By 7:30 AM on most weekdays, Loh Pei Yi is already in a hospital ward, shadowing doctors during their rounds and observing patients, all while balancing her responsibilities as a student.
However, weekends don’t mean rest either. While her peers might take the chance to sleep in, this fifth-year Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine student at Nanyang Technological University is either busy studying or leading a group of youth volunteers as part of Project Gift of Song, the ground-up movement she founded in 2020.
The beginnings of Project Gift of Song
At 23, she started Project Gift of Song in the middle of the pandemic, motivated by a deep desire to use her music to bring comfort and do good. A news feature about Ambulance Wish Singapore (AWS), an organisation that grants wishes to terminally ill patients, along with a serious health scare in her family, became the catalyst for Pei Yi’s volunteering journey.
Five years on, Pei Yi now leads a team of youth volunteers, bringing comfort and companionship to patients in palliative care through their love for music, one song at a time.
From childhood hobby to community impact
Pei Yi began piano lessons at the age of six, and never stopped exploring her passion for music. She picked up the violin, joined music-related CCA’s such as NTU’s Piano Ensemble, and discovered that music could be more than a performance. Rather, it could serve as a bridge to connect with people in their most vulnerable moments.
At the height of the pandemic, she gathered like-minded friends, secured a Young ChangeMakers Grant, and spent a year planning a virtual charity concert for AWS. The livestream on YouTube raised funds and spirits at a time when both were in short supply.
Growing beyond the first performance
What began as a one-time project is now a sustained initiative. Project Gift of Song has grown to reach not only palliative care patients, but anyone navigating grief or coping with a difficult diagnosis. The initiative has since expanded to include sing-along sessions with palliative care patients alongside community partners such as Dover Park, Assisi Hospice and most recently, Motor Neuron Disease Association Singapore.
In 2023, Pei Yi and her team joined forces with the NTU Piano Ensemble for Solace, a heartfelt charity concert blending music with personal stories. The event surpassed its goal, raising $65,800 for AWS.
Another arm of the project, [Death, by Music], uses mindful music appreciation to spark honest conversations about life and mortality. It won the Gold Award at Hack Care! YOLO, and was also featured at the Singapore Hospice Council’s LiveWell.LeaveWell Festival.
Why she believes youths can lead change
The heart of Project Gift of Song rests on one belief: anyone, regardless of age, can make a difference. As a youth-led initiative, Pei Yi stresses that “it is never too young to start”. Whether through talent, time, or simply the desire to help, there’s always a way to start giving back.
“You really don’t need to have accolades to volunteer. When I first started, my only desire was to use my hobby for music to do good,” Pei Yi states. “What matters more is the conviction, resilience and compassion that you have for society.”
Leading a ground-up movement has its challenges, but she believes they are part of the process.
“It’s always a constant process of navigating. Challenges come in different forms as time passes, but don’t be deterred. As long as you have a heart for the community and for the cause you believe in, that passion and sincerity will shine through.”
The beauty that books can’t teach
For Pei Yo, the biggest reward isn’t in milestones or the fundraising totals.
“Ultimately, the person who gains the most is yourself. It changes the way you grow, how you perceive the world, and how you learn from the strength of the vulnerable. Once you see that kind of beauty — it’s something no book can teach you.”
Looking ahead, she hopes for greater awareness, stronger support systems, and a thriving network of changemakers who inspire and uplift one another.
“I’d love to see a more compassionate society. That would be my ultimate goal.”
This International Youth Day, her story is proof that young people don’t have to wait for the ‘right’ time to make a difference. With passion, heart, and community, they already have what it takes to spark change.
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