Hey band!
Just a little reminder, band practice will resume on friday 2nd of January on the first day of school. It will start at 2.30 pm. Don't be late! And no nonsense about remedial either. Unless, well, you really do have remedial. Everyone has to come down, including current sec ones/future sec 2s.
Remember, amidst the chaos of homework and other stuff, don't let your playing deprove. True, we're supposed to have cleared all technical problems for the two pieces and start to concentrate on musicality and interpretation, but technical problems WILL pop up if you slack off. Orientation, cca tour and new sec ones are coming right around the corner, so be prepared. Show the little kids what a great cca band is!
Oh right, here's a link to Mr Glosz's company's website. It has our schedule on it, as well as his other schools, if you're interested. http://www.calendarwiz.com/calendars/calendar.php?cat_current=59576&crd=dgmusicconsultants&
See you all.
Wednesday, 31 December 2008
Tuesday, 23 December 2008
Creating It Perfect
Yo guys!
Well, I found this interesting anecdote on the internet. I think I shall dedicate this Mr Tan, because honestly, he is like a teacher to us, drilling us on the "Band & Music" subject, and also to all our beloved teachers-in-charge, as well as all the past to present teachers of Catholic High School. We are all indebted to them
Don't you all agree?
Creating It Perfect:
The Good Lord was creating teachers. It was His sixth day of 'overtime' and He knew that this was a tremendous responsibility for teachers would touch the lives of so many impressionable young children. An angel appeared to Him and said, "You are taking a long time to figure this one out."
"Yes," said the Lord, " but have you read the specs on this order?"
TEACHER:
…must stand above all students, yet be on their level
...must be able to do 180 things not connected with the subject being taught
... must run on coffee and leftovers
... must communicate vital knowledge to all students daily and be right most of the time
... must have more time for others than for herself/himself
... must have a smile that can endure through pay cuts, problematic children, and worried parents
... must go on teaching when parents question every move and others are not supportive
... must have 6 pair of hands.
"Six pair of hands, " said the angel, "that's impossible"
"Well, " said the Lord, " it is not the hands that are the problem. It is the three pairs of eyes that are presenting the most difficulty!"
The angel looked incredulous, " Three pairs of eyes...on a standard model?"
The Lord nodded His head, " One pair can see a student for what he is and not what others have labeled him as. Another pair of eyes is in the back of the teacher's head to see what should not be seen, but what must be known. The eyes in the front are only to look at the child as he/she 'acts out' in order to reflect, " I understand and I still believe in you", without so much as saying a word to the child."
"Lord, " said the angel, " this is a very large project and I think you should work on it tomorrow".
"I can't," said the Lord, " for I have come very close to creating something much like Myself. I have one that comes to work when he/she is sick.....teaches a class of children that do not want to learn....has a special place in his/her heart for children who are not his/her own.....understands the struggles of those who have difficulty....never takes the students for granted..."
The angel looked closely at the model the Lord was creating. "It is too soft-hearted, " said the angel.
"Yes," said the Lord, " but also tough, You can not imagine what this teacher can endure or do, if necessary".
"Can this teacher think?" asked the angel.
"Not only think," said the Lord,. "but reason and compromise."
The angel came closer to have a better look at the model and ran his finger over the teacher's cheek.
"Well, Lord, " said the angel, your job looks fine but there is a leak. I told you that you were putting too much into this model. You can not imagine the stress that will be placed upon the teacher."
The Lord moved in closer and lifted the drop of moisture from the teacher's cheek. It shone and glistened in the light.
"It is not a leak," He said, "It is a tear."
"A tear? What is that?" asked the angel, "What is a tear for?"
The Lord replied with great thought, " It is for the joy and pride of seeing a child accomplish even the smallest task. It is for the loneliness of children who have a hard time to fit in and it is for compassion for the feelings of their parents. It comes from the pain of not being able to reach some children and the disappointment those children feel in themselves. It comes often when a teacher has been with a class for a year and must say good-bye to those students and get ready to welcome a new class."
"
My, " said the angel, " The tear thing is a great idea...You are a genius!!"
The Lord looked somber, "I didn't put it there."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, hope all of you understood what that meant, and although its not as long as Quintus' or Louis' posts, I hope it made a difference in how you saw your teachers.
Well, I found this interesting anecdote on the internet. I think I shall dedicate this Mr Tan, because honestly, he is like a teacher to us, drilling us on the "Band & Music" subject, and also to all our beloved teachers-in-charge, as well as all the past to present teachers of Catholic High School. We are all indebted to them
Don't you all agree?
Creating It Perfect:
The Good Lord was creating teachers. It was His sixth day of 'overtime' and He knew that this was a tremendous responsibility for teachers would touch the lives of so many impressionable young children. An angel appeared to Him and said, "You are taking a long time to figure this one out."
"Yes," said the Lord, " but have you read the specs on this order?"
TEACHER:
…must stand above all students, yet be on their level
...must be able to do 180 things not connected with the subject being taught
... must run on coffee and leftovers
... must communicate vital knowledge to all students daily and be right most of the time
... must have more time for others than for herself/himself
... must have a smile that can endure through pay cuts, problematic children, and worried parents
... must go on teaching when parents question every move and others are not supportive
... must have 6 pair of hands.
"Six pair of hands, " said the angel, "that's impossible"
"Well, " said the Lord, " it is not the hands that are the problem. It is the three pairs of eyes that are presenting the most difficulty!"
The angel looked incredulous, " Three pairs of eyes...on a standard model?"
The Lord nodded His head, " One pair can see a student for what he is and not what others have labeled him as. Another pair of eyes is in the back of the teacher's head to see what should not be seen, but what must be known. The eyes in the front are only to look at the child as he/she 'acts out' in order to reflect, " I understand and I still believe in you", without so much as saying a word to the child."
"Lord, " said the angel, " this is a very large project and I think you should work on it tomorrow".
"I can't," said the Lord, " for I have come very close to creating something much like Myself. I have one that comes to work when he/she is sick.....teaches a class of children that do not want to learn....has a special place in his/her heart for children who are not his/her own.....understands the struggles of those who have difficulty....never takes the students for granted..."
The angel looked closely at the model the Lord was creating. "It is too soft-hearted, " said the angel.
"Yes," said the Lord, " but also tough, You can not imagine what this teacher can endure or do, if necessary".
"Can this teacher think?" asked the angel.
"Not only think," said the Lord,. "but reason and compromise."
The angel came closer to have a better look at the model and ran his finger over the teacher's cheek.
"Well, Lord, " said the angel, your job looks fine but there is a leak. I told you that you were putting too much into this model. You can not imagine the stress that will be placed upon the teacher."
The Lord moved in closer and lifted the drop of moisture from the teacher's cheek. It shone and glistened in the light.
"It is not a leak," He said, "It is a tear."
"A tear? What is that?" asked the angel, "What is a tear for?"
The Lord replied with great thought, " It is for the joy and pride of seeing a child accomplish even the smallest task. It is for the loneliness of children who have a hard time to fit in and it is for compassion for the feelings of their parents. It comes from the pain of not being able to reach some children and the disappointment those children feel in themselves. It comes often when a teacher has been with a class for a year and must say good-bye to those students and get ready to welcome a new class."
"
My, " said the angel, " The tear thing is a great idea...You are a genius!!"
The Lord looked somber, "I didn't put it there."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, hope all of you understood what that meant, and although its not as long as Quintus' or Louis' posts, I hope it made a difference in how you saw your teachers.
Sunday, 21 December 2008
Mr Leonard Tan!
Hey everybody!
It was a memorable 19th December 2008 for CHSSB, because it was the (officially) last practice with our BELOVED conductor, Mr Leonard Tan.
We gave all sorts of presents to him; bears, book, love letters, a model of a saxophone and gramophone and so on and so forth.
It was a memorable 19th December 2008 for CHSSB, because it was the (officially) last practice with our BELOVED conductor, Mr Leonard Tan.
We gave all sorts of presents to him; bears, book, love letters, a model of a saxophone and gramophone and so on and so forth.
Well, all good things must come to an end. And really, I think what we will miss Mr Tan of, are his:
- Lame jokes. He practically bombarded us with his cold jokes on that day. ok wait, maybe not bombarded. Example: (Courteosy of Garald Gan to remind me) You guys rock my socks until it has a hole! (Er...ok..)
