How a 17-year-old student turned her passion into a community movement

Project #JalanJalan volunteers and performers at Punggol Coast MRT. Jing Fei is third from the left, in the first row. Photo credit: Project #JalanJalan.

17-year-old Pang Jing Fei is in her first year of Junior College (JC). Since 2024, she has run Project #JalanJalan. This ground-up, youth-led initiative aims to build a more connected, confident, and community-minded generation of Singaporeans through music.

“Project #JalanJalan was born to fill a gap in Singapore’s youth music scene. My friends and I realised that many talented youths today remain confined within their schools’ performing arts CCAs and a small number of routine annual competitions.

While valuable, these platforms provide limited room for students to truly explore their personal musical interests.”

At the same time, some struggle to find peers with similar musical skills, making their musical journey feel isolating. As a result, passionate young local musicians may become disengaged over time.

“That's why I wanted to create meaningful performance and learning opportunities for students. I want Project #JalanJalan to empower young people to develop their artistic capabilities, collaborate across schools, and use their gifts to uplift the wider community.”

The beginnings of Project #JalanJalan since 2024

Sharps and Flats Group performing at Dhoby Ghaut MRT. Photo credit: #Project JalanJalan.

Jing Fei has a background in classical music and has been playing the violin since she was five. She sang in the choir from Primary 3 through Secondary 4 where she was the student conductor, and she was also in the Singapore Symphony Children’s Choir from Primary 4 through Secondary 3. This year, she joined her school’s Philharmonic Orchestra to step out of her comfort zone.

“I’ve grown up with lots of music and am still learning about the performing arts. Creating Project #JalanJalan is an extension of my personal journey to encourage myself and other youths to explore music.”

At 15, she reached out to SBS Transit to ask if she could organise public performances in their stations to allow students to showcase their musical talents. Having got the green light, she and two friends began organising 3 weekly performances in July 2025 with 30 performers.

“I wasn't doubtful or worried whether people would stop by and watch in the early stages. It was really small and I didn’t care if it was successful because at that time, it was all about learning and growing.”

How Project #JalanJalan grew through the years

Jing Fei & EXCO members performing at Wellness Village @ Tampines MRT.

The project has since expanded significantly and it has been met with strong, enthusiastic support.

In 2025, Project #JalanJalan put together 26 performances over six weeks from June through August, in celebration of National Day. A weekly average of five performances was held across five MRT stations and SBS bus interchanges.

Beyond pop bands and singing groups, the initiative also featured a diverse range of performing items including harmonica, string, and angklung ensembles. In total, 154 student-musicians aged 7 to 17, from 25 schools across Singapore, showcased their talents.

Today, the team has grown to include six executive committee members and eight junior committee members – a far cry from a three-person committee.

To scale up Project #JalanJalan, Jing Fei and her team partnered the Singapore Government Partnerships Office (SGPO), which gave support by providing project guidance and connecting them with relevant funds, venues and volunteer networks.

“The support from SGPO has been very helpful. Their guidance has enabled us to grow the initiative and reach more youths through our programmes. They’ve also supported us in exploring possible funding avenues like the Young ChangeMakers (YCM) Grant, identifying suitable venues, and connecting us with other potential partners.”

The future of Project #JalanJalan

#Project JalanJalan EXCO members.

At the core of their mission, Jing Fei and her team are centred on cultivating and growing the music scene at a national level. The past two years have been focused on organising performing opportunities for youths, mainly National Day Parade (NDP) public performances held at public transport nodes.

This year, Project #JalanJalan is taking a more deliberate approach to its growth by scaling back on large-scale National Day–themed performances and placing greater emphasis on its core youth development programme, BandUp: Lepak to LIVE!. This shift reflects a strategic move from primarily providing performance platforms to building deeper, more sustained musical development among youths.

The programme brings together young musicians to form pop bands, guiding them through a structured series of 10 workshops held from May to November 2026. Across these sessions, participants will not only strengthen their individual instrumental skills but also develop essential ensemble competencies such as band coordination, instrument specialisation, musical cohesion, stage presence, and audience engagement.

A key feature of BandUp: Lepak to LIVE! is its professional engagement component, where industry practitioners including pop artiste Lullaboy, singer-songwriter and producer Mr Eric Ng, and composer-educator Mr Ding Jian Han will mentor participants. Through masterclasses, sharing sessions, and guided feedback, these mentors provide real-world insights into the music industry while helping youths refine both their artistic identity and performance approach.

Complementing the workshop series is a curated range of performance opportunities, allowing participants to apply their learning in authentic settings. Through this pilot, Project #JalanJalan aims to accelerate the formation and development of youth bands in Singapore, bridging the gap between learning and real-world performance. In 2026, there is also a particular focus on expanding access to youths from lower socio-economic backgrounds, with efforts to remove financial barriers and ensure that opportunities in music development are not limited by circumstance.

On SGPO’s new SG Partnerships Fund (SGPF), announced in Budget 2026 to support citizen-led projects that create positive change to the community in Singapore, Jing Fei says:

“Funding is really important for us to sustain and execute our programmes. I hope to tap on the SGPF to expand our reach and provide even more opportunities. I do believe the SGPF will definitely be a very helpful starting point to support and scale meaningful initiatives for the community.”

Lessons that defined Jing Fei’s journey

Jing Fei, Project Founder.

Over the two years running Project #JalanJalan, Jing Fei has become more outgoing and ambitious.

“When I first started, I was scared to reach out to peers or organisations because I was worried about getting rejected. I was afraid that my efforts would go to waste and that no one would be interested.

But after getting approval from SBS Transit, I was encouraged. From then, I continued actively pushing and emailing different schools and organisations. It made me realise how much of an impact I could make by just reaching out.”

For others who want to start a community initiative, Jing Fei has this piece of advice: be thick-skinned and just ask.

“Ask strangers if they want to participate. If they say no, it’s not that deep. You just have to understand what you want to do and then take the first step. Once you start, you’ll realise there are many really supportive people around you who are willing to guide and support you.

I also know many are hesitant to take the first step because of their heavy academic workloads. While it can be a challenge to balance academics and meaningful activities outside of school, it is possible with proper time management.

Even if it feels daunting, know that everyone has to start somewhere and it’s okay to start small.”

Change starts with a single step. Inspired by Jing Fei? With the support of the SG Partnerships Fund (SGPF), you can start your own projects that create impact in your community. Find out more at sgpo.gov.sg/sgpf.