A total of 388 students from primary and secondary schools took part in the record-setting performance that also helped promote the country’s unique Malaysian-Chinese culture.

VR Drumming Academy founder and managing director Lee Cheng Wai said the students practised seven to ten hours a day in the three months leading up to the show.

Tourism and Culture Minister Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz launched the performance at SJK Tsun Jin in Kampung Pandan, here today.

“This is a signature event of great cultural significance celebrating and sharing with the world Malaysia’s great multicultural community,” he said in his opening speech.

“Drums are the common denominator in any culture so what better way to celebrate the diversity in Malaysia than with this performance?”

Later at a press conference, Nazri said 24-festive drumming could be implemented in other schools, including Tamil vernacular schools and national schools provided it was popularised first.

“It must first be embraced and then accepted before schools will request for it, and for that to happen, we must first popularise it. The performance today helped that effort,” he said.

He said he could see that the rigours of 24-festive drumming were beneficial to its exponents.

“It teaches the drummers to be disciplined and it is also good for the memory as drummers have to remember the steps.”