- His conducting. Even though Hr tan keeps saying he is not talented, I just think he is. I mean, his way of conducting is very different from Miss Tan or Mr Glosz. Of course, everyone has their own style.
- His motivational story. Mr tan never fails to motivate us. Ok, maybe at least me. He told us his story of his childhood, about how he work so hard to achieve perfect pitch and learn the violin. (though its very funny in the way he relates it). For example: to get perfect pitch, he sleeps with his tuner every night. How cool is that?
Like all the conductors who have come and gone through the history of CHSSB, I, on the behalf of those who still care about our Band, want to sincerely give our thanks and gratitude to Mr Leonard Tan.
Mr Tan, you are like one of Catholic High School's teacher, except that you are just exclusive to us. Yes indeed, we regard you with respect, as our teacher and our conductor.
Well, all I can do now is to wish Mr Leonard Tan luck in his future endeavours and everything. And all we can do to repay Mr Tan now, is to do well for the SYF, and make him feel proud of us!
PS: OH, you can also stay in touch with him on Facebook!
Sunday, 14 December 2008
VJC Concert-- My Reflections.
Hi people!
On Friday, a bunch of CHSSB members and I went to the VJC concert conducted mainly by Mr Leonard Tan, and Mr Zachariah Goh, the to-be-conductor of VJC.
It was fantastic and amazingly refreshing! The pieces were of high standards, and the Band was great. Yeah, "GREAT" is the word. The concert was called "A Not So Silent Night", and true to its name, it wasn't. It was full of laughter, cheers, good music and awe.
For one, the Band, including the Alumni Band, practically "owned the zone". (Pardon me for my lame-ness, as thou can only think of this phrase for the time being)
Second, the emcess were so hyperactive and interactive with the audience. Third, and most probably the highlight of the whole concert (which you may agree with me if you went), was the Skit. It was dumb, stupid and retarded, but at the same time, it practically led the audience to laugh until they have a stomache, and it was romantic as well. Also, there was a certain hidden meaning beneath the Skit.
(YES, there were intimate scenes. Now you will regret for not attending the concert!)
Overall, the concert is what we can say as, "kick-ass".
However, after I went home, the concert reminded me about something, something that seemed to be bothering me over the past few months whenever I attend concerts.
Concert Etiquette.
People whispering. Cell phones ringing. Talking. Turning around in seats. Leaving before the entire performance is finished. Have you ever noticed people around you do that? Or have you ever realised that it was actually YOU, yourself, doing it. And one more incorrigible act of bad concert etiquette: Bad attire.
On Friday night, I saw tons of the audience in Bermudas, sandals, slippers, and and amazingly casual shorts. Please note, I am not here to educate you on all the "rules" on attending concerts.
There ARE NO rules when you attend concerts. There are only what we call "Respect". True enough, I saw familiar faces with sandals, shorts, and Catholic High PE T-shirt and CHSSB polo T-shirt.
It's ok to wear school uniform and Band Polo T-shirt to concerts, its perfectly fine. (In fact, I think I m gonna wear the Band Polo Tee to concerts next time, thanks to the influence of several Secondary Twos.) And it's ok to wear the green pants, BUT have you ever wondered what people would think of our school when we wear the school PE T-shirt AND slippers and sandals at the same time? I saw several CHIJ Toa Payoh students, in fact I was sitting beside a few during the first half of the concert, and they were wearing school uniform with shoes, and come were in jeans.
And it is also a crime to comment on the Band during a piece. I mean, it is ok to say things like "They played it very well" and "we should play like that", but giving bad comments is the rudest thing to do during a concert, for example giving audible comments like "Oh my god, he mispitched!" and "The clarinet squeaked AGAIN!" If you want to comment, do it at home while watching TV.
So, what exactly is the proper attire and etiquette. Well, I did some research, and here is what is expected in the USA:
On Friday, a bunch of CHSSB members and I went to the VJC concert conducted mainly by Mr Leonard Tan, and Mr Zachariah Goh, the to-be-conductor of VJC.
It was fantastic and amazingly refreshing! The pieces were of high standards, and the Band was great. Yeah, "GREAT" is the word. The concert was called "A Not So Silent Night", and true to its name, it wasn't. It was full of laughter, cheers, good music and awe.
For one, the Band, including the Alumni Band, practically "owned the zone". (Pardon me for my lame-ness, as thou can only think of this phrase for the time being)
Second, the emcess were so hyperactive and interactive with the audience. Third, and most probably the highlight of the whole concert (which you may agree with me if you went), was the Skit. It was dumb, stupid and retarded, but at the same time, it practically led the audience to laugh until they have a stomache, and it was romantic as well. Also, there was a certain hidden meaning beneath the Skit.
(YES, there were intimate scenes. Now you will regret for not attending the concert!)
Overall, the concert is what we can say as, "kick-ass".
However, after I went home, the concert reminded me about something, something that seemed to be bothering me over the past few months whenever I attend concerts.
Concert Etiquette.
People whispering. Cell phones ringing. Talking. Turning around in seats. Leaving before the entire performance is finished. Have you ever noticed people around you do that? Or have you ever realised that it was actually YOU, yourself, doing it. And one more incorrigible act of bad concert etiquette: Bad attire.
On Friday night, I saw tons of the audience in Bermudas, sandals, slippers, and and amazingly casual shorts. Please note, I am not here to educate you on all the "rules" on attending concerts.
There ARE NO rules when you attend concerts. There are only what we call "Respect". True enough, I saw familiar faces with sandals, shorts, and Catholic High PE T-shirt and CHSSB polo T-shirt.
It's ok to wear school uniform and Band Polo T-shirt to concerts, its perfectly fine. (In fact, I think I m gonna wear the Band Polo Tee to concerts next time, thanks to the influence of several Secondary Twos.) And it's ok to wear the green pants, BUT have you ever wondered what people would think of our school when we wear the school PE T-shirt AND slippers and sandals at the same time? I saw several CHIJ Toa Payoh students, in fact I was sitting beside a few during the first half of the concert, and they were wearing school uniform with shoes, and come were in jeans.
And it is also a crime to comment on the Band during a piece. I mean, it is ok to say things like "They played it very well" and "we should play like that", but giving bad comments is the rudest thing to do during a concert, for example giving audible comments like "Oh my god, he mispitched!" and "The clarinet squeaked AGAIN!" If you want to comment, do it at home while watching TV.
So, what exactly is the proper attire and etiquette. Well, I did some research, and here is what is expected in the USA:
- It is considered proper concert etiquette to clap only after a piece is complete, and not after movements.
- For attire, you will see apparel ranging from business casual to after-five dinner wear. Though you won’t see many people in jeans, wear what is comfortable when dressing for the night.
- Coughing can be an unavoidable problem, but there are ways to avoid coughing during the music. If you feel a cold coming on, please bring lozenges with you. Please unwrap the cough drop ahead of time.
- It is customary not to talk while the music playing. Being sensitive to your neighbors allows everyone to have a more pleasant concert experience.
There were many shouting and screaming, but maybe that is okay because this is a JC concert, not a really formal one. And maybe because of that, its okay to wear VERY casually.
But is that really true? In my opinion, every concert, wherever and whenver is it, it is formal. That's why I would try my best to dress appropriately, unless other circumstances states otherwise, and I will keep my mouth shut unless I find it mandatory to praise the Band. (Which i did several times on Friday Night) What would the VJC performers think when they know some of the audiences dress up in very casual attire just because they think that because this is a JC concert, its not a really formal one. How would they respond in their playing?
How would you feel if your audience come to Aesthetique or other concerts with that same mindset? Few of you maybe be defiant and maybe thinking at this point in time," Who cares?" But trust me, you do. Everyone in CHSSB does when that happens.
I quote this from a website :
When we go to concerts, we may go for many reasons, but the most important reason is to watch and listen to the performers.
The performers are NOT on television. They are alive; they can see and hear the audience; they want to be able to do a great job for you. Good concert etiquette helps the audience have a good experience.
What some people fail to realize is that the audience can also help the performers perform better.With no visual or auditory distractions, performers can concentrate on giving a great performance. They are trying their best to present an enjoyable musical experience for everyone.
SO basically, this is all I have to say. I believe good concert etiquette is important, no matter what it is, behaviour or attire (I know some of us go to concert and start shouting other people's names).
