Drumming up Deepavali cheer for underprivileged youth
Through bucket drumming, the GoodKids Academy Programme helps these kids build confidence and express themselves.
In a rainy Sunday evening at the Sivananda Boys' Home in Batu Caves, a group of boys gather in a circle, each holding a pair of wooden sticks and plastic pails, transforming the humble containers into a drum circle. Naaraayini Balasubramaniam, the coordinator, guides the young drummers through their rehearsal for the upcoming Deepavali celebration, emphasizing the importance of emotional expression through music.
The GoodKids Academy Programme, founded in 2016 by Naaraayini, her father Balasubramaniam Somasundaram, and her cousin Koggelavani Muniandy, aims to promote positive mental health among underprivileged youth. This year, the programme has 30 participants from various educational backgrounds, mostly from lower socioeconomic status families.
The drumming sessions take place every Friday night, and the boys are given creative freedom to compose their own melodies. The performance, a culmination of their year-long experience with the programme, aims to spread positivity and hope during the festive season.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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- Drumming up Deepavali cheer for underprivileged youth freemalaysiatoday.com
