Proposal to Set Up a Music Room at UiTM Mukah Campus

By Ananda Tilaka Sekara

January 22, 2008

Introduction
This is a proposal to set up a music room at the Mukah Campus of Universiti Teknologi MARA,
Sarawak by Feb. 15, 2008.
The Guitar Club of UiTM Mukah has been active for the past four years, 2003 to 2007. It was
formed in December 2003 by the instructor, Ananda Tilaka Sekara, one of our English Language
lecturers to encourage the pre-commerce students to learn to play guitar using a systematic visual
program. To date, nine (9) groups – meeting every Wednesday, 8-10pm, in one of the lecture
rooms – have picked up the instrument to different levels of success, to enjoy making their own
music and spend their free time in a useful and meaningful way. The club so far has operated on
a voluntary basis and without any funding from anywhere. Some instruments and equipment
were provided by the instructor and students were given help to purchase guitars on installment
basis.
However, now, after moving into our new campus building in December 2007, we have enough
space available to set up a music room. In addition, we have many students with music talent
potential who are very interested to learn a proper system of playing the guitar. We also have a
good number of students who already know how to play guitar and drums, and who are very
interested in forming a campus band.

Proposal Statement:
Based on the rationale above we propose the setting up of a music room to teach interested
students to play the guitar and the drums; and the purchase of musical instruments, equipment
and peripherals for the formation of a band at our Mukah Campus.
Objectives:
We have the following objectives in mind:
1. To encourage interested students who never had the opportunity previously to learn to play the
guitar or the drums.
2. To provide students a healthy avenue to spend their leisure time.
3. To help students who already can play guitar/drums to improve their skills.
4. To provide formal systematic guitar music instruction to those who are keen to learn the
progressive method of playing guitar.

Music Room
We propose that Room BK 3 be allocated as the “Music Room.” The room must be secure with
grille doors at the front entrance and the back exit. It will be under security surveillance of
“UiTM Mukah Unit Keselamatan.”
The music room shall be used for:
1. The Wednesday music lessons/sessions from 8-10pm under the charge of instructor, Ananda
Tilaka Sekara.
2. Practice under the supervision of instructor, Ananda Tilaka Sekara, and the music coordinator,
Pengiran Saifudzin who is also the campus executive officer.
3. Storage of all music instruments, equipment and peripherals.

All music instruments, equipment and peripherals shall be kept in a grille-locked room within the
music room.

Cost of Instruments, Equipment and Peripherals

We propose the purchase of the following basic set of instruments, equipment and peripherals for
the initial start-up of a band. Please refer to the attached quotation (Ref. No. 20080119)
submitted by Guitar Store, Damansara Perdana, Petaling Jaya. The total cost is RM9,995.80
(Ringgit Malaysia: Nine Thousand, Nine Hundred and Ninety Five, and Sen Eighty only)

Benefits
We foresee the following benefits from the setting up of the music room and the campus band:
1. Interested students will learn the basics of playing the guitar/drums and then progress on their
own to play music for pleasure or profit.
2. Students will spend their free time in an interesting and useful way.
3. Music has been proven by research to reduce stress – to relax the mind and calm the soul.

Conclusion
To balance out the heavy academic input five days a week, the setting-up of this music room and
the band should provide a non-academic but useful outlet for our young pre-commerce students
who have a potential for music. They would learn an exciting new skill the proper way; learn to
be creative; learn to appreciate music and spend their time beneficially.
In the light of the above rationale and objectives we seek an early approval to our proposal to set
up a music room and form a band at UiTM Mukah by the 15th of February 2008.