And I believe, comfortable attire and courteous behaviour will give both the performers and the audience an enjoyable experience, wouldn't you agree?
Friday, 5 December 2008
Words from your dear Band Major L... X)
Alright everyone........ X)
You should really have known who I am.....
Louis..... X)
If you have not realised by now.....
we are like midway through our holidays.....
Band..........
Holidays..........
Studies...........
Juggle them well.
according to the nifty looking countdown.......
we have only 114 days to SYF.....
Thats like 3.8 months more.
Band.....
These 3.8 months Will determine what You will Get for SYF........
Its that simple.
My friends, the time is now..
Motiviation, Perseverance, Success.......
Everyone calls it the SYF period......
where we all will need the SkyHigh energy levels in Every practice.
Perfect attendance is already a Must.
I want you guys to have these energy levels, but it has to be from your heart.
Motivation.......
We look back at like 2 batches ago......
Daniel......
Yue Sheng........
We dont want to fail them.....
Neither do I...
Our Alumni really wish their band, (us), would get the result we want.
Just think........
Imagine the pride they will have, if their Band gets the award..
How we can hold our heads high.....
and be proud that we did ourselves justice by doing our very best..
however......
If We dont do our Best....
Not only do we let down our School.......
We let down Ourselves...
You yourselves have heard that our band, has the Potential........
but......
what use is this Potential.....
if We Dont Use it to its Fullest.
Show the Conductors, our Teachers...
that we take our Band practice seriously......
Have a Perfect Attendance,
Come Early for Band!
Be Proud of your own CCA...... X)
For Combine,
1) ALL Music Scores required ( Take Extremely good care of them )
2) Pencils ( Always have at least one per file, )
3) Metronome/Tuner ( Section Leaders )
Use every opportunity to make Combine Practice a Success.....
Dont get distracted.
Turn your phone off or something....
Dont get Bored!
Music is enjoyable...... XD
Take every Combine practice as a performance......
For Sectionals,
Remember, the Road to SYF is about having....
a Positive Attitude,
and a Hardworking Mentality.....
===============================================
Section Leaders,
Take the Initiative to Lead your Section....
Call for Sectionals!
Arrange Sectionals...... Tutors.....
( Well done flutes and trombones... )
Sectionals really PowerLevel ( gaming term X) ) a section....
Have an Efficient and Effective Sectional practice.
1) Set a Target
(Set a realistic Time Limit/Date Line for things you want your section to achieve)
2) Structure your Practice
( Big Picture ===> Detail Work ===> Big Picture, aka Hourglass )
3) Sequence your Learning
( Rhythm, Notes, Articulation, Dynamics, Phrasing, even Breath Marks )
4) Sing!
( It really helps your section to have this musical message in your brain )
5) Take it Slow
( Slow practice with metronome helps you to perfect something correct, not your messy mistakes, especially awkward or running notes )
Section Leaders, Take your position as a Section Leader very seriously.
You are the Leader of your section...
You have been handed the post as your seniors have found that You have the potential to lead your section to far greater heights...
Take this opportunity, and Use it to its fullest...
===============================================
Band members,
Have Faith, and Trust in your Section Leaders,
Respect them........... Listen to them...... Follow them.......
Remember, that They Are humans, and they may make errors....
Forgive them, as they will forgive you...... X) ( Quoted kind of from the Bible )
Surely, they too want their section to be the very best they can be.....
Work hard to Perfect all the SYF pieces......
These 2 pieces mean So much more than just mere music scores...
you know it in your hearts what it means to everyone....
Turn your weaknesses into Strengths.
Every Good Band out there, has put in countless hours of practice......
To be what they are now.......
There is no substitute for hard work, CHSSB.......
It may sound so simple.....
yet it is so Important its overlooked....
Now is the time......... to pick ourselves up....
and take flight to SYF....
as a Band....
I know ALL of you can do it...
Every Single one of you I see during Practice........
We've been through Competition, Concerts........
What more is SYF.....
but just Two pieces in like 15 minutes or so...
We'll get there..........
Get what we want.........
and Look back.......
Only then.....
We'll see how far we went..... X)
together... as a band....
Sec Ones........
Your next SYF is within reach too..........
Work on your foundations...... your techniques..... your musicality.....
With that........
Your Batch will have no problem in sounding great....
You guys have the Spirit..........
and the Band is proud to have such wonderful Sec 1's....
If this keeps up.....
Your standards will fly.... X)
Alright........
your eyes must be tired now huh... X)
haha.........
Remember what I said.....
Scroll Back up if you forgot.......
=.= seriously...
Remember.......
We are aiming for a "Transcendental" experience for SYF.....
the judges will have to go...
"Zomgawd they are pro.... " X)
Work hard towards SYF everyone....
I'll be posting more often to talk to you everyone......
My friends.....
" Embrace your dreams....... Protect your Honour......... "
Thanks, Mr (Leonard) Tan, for everything....
You were Always there to encourage us.... X)
Thanks for the wonderful memories.
L was online on 5/12/2008 at 11:00am
You should really have known who I am.....
Louis..... X)
If you have not realised by now.....
we are like midway through our holidays.....
Band..........
Holidays..........
Studies...........
Juggle them well.
according to the nifty looking countdown.......
we have only 114 days to SYF.....
Thats like 3.8 months more.
Band.....
These 3.8 months Will determine what You will Get for SYF........
Its that simple.
My friends, the time is now..
Motiviation, Perseverance, Success.......
Everyone calls it the SYF period......
where we all will need the SkyHigh energy levels in Every practice.
Perfect attendance is already a Must.
I want you guys to have these energy levels, but it has to be from your heart.
Motivation.......
We look back at like 2 batches ago......
Daniel......
Yue Sheng........
We dont want to fail them.....
Neither do I...
Our Alumni really wish their band, (us), would get the result we want.
Just think........
Imagine the pride they will have, if their Band gets the award..
How we can hold our heads high.....
and be proud that we did ourselves justice by doing our very best..
however......
If We dont do our Best....
Not only do we let down our School.......
We let down Ourselves...
You yourselves have heard that our band, has the Potential........
but......
what use is this Potential.....
if We Dont Use it to its Fullest.
Show the Conductors, our Teachers...
that we take our Band practice seriously......
Have a Perfect Attendance,
Come Early for Band!
Be Proud of your own CCA...... X)
For Combine,
1) ALL Music Scores required ( Take Extremely good care of them )
2) Pencils ( Always have at least one per file, )
3) Metronome/Tuner ( Section Leaders )
Use every opportunity to make Combine Practice a Success.....
Dont get distracted.
Turn your phone off or something....
Dont get Bored!
Music is enjoyable...... XD
Take every Combine practice as a performance......
For Sectionals,
Remember, the Road to SYF is about having....
a Positive Attitude,
and a Hardworking Mentality.....
===============================================
Section Leaders,
Take the Initiative to Lead your Section....
Call for Sectionals!
Arrange Sectionals...... Tutors.....
( Well done flutes and trombones... )
Sectionals really PowerLevel ( gaming term X) ) a section....
Have an Efficient and Effective Sectional practice.
1) Set a Target
(Set a realistic Time Limit/Date Line for things you want your section to achieve)
2) Structure your Practice
( Big Picture ===> Detail Work ===> Big Picture, aka Hourglass )
3) Sequence your Learning
( Rhythm, Notes, Articulation, Dynamics, Phrasing, even Breath Marks )
4) Sing!
( It really helps your section to have this musical message in your brain )
5) Take it Slow
( Slow practice with metronome helps you to perfect something correct, not your messy mistakes, especially awkward or running notes )
Section Leaders, Take your position as a Section Leader very seriously.
You are the Leader of your section...
You have been handed the post as your seniors have found that You have the potential to lead your section to far greater heights...
Take this opportunity, and Use it to its fullest...
===============================================
Band members,
Have Faith, and Trust in your Section Leaders,
Respect them........... Listen to them...... Follow them.......
Remember, that They Are humans, and they may make errors....
Forgive them, as they will forgive you...... X) ( Quoted kind of from the Bible )
Surely, they too want their section to be the very best they can be.....
Work hard to Perfect all the SYF pieces......
These 2 pieces mean So much more than just mere music scores...
you know it in your hearts what it means to everyone....
Turn your weaknesses into Strengths.
Every Good Band out there, has put in countless hours of practice......
To be what they are now.......
