The day has finally come. Our very first roadshow! I personally couldn’t believe the all the planning and practicing that we’ve put in is going to be put to the test. I’ve never been to University Sultan Idris so I had no idea what to expect. Would they be receptive and open to the idea of Steemit? What if no one was interested? Would we go back empty-handed?

Time to Face the Music

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We left Kuala Lumpur slightly after lunch and embarked on an hour’s drive to the border of Perak, our neighboring state. We were greeted by one of the tutors, Wan, who took us for some good Malay food that you can only find in smaller towns. A big shoutout to @calvinlee and @maxyong for taking leave and driving all the way down from Penang to show #steem-music some love and support!

We then took a little tour around the faculty as we headed towards the recital hall. The facilities there were top notch! Here you could see the degree students rehearsing for their final project. We did our setup and soundcheck while the students starting filling up the hall. We were treated with a small performance from the students. I loved the passion shown by the gompang players!

We then took turns to share about Steemit and our initiative #steem-music. The whole concept of blockchain technology and cryptocurrency was very new to the audience. Even though it was late in the afternoon but I could see them being really attentive and trying their very best to soak everything in.

credits to @maxyong

We then had a Q&A session where the students brought up a lot of interesting questions such as “Would people from around the world appreciate my performance if I sang in Bahasa Malaysia?”, “Could we have a jamming session where I post the first part of it and my friend posts about the later part?”, “Would Steemit collapse?” and so on and so forth. I just discovered what an amazing communicator @zhusatriani as he connected particularly well with the students when he answered the questions with a touch of humor.

Of course having @perennial on the team is a big asset as he manages to explain certain technical questions regarding blockchain technology in layman terms. He’s definitely a guy who knows what he’s talking about.

Ending on a High Note

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We then had some presentations of our own with @edward-ong wow-ing the crowd with his fingerstyle guitar playing and @zhusatriani with his solo performance of “Menghitung Hari”.

Sadly, we had to cut short our session even though there was overwhelming interest due to time constraint. We promised the students we’ll definitely be back. There’s always time for a group photo session though!

The lecturers invited us for a next session with the degree students. We discussed the possibility of having masterclasses and even collaborating to organize a concert. I’m very excited even as I’m typing this as it feels like the sky is the limit as long as you’re willing to put in the hard work!

What Next?

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It has been an amazing journey thus far. I can’t deny there have been challenges along the way, but to see the excited faces of fellow musicians when we share this wonderful platform makes the effort well worth it! We’re in the process on finalizing the date for our first gig. Stay tuned! 🎵