Rachel Tan was months into a downward spiral when she made a decision that changed everything: quitting her full-time job.
What seemed like a risky move turned out to be the first step in reclaiming her mental health and reigniting a lifelong passion for music.
The 34-year-old told Stomp that she experiences waves of depression, a mental health disorder marked by feelings of helplessness.
But ever since she founded Momentum Lessons, an online music school, she has rediscovered her purpose and joy.
“I started teaching the violin in 2010, so music has always been part of my life,” she shared.
“It was about four years ago that I started to make my own song covers, which I call ‘remixes’. I sing out the melody myself, and create the rest of the instruments myself.”
Rachel said she “hadn’t touched anything to do with music” throughout the six months prior to leaving corporate life.
“It was when I left my job that I realised that going back to music, not just by teaching the violin, but by producing song covers, had a positive impact not just on my mental health, but on others when I shared my songs with them.
“My friends told me to do more, which encouraged me to carry on. Producing covers was just a hobby at first. I didn’t expect to end up teaching it to others. But as the word spread, I started getting requests to teach.”
In 2024, Rachel founded Momentum Lessons, where she teaches students how to produce music using the professional recording studio app Logic Pro. She now teaches about 40 students on her own.
Seeing her students get inspired by their own works, just like she does, brings her joy.
“They tell me that they feel healthier and happier both emotionally and physically just by making music.”
Rachel told Stomp that the biggest takeaway her students get from her classes is a personal sense of achievement and satisfaction when they are able to recreate a song from scratch.
“I hope Momentum Lessons will inspire more people to chase their dreams. If music is something that brings you joy, then by all means do more music!”
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