There is no substitute for hard work, CHSSB.......
It may sound so simple.....
yet it is so Important its overlooked....
Now is the time......... to pick ourselves up....
and take flight to SYF....
as a Band....
I know ALL of you can do it...
Every Single one of you I see during Practice........
We've been through Competition, Concerts........
What more is SYF.....
but just Two pieces in like 15 minutes or so...
We'll get there..........
Get what we want.........
and Look back.......
Only then.....
We'll see how far we went..... X)
together... as a band....
Sec Ones........
Your next SYF is within reach too..........
Work on your foundations...... your techniques..... your musicality.....
With that........
Your Batch will have no problem in sounding great....
You guys have the Spirit..........
and the Band is proud to have such wonderful Sec 1's....
If this keeps up.....
Your standards will fly.... X)
Alright........
your eyes must be tired now huh... X)
haha.........
Remember what I said.....
Scroll Back up if you forgot.......
=.= seriously...
Remember.......
We are aiming for a "Transcendental" experience for SYF.....
the judges will have to go...
"Zomgawd they are pro.... " X)
Work hard towards SYF everyone....
I'll be posting more often to talk to you everyone......
My friends.....
" Embrace your dreams....... Protect your Honour......... "
Thanks, Mr (Leonard) Tan, for everything....
You were Always there to encourage us.... X)
Thanks for the wonderful memories.
L was online on 5/12/2008 at 11:00am
Thursday, 4 December 2008
Funny Video
Hey Guys!
I found this funny video of a stick animation on Youtube.
Its quite violent, but I am sure all of you are mature enough to see this.
The title speaks for itself: The Cliff: Get the Girl.
I found this funny video of a stick animation on Youtube.
Its quite violent, but I am sure all of you are mature enough to see this.
The title speaks for itself: The Cliff: Get the Girl.
Sunday, 30 November 2008
Faith, Hope, and Love.
What an eventful night it was!
I am sure every single CHSSB member had a great concert with Mr Tan, and we will never forget what he had taught us during his period of one year +++ in CHSSB.
Well, I am here to share my reflections with you guys. You know, many may see "Faith, Hope, and Love" as just an ordinary concert. For some, it may be their first formal concert in their Band life. But for me, or rather for the CHSSB, its not only a farewell concert for Mr Tan, but it is a night to impress the audience and show them what CHSSB has got to offer.
For me, it was a spectacular night. Sure, there are many important lessons for us to learn, and many mistakes and issues for us to reflect on, but wouldn't you agree that the concert was such a successful one? The magnificence, the energy, the "high"-ness--it was all there, be it in CHSSB, CHIJ Concert Band or St Margaret Symphony Band.
Basking in all the "high"-ness was probably one of the highlights of "Faith, Hope, and Love".
Now it has come to an end, and I would really miss it. And I am sure not only the members of CHSSB, but also CHIJ and St Margaret would miss both the concert and Mr Tan.
Oh well, all good things must come to an end...
I am sure every single CHSSB member had a great concert with Mr Tan, and we will never forget what he had taught us during his period of one year +++ in CHSSB.
Well, I am here to share my reflections with you guys. You know, many may see "Faith, Hope, and Love" as just an ordinary concert. For some, it may be their first formal concert in their Band life. But for me, or rather for the CHSSB, its not only a farewell concert for Mr Tan, but it is a night to impress the audience and show them what CHSSB has got to offer.
For me, it was a spectacular night. Sure, there are many important lessons for us to learn, and many mistakes and issues for us to reflect on, but wouldn't you agree that the concert was such a successful one? The magnificence, the energy, the "high"-ness--it was all there, be it in CHSSB, CHIJ Concert Band or St Margaret Symphony Band.
Basking in all the "high"-ness was probably one of the highlights of "Faith, Hope, and Love".
Now it has come to an end, and I would really miss it. And I am sure not only the members of CHSSB, but also CHIJ and St Margaret would miss both the concert and Mr Tan.
Oh well, all good things must come to an end...
Friday, 28 November 2008
The Day
It's quite pointless to create a new post at this time...no one will read it...probably after the concert...anyway..
Tommorow is the day, most likely the last performance with Mr Leonard Tan...sad indeed...
But remember to be positive, have self-confidence, and don't give Mr Tan a bad impression on the performance. I'm sure that we all won't want to let Mr. Tan down.
Show Mr Tan how great is your playing, give him your best shot! Make the performance a memorable, magical, ...etc... one! Be passionate, be musical!
"Music is in between the notes!"
"Play like you are the best musician in the world!"
REMEMBER TO WATCH!
Let's own this concert!
Tommorow is the day, most likely the last performance with Mr Leonard Tan...sad indeed...
But remember to be positive, have self-confidence, and don't give Mr Tan a bad impression on the performance. I'm sure that we all won't want to let Mr. Tan down.
Show Mr Tan how great is your playing, give him your best shot! Make the performance a memorable, magical, ...etc... one! Be passionate, be musical!
"Music is in between the notes!"
"Play like you are the best musician in the world!"
REMEMBER TO WATCH!
Let's own this concert!
Advertisement.
Hey Band People...band camp was great wasn't it? :D
Here to advertise for a concert..usually seniors come to advertise concerts in which they're playing but this is an exception. 'Threnody' is part of the concert...do come and support those ppl playing my piece! :D
4 December THURSDAY
NOEL' 08
BY
Hwa Chong Symphonic Band
Hwa Chong Institution Military Band
Nanyang Concert Band
VENUE | TIME
Hwa Chong Institution (College) Auditorium 7PM
PRICE
S$6
CONDUCTOR/S
Ms Samantha Chong | Mr Darence Leng | Mr Daniel Kiang
REPERTOIRE
Theme from "Superman"
Machu Picchu
Gelato Con Caffe
Threnody
Warabe-Uta Fantasy
Blue Ridge Saga
Celebrate
Pachelbel's Canon in D
Crest of Nobility
CONTACT
hcband.hcisb@gmail.com
You can approach me for tix. =D
Here to advertise for a concert..usually seniors come to advertise concerts in which they're playing but this is an exception. 'Threnody' is part of the concert...do come and support those ppl playing my piece! :D
4 December THURSDAY
NOEL' 08
BY
Hwa Chong Symphonic Band
Hwa Chong Institution Military Band
Nanyang Concert Band
VENUE | TIME
Hwa Chong Institution (College) Auditorium 7PM
PRICE
S$6
CONDUCTOR/S
Ms Samantha Chong | Mr Darence Leng | Mr Daniel Kiang
REPERTOIRE
Theme from "Superman"
Machu Picchu
Gelato Con Caffe
Threnody
Warabe-Uta Fantasy
Blue Ridge Saga
Celebrate
Pachelbel's Canon in D
Crest of Nobility
CONTACT
hcband.hcisb@gmail.com
You can approach me for tix. =D
Wednesday, 26 November 2008
Band Camp Reflections 08
Guess its my turn to do the reflections, not that there's a schedule or anything, just that if Poh does it and then another guy does it, i guess its like an obligation or something. Ok, enough digressing.I'll probably recount what happened then proceed to give my thoughts, easier that way.
1st day: Report for practice, break for lunch, games, practice, dinner, sleep.Oh yes, day spent trying to fruitlessly convince Band that there is no Amazing Race, success within own room! yay!
Thoughts: A fairly reflectionless kind of day, thoughtworthy point would have to be the games. Personally felt that the memory race was abit saddening....biased towards fat people! The cavadi on the other hand was biased towards skinny people, so yea...evens out i guess.I don't really know if any team bonded within this period of time, having just been seperated into teams, people are probably more concerned about why their friends aren't with them at this point in time.
2nd Day: Morning PT, Breakfast, practice,lunch, free mingling time, dinner ,practice,sleep. Continued fruitless attempts at decieving Band, illusion in own room starting to break down.
Thought: Fairly disappointing reaction from Band at sight of breakfast, issue already covered by previous 2 reflections, but i'll do it anyway. Bread is considered a staple by most, at home while rushing to school, the most basic breakfast would be either biscuits or bread. I'd dare say that even the most privilledged(yes i know, probably spelled wrong) of us eats bread for breakfast. So whats wrong with bread for breakfast in camp. By right, food at camp should pale in comparisons to food at home, so by right, if we eat bread at home, we should be eating...i dunno... hardtack??
