Lily Goh

Lily Goh is a pioneering advocate for the Deaf community, an accomplished artiste, and the founder of ExtraOrdinary Horizons, a platform dedicated to teaching Singapore Sign Language (SgSL) directly from the Deaf. With over eight years of experience as a facilitator at the Singapore Association for the Deaf (SADeaf), Lily has been instrumental in promoting arts, culture, heritage, language, and music within the community, fostering inclusivity throughout Singapore.

Currently, Lily is a Deaf arts and music practitioner-artiste who regularly goes live on TikTok to teach Singapore Sign Language and share Deaf music with her viewers and subscribers. Her engaging content not only educates but also bridges the gap between Deaf and hearing communities. Explore her work on her TikTok profile for more insights into her innovative approach.

An exceptional talent in Deaf music—a beautiful blend of sign language, music, visual theatrics and other Deaf elements—Lily uses her artistry as a powerful tool for advocacy and awareness. She specializes in integrating music with sign language and other forms of visual storytelling, including Visual Vernacular, to transcend traditional communication barriers. Notably, she crafted the interpretation of Coldplay's "Something Just Like This", which was performed by Chris Martin himself during their concert in Singapore. This collaboration highlights Lily's significant influence in promoting inclusivity in the arts and showcases the global reach of her work.

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Additionally, Lily performed with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra during their National Day Concerts in 2023 and 2024, adding a unique dimension to the orchestral performance through her integration of sign language. This collaboration marked a significant step toward inclusivity in classical music, allowing Deaf audiences to experience the concert in a meaningful way.

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Lily has performed at numerous events both locally and internationally. She recently participated in the DARE Festival 2024 held at Gateway Theatre—a vibrant celebration of inclusivity and courage. Her performance illuminated the event with her unique blend of Deaf music and sign language interpretation. Lily's involvement underscores her ongoing commitment to empowering individuals with disabilities and promoting inclusive art forms on both national and international stages.

 

She is also a seasoned performing artiste who plays mallet percussion since her age of 10. Lily has received a formal training in music. She has obtained a Grade 8 in Percussion with Merit (2007), a Grade 6 in Percussion with Merit (2007), a Grade 5 in Music Theory with Distinction (2001) and a Grade 5 in Piano (1999).

Lily was the member of Canossian School Percussion Band from 1989 to 1995, and Concert Band of St. Anthony's Canossian Secondary School from 1994 to 1997. She also performed in Ngee Ann Polytechnic's Concert Band in 1998. From 2004 to 2015, she assisted in teaching percussion music at Canossian School (renamed into Canossa Catholic Primary School).

In 2004, she took part in the Singapore Idol Season 1, becoming the first Deaf participant to advance through two rounds and winning admiration from the public. As a result, she appeared in various media outlets, such as Channel 5 – The Unsung Heroes (2004), Channel U – The Youth Decode (2005), Her World, Lime and several newspapers. In 2007, she received her first award under the Talent Development Programme by the Very Special Arts (Singapore), winning a marimba sponsored by Asia Pacific Breweries Singapore (Tiger Beer). With this instrument, she expanded her percussion skills and aimed to inspire Deaf youths to pursue their musical passions meaningfully.

She learnt the Deaf music (reframed from song-signing) when she became the member of Ngee Ann Polytechnic - HI! Club in 1998. She was elected to be the third President of NP HI! Club (1999/2000). Since 1998, she performed at many events, representing NP HI! Club (1998-2001) and Singapore Association for the Deaf (SADeaf) (2000-2008). She was a volunteer leader of XTOMIC that she had founded at SADeaf. Also, her overseas performance stints started in 2005. In 2008, Lily was invited to SPOTLIGHT - an Asian Festival of Inclusive Arts in Cambodia and she had touched many hearts through her Deaf music. Over time, she evolved into a seasoned performing artiste, specializing in Deaf music and percussion. 

Lily was then invited to represent Singapore for ASEAN Festival of Disabled Artists in Myanmar from 1 December 2014 to 7 December 2014. She showcased her musical talents & skills in mallet percussion (xylophone) and Deaf music. Its highlights included the Flight of the Bumblebee, Happy Mallets and Rondo Alla Turca. Her 'Let It Go' song was adapted from the popular movie, Frozen in a Deaf way for a deaf lady who was suppressed of her freedom to express herself in Sign Language. She co-wrote her song, "If You Were In My Shoes" with a hearing singer, Audris Ho. This song emerged as a semi-finalist in UK Song-writing Contest 2015 (Music Video Category). Lily is also the member of the Purple Symphony since 2015, playing marimba. She is featured as part of the virtual choir interlude in the NDP2022 and NDP 2023 celebrations.

Beyond her musical pursuits, Lily is a Deaf interpreter in theatre arts. She collaborates with various theatre productions (The Necessary Stage x CAKE Theatrical Productions' "Survivor Singapore" & Singapore Repertory Theatre Inclusive Young Company Production's "Meet Fred") to provide sign language interpretation, making performances accessible to Deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences. Her expertise ensures that emotional depth, cultural nuances, and artistic expressions are effectively conveyed in SgSL, enriching the theatrical experience for all attendees. Lily's contributions as a Deaf interpreter not only bridge communication gaps but also promote inclusivity within the performing arts community.

Lily began teaching sign language to the public as a voluntary sign language instructor at the Singapore Association for the Deaf (SADeaf) from 2002 to 2010. She contributed towards the development of beginners' course curriculum in Signing Exact English (SEE2) during her time with the Singapore Association for the Deaf. She had obtained her certificate of participation in Basic Linguistics in Sign Language in 2007.

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She also volunteered with H3 World TV, an international charitable Deaf media organization that produces and streams TV programs in International Sign (IS) to a global audience. For nearly three years, she produced monthly news reports that focus on stories in Asia, further amplifying the voices of the Deaf communities.

She completed her undergraduate degree program in Sociology with Communication at Singapore University of Social Sciences in 2020, and is believed to be the first Deaf student who majored in Sociology there. She completed the WSQ Advanced Certificate in Learning and Performance (ACLP) program at the Institute for Adult Learning (IAL) in 2021.

 

As a registered Disability Equality Training (DET) facilitator with the Disability Equality Training Forum, Lily empowers organizations to foster inclusivity for people with disabilities. Through interactive workshops and training sessions, she challenges societal perceptions of disability, promotes the social model of disability, and equips participants with practical strategies to create accessible and equitable environments.

Lily was renowned for winning the Singapore Woman Award 2014, which is organised by MediaCorp. The Singapore Woman Award is a celebration of the ordinary woman who has made extraordinary achievements. It recognizes women who have relentlessly helped others and benefited society and the public. It aims to encourage them to keep the passion going and inspire others to do the same.

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She received her award under Humanitarian and/or Voluntary Leadership for the Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World 2017, which is honoured by Junior Chamber International (JCI) Singapore, a non-profit organization whose mission is to contribute to the world by preparing better leaders, who will in turn create better societies.

Connect with Lily Goh
For collaborations, performances, or other workshops/DET sessions, please connect Lily. You can find out more about her on LinkedIn or her personal website. You can also view her profile on TikTok for the latest updates.