Founders of Hitmaker Global Academy Pte Ltd: CEO Mr Wong Hoe Kwan Andy, 44 (left), COO Ms Chang Hong, 36 (center), CCO Mr Jeff Miyahara, 44 (right)
The greatest gift of music lies in its capacity to evoke experiences and express emotions that touches souls with no boundaries and limitations. It has its own forms of saying hello and goodbye and reignites a language of emotions through its sounds, patterns, lyrics and cords. A slow beat may simulate suspense and sadness, while an upbeat tone can elicit high energy and joy. With the existing impact of technology in music creation, production and distribution, aspiring talents can now engage in music from all aspects, enhancing sentiments and creating expressions to convey messages to something or someone.
Emerging through the advanced technology and into a higher level of music education and participation is Hitmaker Global Academy Pte Ltd.
Rising to the challenge in the creative industry, the business is helmed by three powerful and cohesive trio – Hitmaker’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Wong Hoe Kwan Andy, 32 years virtuoso clarinettist, Ms Chang Hong, and award winner Hitmaker of the Year 2010, Mr Jeff Miyahara.
Hitmaker Global Academy establishes a holistic experience and development in the music arts. Using an advanced teaching methodology in contemporary music learning, the academy advocates Learning Under Pressure including real-life experienced based learning with Grammy award-winning experts across the globe.
Jeff shares, “Hitmaker Global Academy aims to shape the next generation of creative entrepreneurs who are empowered with the creative talent, technical expertise, and communicative charisma to be the next Hitmakers on the global stage.”
With the vision of creating opportunities and building dreams for future creative leaders, the trio’s strive for building appetite for aspiring Singapore musicians have surpassed its business value and quality standards, and achieved two notable awards in 2021/2022 – the Singapore Prestige Class Award, and an individual Aspiring Women Entrepreneur Award awarded to Chang Hong.
Building a Holistic Music Empire
The academy concept is the brainchild of Andy who specialised in the higher education of music conservatory for 12 years. He recognised the knowledge and skills gap in music graduates’ education; while students may leave the music education with sufficient knowledge in their repertoire, often relevant opportunities are not sufficient to enable them to value-add in the industry. Andy sought to combat the pressing disparity by revolutionising the future of the creative music education.
Andy introduced the blended learning concept to Jeff in 2015. The idea involved a holistic educational approach of intensive practical learning through real-world experiences. Students were to be equipped with a myriad of course curriculums such as creative problem solving, musicianship, and technical production skills. The duo found themselves in a congenial position of shared values and aspirations for the industry. Jeff integrated his expertise into the Hitmaker Global Academy’s formation, materialising the business with forging global opportunities for students to expose their theory-taught skills in masterclasses, real concerts, and working with Grammy Award artistes and engineers.
Andy expresses pride to see the growth of the students through the Hitmaker curriculum and the proof of its concept. “It gives us so much joy and honour to see our students’ hit greater milestones whether it’s going to a dream school of choice or personal development. We’ve had shy students who didn’t know how to express their love and gratitude to their loved ones. They realised the impact and capacity of emotions music can evoke, and end up using what they’ve learn to curate musical pieces that can fully represent what they feel and what they want to say. This genuine gift of opening up their hearts can easily close the bond between loved ones especially when they’re misunderstood or seem unreachable.”
The Aspiring Woman of the Team
Aspiring Women Entrepreneur Award
As the pillar of Hitmaker Global Academy, Chang Hong’s highly-acclaimed skillsets in musicianship as a principal clarinettist, and also experiences in organising competitions and annual recitals have been transcended to become the driving force in the business. She embodied her dreams and aspirations into the success of Hitmaker Global Academy, and readily transitioned from an artiste to an educator, and sought knowledge from classical to pop music culture.
Chang Hong was born and raised into a family of musicians. Growing up with family members who lived in the conservatory together, she started learning the piano at a sheer age of 4, and practiced clarinet as second major when she was 8. With her accumulated talent and skills, she enrolled into the prestigious leading music school in China – The Central Conservatory of Music – and performed with Chinese virtuoso pianist, Lang Lang in 2002. Chang Hong later graduated under a full scholarship diploma from Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music in Singapore and started her journey teaching students and performing as the Principal Clarinettist with Orchestra of the Music Makers, Singapore Lyric Opera and Metropolitan Festival Orchestra.
When Chang Hong joined the concept of Hitmaker Global Academy in 2018, she initiated and executed five music competitions and two events with more than 2000 candidates each to build awareness, branding and funds for the pre-launch of the establishment. With the opportunities Chang Hong conceived to expand the business, the team successfully established the recognition and capital of the establishment and acquired an academic venue now located in Our Tampines Hub.
Creating Opportunities, Building Dreams
The competitive advantage from the dynamic trio’s expertise and concept rises the standards of Hitmaker Global Academy in the music education industry with its unique and comprehensive development for aspiring artistes. The business’ network of connections with globally renowned experts worldwide include countries such as China, Australia, Japan and United States of America.
With 200 students and 70 visionary educators now on campus, the trio constantly discover new platforms and connections to increase its resources and opportunities for students to cultivate their creative dreams and capabilities. Hitmaker Global Academy thrive to connect their curriculum to a diverse community of students globally and are in the pipeline to build a research centre in Yunnan, China. The business has also enhanced the learning accessibility for aspiring musicians by venturing into e-learning and tracking the journey of each student through their music journal.
Passionate to teach students how to explore emotions through music, Chang Hong says, “learning music is about sharing and expressing your emotions. When we create a safe space for our students to nurture personally and professional through music, they will be inspired to learn and their appetite for learning will only be further unleashed and uplifted.”
Together with the creative synergy of education, classical and pop sensations amidst the three founders, the now and future success of Hitmaker Global Academy is inspired by endless possibilities and limitless boundaries. Enhancing connectivity beyond borders, the powerful team behind the artistry is compelled to create a legacy for future musician advocates on an unprecedented scale through education and service.