3rd Day: morning PT, breakfast, practice, amazing race( full day sectionals), seoul garden(osaka garden), sleep, nightwalk,sleep.Finally we can drop the facade, end the charade etc etc.(i think i used facade wrongly, but what to do, vocab expansion)
Thoughts: I guess personally, i allowed Guo Zhi to have too much freedom during the amazing race and we made a couple of wrong decisions, but i feel that over the course of the race, our team bonded alot. After all, the team that takes the-train-to-the-wrong-station-then-takes-a-1hr-bus-ride-followed-by-a-15-minute-walk bonds together.
At night, we had a real eye-opener by the teachers, so thank you for that.
Followed by a really refreshing and new way of an exco meeting. Really looking for more meetings of that type.
Refreshed and energized by the new direction, we proceeded to prepare for the night activities. Some Sec 3's really bonded while making the maze.
Unexpectedly, Band, wasn't really that angry at being woken up in the middle of the night. Went through night activities with my sole team mate Wei Nan. Completed a surprising lot. Completed personal time of 1 min 17 seconds for obstacle course while blindfolded. Supposed meeting turned into a snoozefest.
Day 4: breakfast,practice, home!
Thoughts: A really tired Sec 3 batch stayed awake throughout practice and promptly fell asleep during skit prep time, or at least, i did. Skit time was fun. Mike was funny, all the usual stuff, Band has resumed its normalcy.
I know, this is more of a breakdown than a reflection, but this is how i do it
1st day: Report for practice, break for lunch, games, practice, dinner, sleep.Oh yes, day spent trying to fruitlessly convince Band that there is no Amazing Race, success within own room! yay!
Thoughts: A fairly reflectionless kind of day, thoughtworthy point would have to be the games. Personally felt that the memory race was abit saddening....biased towards fat people! The cavadi on the other hand was biased towards skinny people, so yea...evens out i guess.I don't really know if any team bonded within this period of time, having just been seperated into teams, people are probably more concerned about why their friends aren't with them at this point in time.
2nd Day: Morning PT, Breakfast, practice,lunch, free mingling time, dinner ,practice,sleep. Continued fruitless attempts at decieving Band, illusion in own room starting to break down.
Thought: Fairly disappointing reaction from Band at sight of breakfast, issue already covered by previous 2 reflections, but i'll do it anyway. Bread is considered a staple by most, at home while rushing to school, the most basic breakfast would be either biscuits or bread. I'd dare say that even the most privilledged(yes i know, probably spelled wrong) of us eats bread for breakfast. So whats wrong with bread for breakfast in camp. By right, food at camp should pale in comparisons to food at home, so by right, if we eat bread at home, we should be eating...i dunno... hardtack??
3rd Day: morning PT, breakfast, practice, amazing race( full day sectionals), seoul garden(osaka garden), sleep, nightwalk,sleep.Finally we can drop the facade, end the charade etc etc.(i think i used facade wrongly, but what to do, vocab expansion)
Thoughts: I guess personally, i allowed Guo Zhi to have too much freedom during the amazing race and we made a couple of wrong decisions, but i feel that over the course of the race, our team bonded alot. After all, the team that takes the-train-to-the-wrong-station-then-takes-a-1hr-bus-ride-followed-by-a-15-minute-walk bonds together.
At night, we had a real eye-opener by the teachers, so thank you for that.
Followed by a really refreshing and new way of an exco meeting. Really looking for more meetings of that type.
Refreshed and energized by the new direction, we proceeded to prepare for the night activities. Some Sec 3's really bonded while making the maze.
Unexpectedly, Band, wasn't really that angry at being woken up in the middle of the night. Went through night activities with my sole team mate Wei Nan. Completed a surprising lot. Completed personal time of 1 min 17 seconds for obstacle course while blindfolded. Supposed meeting turned into a snoozefest.
Day 4: breakfast,practice, home!
Thoughts: A really tired Sec 3 batch stayed awake throughout practice and promptly fell asleep during skit prep time, or at least, i did. Skit time was fun. Mike was funny, all the usual stuff, Band has resumed its normalcy.
I know, this is more of a breakdown than a reflection, but this is how i do it
Tuesday, 25 November 2008
Band Camp 08' After Reflections
WEll,,thanks HS for summarsing what I wanted to say actually. Just wanted to let your know that this year, our camp was..how should I put it..more fun and more enjoyable?
I believe that this year, our camp was a enjoyable one for several reasons:
1. Drills and PT were minimal. Reflecting on the PT and drills part, we spent a total of less than 2 hours doing PT and drills. 1 hours each on Day 2 and Day 3, gosh.l..that was so much better. I think it also helped as we were able to focus better during practice on Day 2 and Day 3.
2. Food was good to a certain extent. yes, I agree that bread with kaya and magarine is not exactly the ideal stuff we would want to have for breakfast, but we just got to accept it right? Andrew, Avan and us were like discussing into the middle of the night till 2am regarding the breakfast issue, until we had no choice but to give you all bread and kaya for breakfast. Maybe we should let you know the reasons:
a. Our budget was not suited to provide a cooked, nice breakfast
b. Our time was running out. Which crazy food caterer opens in the middle of the night even if we wanted to order?
c. Our lunch and diiner for Day 1 and 2 is considered very sumptuous.
So I hope you can understand the reasoning behind it.
Writing to this point, I thought of something very important to say to the Secondary 1s. Sec 1s, regarding the Junior Band Examination, our selection basis was solely on the prepared piece: Golden Jubilee. To tell the truth, though we graded the Theory Test, Sight Reading and Scales, yet we did not take any of the 3 into account. We announced the results solely based on what Mr Glosz felt. He knew very clearly who had the potential, who could play, etc.
Therefore, please do not mistake us for the Exam being biased. IN the first place, Mr Glosz does not know any of you all. In fact, that night was the first time he ever knew that you were in the Sec 1 band. Mr Glosz will be discussing with the teachers to see if we can arrange another Exam for you guys. But the thing is, some of you are taking things too hard.
Especially when we break camp, the way some of you guys carried yourselves, we could clearly see that you were disappointed, some even depressed. We feel for you too, and will try to arrange a second round. But the thing is, do not get too discouraged. This is life...I am not trying to be some philosopher, but sometimes, you just gotta get over things.
Let us just take this as a stepping stone for us to further progress. This coming concert, play your best. As I have mentioned to you guys (Sec 1s) before, that comparing is no good, but lets face it, the 700+ audience WILL compare you with other Junior Bands. Whether they say "Cat High Junior Band are so great!" or "Cat High Junior Band has a long way to go" is all up to you.
Put the SYF issue aside for the time being. Let fate rest in its own hands and move on. If you face any difficulty and need to talk to someone, your SL or any Sec 3 will be always be there for you. Remember, we are one band, one sound, one brotherhood.
I do so miss the times of band camp...how I wish that we could frequently have band camps; bond us so closely together and help us grow together...
Ending off on a light note, band camp has been a fruitful one for one and for all, and we definitely have grown to become a more matured band. YAY! :)
I believe that this year, our camp was a enjoyable one for several reasons:
1. Drills and PT were minimal. Reflecting on the PT and drills part, we spent a total of less than 2 hours doing PT and drills. 1 hours each on Day 2 and Day 3, gosh.l..that was so much better. I think it also helped as we were able to focus better during practice on Day 2 and Day 3.
2. Food was good to a certain extent. yes, I agree that bread with kaya and magarine is not exactly the ideal stuff we would want to have for breakfast, but we just got to accept it right? Andrew, Avan and us were like discussing into the middle of the night till 2am regarding the breakfast issue, until we had no choice but to give you all bread and kaya for breakfast. Maybe we should let you know the reasons:
a. Our budget was not suited to provide a cooked, nice breakfast
b. Our time was running out. Which crazy food caterer opens in the middle of the night even if we wanted to order?
c. Our lunch and diiner for Day 1 and 2 is considered very sumptuous.
So I hope you can understand the reasoning behind it.
Writing to this point, I thought of something very important to say to the Secondary 1s. Sec 1s, regarding the Junior Band Examination, our selection basis was solely on the prepared piece: Golden Jubilee. To tell the truth, though we graded the Theory Test, Sight Reading and Scales, yet we did not take any of the 3 into account. We announced the results solely based on what Mr Glosz felt. He knew very clearly who had the potential, who could play, etc.
