Four tenants in Jurong West have complained about their upstairs neighbour practising the cello almost every day, saying the sound sometimes continues for hours and disrupts their rest.
But the 25-year-old cellist, who is studying at an arts school and also works as a music teacher, says practising is necessary for her livelihood. She disputes the tenants’ account of how long she plays and says she usually practises only in the afternoon.
Tenants Say Practice Can Last Until 5pm
The four tenants told Shin Min Daily News that their upstairs neighbour had recently been practising the cello at home on an almost daily basis.
They said she generally begins at around 1pm and that the playing can sometimes continue until about 5pm. One tenant said the cello could occasionally also be heard in the evening.
On 19 September, the tenants claimed the playing continued for roughly three hours.
One of them, a university student, said she sometimes attends online classes from home and needs to rest during the day because she has classes in the evening. The tenants said headphones were not always sufficient to block out the sound.
They described the sound as surrounding their unit and compared it to someone “sawing wood”. Another tenant said she sometimes went to school or the library instead of remaining at home during the afternoon.
One of the tenants said an earlier attempt to communicate with the cellist appeared to help for a period, but alleged that the practice sessions later became longer again.
Cellist Says She Practises for No More Than About 2 Hours
The cellist, identified by Shin Min only as 25-year-old Lin, gave a different account.
She said she is a student at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and works as a music teacher, making cello practice part of her professional life.
According to her, she generally starts practising at around 1pm or 2pm and each session lasts no more than about two hours.
She said she closes her doors and windows while practising and had lived in the unit for more than a decade without receiving similar complaints from other neighbours.
Shin Min also spoke to a neighbour living beside Lin, who said the volume of the cello was acceptable and did not regard it as a noise problem.
Lin felt the tenants were making too much of the issue and questioned why afternoon practice should be considered disruptive.
Community Mediation Centre Meeting Reportedly Proposed
Mothership, citing Shin Min, reported that the tenants’ landlord later sought assistance and that both sides were invited to a meeting at the Community Mediation Centre.
One tenant claimed Lin did not attend. Lin reportedly felt mediation was unnecessary because she did not believe she had done anything wrong.
The Community Mediation Centre handles disputes between neighbours, and voluntary mediation through the centre is free. Sessions can be held in person or virtually depending on the case.
Separately, Singapore expanded its neighbour-dispute framework nationwide from 1 September 2026. HDB and the People’s Association can now issue formal Mediation Directions requiring parties in certain disputes to attend mediation. There is no indication in the reports that the Jurong West meeting was such a compulsory direction.
