the National Arts Council. Such busking could be done on the train platforms itself.
Now, 12 other stations have joined the scheme, with performance slots made available for buskers during the rush hour period. The 15 stations are:
- Ang Mo Kio
- Bishan
- Boon Lay
- Bugis
- Buona Vista
- City Hall (from the pilot programme)
- Dhoby Ghaut
- Jurong East (from the pilot programme)
- Orchard
- Outram Park
- Paya Lebar
- Raffles Place (from the pilot programme)
- Serangoon
- Tampines
- Woodlands
Eunos and Bukit Batok stations, formerly included in the pilot programme, were not included in the final lineup.
Buskers can perform on weekdays from 7.30am to 11.30am and 5.30pm to 9.30pm, and on weekends and public holidays from 10am to 9pm. To kick things off, two undergraduates from Singapore Management University and Nanyang Technological University took to Bugis MRT to get commuters jiving with a rendition of Foster The People’s “Pumped Up Kicks”.
More Performances to Accompany Your Journeys!How would you like to be entertained on the go? How about being serenaded by live performances of creative and passionate people while commuting on the rail network? Watch the video below to see undergraduates Ang Cheng Wei and Er Young Yee busking at the East-West Line (#EWL) of Bugis #MRT station! Starting from today, buskers have 10 more MRT stations (in addition to the initial pilot programme of 5 stations), both in the city centre and the heartlands, as performance venues. This means that you can now enjoy busking performances at 15 MRT stations, including stations at Ang Mo Kio, Bishan, Boon Lay, Bugis, Buona Vista, City Hall, Dhoby Ghaut, Jurong East, Orchard, Outram Park, Paya Lebar, Raffles Place, Serangoon, Tampines and Woodlands! Other than providing entertainment for your senses, this busking initiative provides a platform for local performers to showcase their talent. Hence, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) is collaborating with the National Arts Council (NAC) to invite more interested buskers to perform at our MRT stations. Buskers can perform on weekdays from 7.30am to 11.30am and 5.30pm to 9.30pm, and on weekends and public holidays from 10am to 9pm.More details on the scheme can be found here: https://www.nac.gov.sg/grants-schemes/schemes/busking-scheme
Posted by Land Transport Authority – We Keep Your World Moving on Monday, October 12, 2015
Undergraduates Ang Cheng Wei (featured photo) and Er Young Yee from the duo The Unemployed thanked Teo on her Facebook page for plugging them, with Er saying that they “will work hard to bring good music and liven up the MRT stations”.
MUSIC IN TRANSITTalented buskers can now busk at up to 15 MRT stations across the city centre and the…
Posted by Josephine Teo on Sunday, October 11, 2015
Quality is also assured: buskers would have to attend a pre-audition workshop at Goodman Arts Centre and an audition at the Drama Centre before being approved with a one-year contract, upon which buskers would have to re-audition to renew the contract. The best part? No registration fee required. The National Arts Council is also looking for landlords who wish to have buskers in their space.
All this spells good news for a more pleasant journey for commuters and a brief exposure to the arts, for working professionals commuting during rush hour and for budding artistes who want to get their work out there. Finally, we all can let loose a little.
Featured photo: Land Transport Authority – We Keep Your World Moving/Facebook
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