Therefore, please do not mistake us for the Exam being biased. IN the first place, Mr Glosz does not know any of you all. In fact, that night was the first time he ever knew that you were in the Sec 1 band. Mr Glosz will be discussing with the teachers to see if we can arrange another Exam for you guys. But the thing is, some of you are taking things too hard.
Especially when we break camp, the way some of you guys carried yourselves, we could clearly see that you were disappointed, some even depressed. We feel for you too, and will try to arrange a second round. But the thing is, do not get too discouraged. This is life...I am not trying to be some philosopher, but sometimes, you just gotta get over things.
Let us just take this as a stepping stone for us to further progress. This coming concert, play your best. As I have mentioned to you guys (Sec 1s) before, that comparing is no good, but lets face it, the 700+ audience WILL compare you with other Junior Bands. Whether they say "Cat High Junior Band are so great!" or "Cat High Junior Band has a long way to go" is all up to you.
Put the SYF issue aside for the time being. Let fate rest in its own hands and move on. If you face any difficulty and need to talk to someone, your SL or any Sec 3 will be always be there for you. Remember, we are one band, one sound, one brotherhood.
I do so miss the times of band camp...how I wish that we could frequently have band camps; bond us so closely together and help us grow together...
Ending off on a light note, band camp has been a fruitful one for one and for all, and we definitely have grown to become a more matured band. YAY! :)
Sunday, 23 November 2008
Band Camp '08 -- My Reflections
Hi Guys! It has been so long since I have posted. Hope everyone has enjoyed the Band Camp, because I know I sure did!
I am actually here to share with everyone my reflections for the camp. Though it was fun, tiring, and mind-boggling considering that it was somewhat hard to handle my Group (specifically Xian Zhe =P), there are so many learning points for me. So, I am here to share them with you, not as Media Head, not as French Horn section leader, not as a member of the leading batch of Secondary Three, but as a regular, normal Band member.
First of all, I like to clear some misunderstandings on an issue. The Band camp was not meant to be a vacation or a holiday. It never, ever was, and would never, ever be. We all are lucky to have Andrew Lai as our Welfare Head and Avan as our Enterprise Head, and our Council Members + Qin En to order good lunch and dinner, good facilities and classrooms, and fun games.
Believe me, Band camp was a hundred times more torturous when I was a Secondary Two.
So, we should never, ever complain. I know many did complain about the breakfast and all, but wasn't it good enough? I personally felt that the Kaya was great! NEVER TAKE THINGS FOR GRANTED. Why should we complain? If we did, does it mean that we are pampered?
I think it does. And Band doesn't really need pampered members, does it?
Second thing, another important thing I learnt is that RESPECT AND TRUST IS EVER SO IMPORTANT in Band. To trust is believing in your team members that they can do it. To respect is to listen to others and work together as a team. I have attended SO MANY camps in my 15 years of life, and whenever there is a camp reflection, I would put down on the booklet :"I learnt that teamwork is very important" "I learnt that coordination is very important" "I feel that togetherness in our team is why we won"
Frankly, everyone, even me, gets tired of "Teamwork is very important" reflection. Without Respect, without trust, can there be teamwork? If we think long and hard, we would realise that the world works not because of money, fame or fortune, but because of trust, respect and love. Only then, do we have teamwork, friendships, and relationships. Have we respected and put in trust in our peers during the camp?
At some periods of time, I haven't. Honestly speaking, I don't think anyone has for the entire camp.
And then, I learnt that we should never belittle other people, or should we ever taunt other people just because they have lost to us. And I believe that many, if not all, are guilty of this, including me. Stop the sarcasm and insults.
Aren't we all not the gentlemen and bilingual scholars of Catholic High?
Every camp that you have attended aims to mould you into another person, one that is tougher, more robust, and more passionate. I have many, many other learning points, but I don't think I have the ability to squeeze everything in here.
So, I will summarise all my learning points: COMMON SENSE. Yes indeed, I learnt that whatever we do, be it in Band Camp or during practice, the first thing we need to have is common sense.
It is common sense that teaches us to put our trust into our friends and care for them when they fall. It is common sense that tells us to endure all the tribulations we have encountered and lift our heads high to show others how proud we are as a musician. And it is common sense (conscience) and that nags at us in the ear that we should never put down our friends.
So, these are mainly what I have learnt in the camp. You don't really have to remember all that I have said, but you have to remember this: Whatever you are doing now, are you going against your principles? Are you going against against your own conscience?
Are you hurting your own friends? Or are you just a selfish dummy who is doing it for the sake of fun?
Really, 人之初，性本善。Everyone is born to be a good person, and everyone WILL grow up into a better person.
Bottomline, I have learnt that whatever I do, I just have to ask myself this question to make sure that I am doing the right thing: Are you using your common sense?
I am actually here to share with everyone my reflections for the camp. Though it was fun, tiring, and mind-boggling considering that it was somewhat hard to handle my Group (specifically Xian Zhe =P), there are so many learning points for me. So, I am here to share them with you, not as Media Head, not as French Horn section leader, not as a member of the leading batch of Secondary Three, but as a regular, normal Band member.
First of all, I like to clear some misunderstandings on an issue. The Band camp was not meant to be a vacation or a holiday. It never, ever was, and would never, ever be. We all are lucky to have Andrew Lai as our Welfare Head and Avan as our Enterprise Head, and our Council Members + Qin En to order good lunch and dinner, good facilities and classrooms, and fun games.
Believe me, Band camp was a hundred times more torturous when I was a Secondary Two.
So, we should never, ever complain. I know many did complain about the breakfast and all, but wasn't it good enough? I personally felt that the Kaya was great! NEVER TAKE THINGS FOR GRANTED. Why should we complain? If we did, does it mean that we are pampered?
I think it does. And Band doesn't really need pampered members, does it?
Second thing, another important thing I learnt is that RESPECT AND TRUST IS EVER SO IMPORTANT in Band. To trust is believing in your team members that they can do it. To respect is to listen to others and work together as a team. I have attended SO MANY camps in my 15 years of life, and whenever there is a camp reflection, I would put down on the booklet :"I learnt that teamwork is very important" "I learnt that coordination is very important" "I feel that togetherness in our team is why we won"
Frankly, everyone, even me, gets tired of "Teamwork is very important" reflection. Without Respect, without trust, can there be teamwork? If we think long and hard, we would realise that the world works not because of money, fame or fortune, but because of trust, respect and love. Only then, do we have teamwork, friendships, and relationships. Have we respected and put in trust in our peers during the camp?
At some periods of time, I haven't. Honestly speaking, I don't think anyone has for the entire camp.
And then, I learnt that we should never belittle other people, or should we ever taunt other people just because they have lost to us. And I believe that many, if not all, are guilty of this, including me. Stop the sarcasm and insults.
Aren't we all not the gentlemen and bilingual scholars of Catholic High?
Every camp that you have attended aims to mould you into another person, one that is tougher, more robust, and more passionate. I have many, many other learning points, but I don't think I have the ability to squeeze everything in here.
So, I will summarise all my learning points: COMMON SENSE. Yes indeed, I learnt that whatever we do, be it in Band Camp or during practice, the first thing we need to have is common sense.
It is common sense that teaches us to put our trust into our friends and care for them when they fall. It is common sense that tells us to endure all the tribulations we have encountered and lift our heads high to show others how proud we are as a musician. And it is common sense (conscience) and that nags at us in the ear that we should never put down our friends.
So, these are mainly what I have learnt in the camp. You don't really have to remember all that I have said, but you have to remember this: Whatever you are doing now, are you going against your principles? Are you going against against your own conscience?
Are you hurting your own friends? Or are you just a selfish dummy who is doing it for the sake of fun?
Really, 人之初，性本善。Everyone is born to be a good person, and everyone WILL grow up into a better person.
Bottomline, I have learnt that whatever I do, I just have to ask myself this question to make sure that I am doing the right thing: Are you using your common sense?
