David Lim Kim San (born 7 May 1933) is considered to be one of the architects of music education in Singapore.
David Lim was born in a Peranakan and Methodist family. He attended Telok Kurau Primary School and Victoria School, where he benefited from the mentorship of Benjamin Khoo and Paul Abisheganaden.
At the Ministry of Education (MOE), Benjamin Khoo and David Lim started the Combined Schools Choir, which was later renamed the Singapore Youth Choir (SYC), in 1964. Lim took took over the SYC solely in 1968. They also initiated the school band movement and designed the band curriculum for MOE.
In 1969, David Lim was promoted to be the Head of Music Department in MOE. The number of school bands grew from 4 to 150 within a short period. David Lim later also pioneered the instrumental teaching programme in primary schools which encouraged the use of instruments in the teaching and learning of music.
In the area of choral conducting, David Lim was responsible for the formation and training of many junior college choirs, and many of the school choirs now are led by former members of the SYC.
David Lim was the first recipient of the Cultural Medallion (Music) in 1979 for his contributions to music to Singapore.
He retired from MOE in 1996.