Like many other kids his age, Patapol Thanomchan spent nine hours a day playing video games, which brought about many unwanted consequences. Fortunately, this is in his past.
“Back then, I had a terrible temper and often misbehaved. Music has transformed me into a more mellow person,” says the now 17-year-old.
Patapol is among many Klong Toey slum children who has benefited from a music sharing programme. A brainchild of Siriporn Phromwong, known among the kids as Kru Aum, the programme aims at providing youngsters with a lifeline to channel their pent-up energy into music.
“Music sharing has totally changed my life, because for one, it is not just about learning how to play an instrument with Kru Aum and her volunteer teachers, but the love and warmth I receive from them that has made me into a more caring individual,” said the 11th grader who has been with the programme for several years. An aspiring guitarist, Patapol is now the programme’s youth leader.
He entered the programme at the age of 10. Impressionable and immature, he noted that he grew up in Klong Toey mimicking adults who freely used profanity and displayed aggressive behaviour. This was the norm, he said, until he met the music sharing team who seemed genuinely interested in seeing every child grow into well-rounded individuals.
Patapol, who lives with his mother and three younger siblings, is grateful for the opportunity to accompany Siriporn’s team on trips upcountry to donate musical instruments to rural youth.
The kids strut their stuff at events outside their community. Photos: Siriporn Phromwong
“The new experiences I have had so far has made me realise the need to work hard for a living. Kru Aum taught us from a young age to earn what we desire. Drug peddling is rampant in the slums because it is a quick way to earn a fast buck, so youngsters are easily swayed. I don’t plan to follow suit because my goal in life is to create opportunities for youth in vulnerable communities to have a better life, similar to what was given to me.
“I strongly adhere to the saying: an honest day’s pay for an honest day’s work,” he added.
After close to a decade of managing the music sharing programme, its founder Siriporn is happily surprised at the way it has blossomed.
The nurse-turned-social worker started the project with a group of volunteer music teachers to bolster social development within the Klong Toey slum through music.
The venue was none other than the old Klong Toey slaughterhouse, a sprawling vicinity where drug addicts had previously frequented. Today it has become a creative space and learning centre for slum residents.
“The music sharing project came about by chance while I was working in a non-profit organisation in the Klong Toey slum. Residents requested used musical instruments and a teacher, so I brought them donated musical instruments and also taught,” said the 36-years-old.
“With a love for music, it did not take me long to share this passion with the rest of the youngsters I met through my work with the humanitarian aid agency I was with at the time. One thing lead to another, and the demand for donated music instruments increased, and so with it the need for volunteer music teachers.”
Getting voice lessons at a young age. Siriporn PhromwongThe passion and desire to see it become a proper programme slowly took shape, and through social media, she began to receive offers from people who were interested in donating their used musical instruments. Friends and acquaintances also stepped forward to volunteer as music teachers.
“The idea was never to use financial support as a base for whatever we aspired to undertake. Very much like how NGOs terminate a project after the money dries up. The ideology behind music sharing is simple, we survive with what we are able to get.
“So while we are open to donations, it is not something that we totally depend on to sustain ourselves. For me it is important to have the children grow in their passion for music in whatever financial situation we find ourselves to be,” she said, adding that since the project’s inception one thing has become clear — students find in the programme not just a venue to learn and practise music, but also a safe haven where they feel protected and loved by teachers and friends.
For Patapol himself, he hopes to work closely with the music team to improve the image of the Klong Toey slum by promoting their yearly event called “Klong Toey Dechung”, where popular bands volunteer to play alongside young and aspiring musicians from the slum. There is also a carnival-like atmosphere to help shed the image of the slum as a drugs-, gang- and poverty-infested community.