Tuesday, 18 November 2008
Packing List for Camp (with $$ included)
Here's the packing list for the camp TOMORROW with the money you need in cash and ez link included:
EZ-link card (fully functional with at least $10 in it)
Plastic mug (cups not provided during meals)
Handphone (optional for members, compulsory for mentors/ helpers)
String/Laundry Line (dry clothes)
Poncho/Small Umbrella
Torchlight
Old Rag x1
Toiletries
Writing materials
Sleeping bag x1
Trash Bags
Home T-Shirt x2
Section T-Shirt x1
Polo T-Shirt x1
PE T-Shirt x1
Home Shorts x2
School Shorts x1
PE Shorts x2
Underwear x4
Towel x1
Shoes x1
Slippers x1
Socks x4
Money ($10 to $20)
DO NOT BRING:
· Snacks
· Entertainment devices (e.g. MP3, MP4, iPod, cards, PSP, Gameboy).
Hope to see you guys fresh and alert tomorrow! :D
EZ-link card (fully functional with at least $10 in it)
Plastic mug (cups not provided during meals)
Handphone (optional for members, compulsory for mentors/ helpers)
String/Laundry Line (dry clothes)
Poncho/Small Umbrella
Torchlight
Old Rag x1
Toiletries
Writing materials
Sleeping bag x1
Trash Bags
Home T-Shirt x2
Section T-Shirt x1
Polo T-Shirt x1
PE T-Shirt x1
Home Shorts x2
School Shorts x1
PE Shorts x2
Underwear x4
Towel x1
Shoes x1
Slippers x1
Socks x4
Money ($10 to $20)
DO NOT BRING:
· Snacks
· Entertainment devices (e.g. MP3, MP4, iPod, cards, PSP, Gameboy).
Hope to see you guys fresh and alert tomorrow! :D
Monday, 10 November 2008
Get ur Secion tee done!
Guys... I ma having some competition coming up and will be selling custom tees and badges.
So, for those sections,..in fact all except sax, who haven't make your section tee, come to me and I will make it for you; in any quantity, just for $18, dri fit. Compared to the normal price of $20 outside with a minimum of 10 pcs, why not just come to me and save...quality guaranteed. money back guarantee...
So for those who want, come to me asap so that I can make for u before band camp....thanks so much!
So, for those sections,..in fact all except sax, who haven't make your section tee, come to me and I will make it for you; in any quantity, just for $18, dri fit. Compared to the normal price of $20 outside with a minimum of 10 pcs, why not just come to me and save...quality guaranteed. money back guarantee...
So for those who want, come to me asap so that I can make for u before band camp....thanks so much!
Thursday, 6 November 2008
An upcoming concert by most beloved alumni
HEY BAND!
Luke here. Here's an advertisement for the concert "Not So Silent Night" by Victoria Junior College Symphony Band:
Not So Silent Night 08'
Victoria Junior College Symphonic Band
12th December 2007
7.00pm
Victoria Junior College Performance Theatre
$10
Repertoire: March Blue Sky, O Magnum Mysterium, Philip Sparke: Prelude to A Celebration, Percy Grainger: Children's March (conducted by Dr. Goh.), Skit (no, it's not a piece, it's a skit), Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Two for Christmas - medley of Christmas tunes including Silent Night, Galaxy Express 999. The alumni band will be playing some stuff before the intermission.
Contact Ingmar at 97735600 for information or me at 92356756 to book orders for tickets.
Enjoy your holidays!
Luke here. Here's an advertisement for the concert "Not So Silent Night" by Victoria Junior College Symphony Band:
Not So Silent Night 08'
Victoria Junior College Symphonic Band
12th December 2007
7.00pm
Victoria Junior College Performance Theatre
$10
Repertoire: March Blue Sky, O Magnum Mysterium, Philip Sparke: Prelude to A Celebration, Percy Grainger: Children's March (conducted by Dr. Goh.), Skit (no, it's not a piece, it's a skit), Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Two for Christmas - medley of Christmas tunes including Silent Night, Galaxy Express 999. The alumni band will be playing some stuff before the intermission.
Contact Ingmar at 97735600 for information or me at 92356756 to book orders for tickets.
Enjoy your holidays!
Thursday, 30 October 2008
Evelyn Glennie Speaks
Evelyn Glennie, one of the world's most famous percussionists who is also profoundly deaf, gives a lecture on listening and performing music. Do watch when you have the time...it really challenges your common perceptions on how you hear and play music.
Have a good Band Camp!
Have a good Band Camp!
Band Camp Packing List
Hello all. Here's the packing list in advance:
Items to bring (minimum number of each item you MUST bring, any other items you want to bring are optional):
· EZ-link card (fully functional with $$ in it)
· Plastic mug (cups not provided during meals)
· Handphone (optional for members, compulsory for mentors/ helpers)
· String/Laundry Line (dry clothes)
· Poncho/Small Umbrella
· Torchlight
· Old Rag x1
· Toiletries
· Writing materials
· Sleeping bag x1
· Trash Bags
· Home T-Shirt x2
· Section T-Shirt x1
· Polo T-Shirt x1
· PE T-Shirt x1
· Home Shorts x2
· School Shorts x1
· PE Shorts x2
· Underwear x4
· Towel x1
· Shoes x1
· Slippers x1
· Socks x4
· Money
DO NOT BRING:
· Snacks
· Entertainment devices (e.g. MP3, MP4, iPod, cards, PSP, Gameboy, X Box, portable telly, board games etc).
Happy Packing!
Items to bring (minimum number of each item you MUST bring, any other items you want to bring are optional):
· EZ-link card (fully functional with $$ in it)
· Plastic mug (cups not provided during meals)
· Handphone (optional for members, compulsory for mentors/ helpers)
· String/Laundry Line (dry clothes)
· Poncho/Small Umbrella
· Torchlight
· Old Rag x1
· Toiletries
· Writing materials
· Sleeping bag x1
· Trash Bags
· Home T-Shirt x2
· Section T-Shirt x1
· Polo T-Shirt x1
· PE T-Shirt x1
· Home Shorts x2
· School Shorts x1
· PE Shorts x2
· Underwear x4
· Towel x1
· Shoes x1
· Slippers x1
· Socks x4
· Money
DO NOT BRING:
· Snacks
· Entertainment devices (e.g. MP3, MP4, iPod, cards, PSP, Gameboy, X Box, portable telly, board games etc).
Happy Packing!
Saturday, 18 October 2008
Recorded and Live Performances.
Often, many people do not make much of a distinction between listening/watching a recorded performance and experiencing a live performance. Many a time I have encountered people who have declined going for a performance because they ‘have heard the recordings of the pieces to be performed’. Allow me to explain some of the more apparent differences between recorded and live performances.
In a live performance, often what you see is what you get. The performance may seem less than perfect, but this is what it means to be human; making mistakes is part and parcel of everyday life. Also, the experience of a live performance means receiving the aura and energy of the performers first hand; you get to feel whether the performers were distant or warmed up towards the pieces performed, whether the players were confident or ill-prepared for the performance, whether they brought out the spirit of the pieces, and so on. These first-hand experiences can only be felt through a live performance, and is something that cannot be stored in a CD, DVD or a Youtube video. To further emphasise the statement ‘what you see is what you get’, it also means that if the hall’s acoustics are less than satisfactory, or if that particular horn gets out of tune in that section of the music, there is nothing that can be done about it at the moment of the performance and all that forms part of the experience.
On the other hand, recorded performances may be far from the adage of ‘what you see is what you get’. Acoustics may be beefed up or altered, out-of-tune notes may be tuned up to perfection and the performance might even be multi-tracked. The last point refers to recording different instruments or groups of instruments separately and then patching them up together after that. Yes, modern audio technology is that advanced and many movie sound tracks are done that way, even with full orchestras. Even I have done that for my composition exams (it’s perfectly normal to do this.); for my Tiny Island Nation for Baritone singer and string quintet, I recorded the string quintet one day and the voice another day. It so happened that the singer was off form that day and sang everything flat; but no problem, I could just tune everything up after the recording and voila! Everything sounded perfect anyway. Even the audience that you see screaming in certain video recordings of rock performances and even classical performances may be staged for dramatic effect. This may sound rather impossible but it has been done and is still regularly done. The ‘audience’ is paid a small sum as calefare and they act as a ‘real’ enthusiastic audience in the performances. Furthermore when multi-tracking is done the recording loses even more of the performance spirit as the musicians are not united in performance at all.
This is not to say that live performances or recorded performances are more superior than the other. Each has their merits; live performances are good to watch once in a while though they may be rather expensive, and recorded performances are good for learning scores, getting familiar with the pieces and perhaps just for the sake of musical enjoyment at home. One important point to note is that recordings are a recent invention and that our past masters like Beethoven, Bach and Brahms did not have the luxury of simply taking out a recording and playing it for relaxation and enjoyment. To create music one had to play it himself on the piano, his instruments or go to the concert hall to watch a performance, which was often rather expensive and far away from most towns.
