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Busking isn\u2019t like a regular gig. I don\u2019t ask family and friends to come and watch me. In fact, I tell my friends: \u201cYou don\u2019t have to come.\u201d When people come to watch me with The Oddfellows, it\u2019s for our original songs. But when I\u2019m busking, I\u2019m performing oldies and evergreen songs. Are you sure you want to make your way down for that?<\/span><\/p>\n To me, that\u2019s the spirit of busking. It\u2019s on the streets, people walk past, they might stop for a while, they might not. If they enjoy it, great! If not, that\u2019s okay too.<\/span><\/p>\n I think busking is a good way to bring the arts to people. Not everyone has the money or time to go watch a band at a pub or at a theatre, so this is their exposure to live music. And it\u2019s not just music \u2013 I\u2019ve seen circus performers and jugglers who are really amazing. There\u2019re some talented young performers too.<\/span><\/p>\n When you\u2019re out on the street, you’ll meet all kinds of people. There was a guy at Eunos who came three times. He lives in Australia so he was only in Singapore for a short period. He requested for Take Me Home, Country Roads and he\u2019d sing along with me. So, every time he came, I\u2019d perform this and he would just belt it out!<\/span><\/p>\n On another occasion, there was a young adult with Down Syndrome. He stood just a few metres away from me, vibing and enjoying the music. Then he gave me a big smile and a thumbs-up. That really touched me.<\/span><\/p>\n When I first started, I didn\u2019t have a lid on my tip box. Once, somebody put a hand deep inside the box; I wasn\u2019t sure if it was to put in a tip or pull out some money. I decided to install a lid, which also helps prevent the dollar bills from flying out.<\/span><\/p>\n My worst encounter so far? Thankfully no bad experiences although one time someone gave me a printed CDC voucher. It was unusual but okay\u2026 until I tried to use it and found out that it\u2019d already been redeemed!<\/span><\/p>\n Patrick Chng is a musician, special needs educator, and busker. Check his Instagram\u00a0account <\/span><\/em>@pat.rickchng<\/span><\/em><\/a> for his busking schedule (subject to\u00a0cancellation due to wet weather).<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\nUNUSUAL ENCOUNTERS THAT STAY WITH YOU<\/span><\/h2>\n