However, the convenience of recordings in the modern day also means that many of us tend to take them as a substitute for a real and live performance, and thus we should also be wary of the recordings presented to us; we must not take them at face value all the time. Thus I would say…go for a concert once in a while! Listen to good or bad music live and you will realise that a recording can never compare to a live performance.
:D
In a live performance, often what you see is what you get. The performance may seem less than perfect, but this is what it means to be human; making mistakes is part and parcel of everyday life. Also, the experience of a live performance means receiving the aura and energy of the performers first hand; you get to feel whether the performers were distant or warmed up towards the pieces performed, whether the players were confident or ill-prepared for the performance, whether they brought out the spirit of the pieces, and so on. These first-hand experiences can only be felt through a live performance, and is something that cannot be stored in a CD, DVD or a Youtube video. To further emphasise the statement ‘what you see is what you get’, it also means that if the hall’s acoustics are less than satisfactory, or if that particular horn gets out of tune in that section of the music, there is nothing that can be done about it at the moment of the performance and all that forms part of the experience.
On the other hand, recorded performances may be far from the adage of ‘what you see is what you get’. Acoustics may be beefed up or altered, out-of-tune notes may be tuned up to perfection and the performance might even be multi-tracked. The last point refers to recording different instruments or groups of instruments separately and then patching them up together after that. Yes, modern audio technology is that advanced and many movie sound tracks are done that way, even with full orchestras. Even I have done that for my composition exams (it’s perfectly normal to do this.); for my Tiny Island Nation for Baritone singer and string quintet, I recorded the string quintet one day and the voice another day. It so happened that the singer was off form that day and sang everything flat; but no problem, I could just tune everything up after the recording and voila! Everything sounded perfect anyway. Even the audience that you see screaming in certain video recordings of rock performances and even classical performances may be staged for dramatic effect. This may sound rather impossible but it has been done and is still regularly done. The ‘audience’ is paid a small sum as calefare and they act as a ‘real’ enthusiastic audience in the performances. Furthermore when multi-tracking is done the recording loses even more of the performance spirit as the musicians are not united in performance at all.
This is not to say that live performances or recorded performances are more superior than the other. Each has their merits; live performances are good to watch once in a while though they may be rather expensive, and recorded performances are good for learning scores, getting familiar with the pieces and perhaps just for the sake of musical enjoyment at home. One important point to note is that recordings are a recent invention and that our past masters like Beethoven, Bach and Brahms did not have the luxury of simply taking out a recording and playing it for relaxation and enjoyment. To create music one had to play it himself on the piano, his instruments or go to the concert hall to watch a performance, which was often rather expensive and far away from most towns.
However, the convenience of recordings in the modern day also means that many of us tend to take them as a substitute for a real and live performance, and thus we should also be wary of the recordings presented to us; we must not take them at face value all the time. Thus I would say…go for a concert once in a while! Listen to good or bad music live and you will realise that a recording can never compare to a live performance.
:D
Friday, 17 October 2008
SYF Important Details
Hi all. I know you may be wondering how I managed to get this info, but that’s not important. Some VERY important stuff you have to know for SYF 2009.
Set Piece: Two Overtures for Wind Band
Composer: Kelly Tang
Earliest date we can get the score: November 12 (if we order asap)
The set piece is two overtures (duh….) but we need to play only one out of the 2 overtures.
SYF dates: 30 March to 4 April and 6 April to 9 April
Venue: Singapore Conference Hall (we are back)
Before SYF 2009, we have to video our drills (yes …like last year). This time, the drills are as follows. All drills include instruments carried.
1. Sedia
2. Senang Diri
3. Kerkanan Pusing(turn right)
4. Kerkeri Pusing(turn left)
5. Hentak Kaki with Berhati(march on the spot)
6. March Past
The March Past is the whole band (FALLED IN, INCLUDING BAND MAJORS, EXCEPT DRUM MAJOR) play some music in the squad. We must take recommended 64-72 steps. Means we march in a squad for 64-72 steps then we play music while marching. Got it? This video has to be done before 6 FEBRUARY 2009.
For our choice piece, I don’t really know…but the recording I have is 7+ minutes. We are sort of in a dangerous state. The rule is that choice piece for Sec school band has to be LESS THAN 8 MINUTES. If we exceed 8 minutes, our marks will decrease by 10%. Means if we exceed the 8 minutes, the chance of getting Gold with Honors is very, VERY slim.
Finally, the awarding scheme are as follows:
Gold with Honors: 85%
Gold: 80%
Silver:70%-79%
(The rest… you don’t want to know)
Judging criteria: 50% Technique
50% Musicianship
Band Strength: At least 24 members, at most 80 MEMBERS.
Refer to the band room whiteboard for more details…and get started practicing man….WE CAN DO IT!
Set Piece: Two Overtures for Wind Band
Composer: Kelly Tang
Earliest date we can get the score: November 12 (if we order asap)
The set piece is two overtures (duh….) but we need to play only one out of the 2 overtures.
SYF dates: 30 March to 4 April and 6 April to 9 April
Venue: Singapore Conference Hall (we are back)
Before SYF 2009, we have to video our drills (yes …like last year). This time, the drills are as follows. All drills include instruments carried.
1. Sedia
2. Senang Diri
3. Kerkanan Pusing(turn right)
4. Kerkeri Pusing(turn left)
5. Hentak Kaki with Berhati(march on the spot)
6. March Past
The March Past is the whole band (FALLED IN, INCLUDING BAND MAJORS, EXCEPT DRUM MAJOR) play some music in the squad. We must take recommended 64-72 steps. Means we march in a squad for 64-72 steps then we play music while marching. Got it? This video has to be done before 6 FEBRUARY 2009.
For our choice piece, I don’t really know…but the recording I have is 7+ minutes. We are sort of in a dangerous state. The rule is that choice piece for Sec school band has to be LESS THAN 8 MINUTES. If we exceed 8 minutes, our marks will decrease by 10%. Means if we exceed the 8 minutes, the chance of getting Gold with Honors is very, VERY slim.
Finally, the awarding scheme are as follows:
Gold with Honors: 85%
Gold: 80%
Silver:70%-79%
(The rest… you don’t want to know)
Judging criteria: 50% Technique
50% Musicianship
Band Strength: At least 24 members, at most 80 MEMBERS.
Refer to the band room whiteboard for more details…and get started practicing man….WE CAN DO IT!
Wednesday, 8 October 2008
Practice begins again
Hey all. Hope you are hitting the sense out of your head on the wall cause exams are over.
Exams aside, please be informed that practice will resume on friday, 2.30 pm. If your SL told you 3 pm, well, he's wrong! It's 2.30. Now that exams are over, it's time to commit yourself to the SYF. Keep this goal in mind: a Gold sound by December. If you can get it by the end of November that'll be better, cause you'll be in time for the combined concert.
Please be punctual, keep a positive attitude, and don't give a bad impression on the very first practice after exams. Some alumni might be coming, so we won't want to let them (or Mr. Tan) down. Show them how well you can play even though you haven't touched your instrument for ages!
See you on friday.
Exams aside, please be informed that practice will resume on friday, 2.30 pm. If your SL told you 3 pm, well, he's wrong! It's 2.30. Now that exams are over, it's time to commit yourself to the SYF. Keep this goal in mind: a Gold sound by December. If you can get it by the end of November that'll be better, cause you'll be in time for the combined concert.
Please be punctual, keep a positive attitude, and don't give a bad impression on the very first practice after exams. Some alumni might be coming, so we won't want to let them (or Mr. Tan) down. Show them how well you can play even though you haven't touched your instrument for ages!
See you on friday.
Thursday, 2 October 2008
Premiere!
Just a little advert..
FUSED String orchestra gives its debut concert!
Who: FUSED string orchestra, a newly formed string orchestra expanded from the string quartet CALYPSO
When: 9th October, Thursday, 7.30pm
Where: NAFA Campus Three, Lee Foundation Theatre, 131 Bencoolen Street
What: Performing works ranging from the Baroque era to Modern works! Includes Bach's Double Violin Concerto, Mozart's Divertimento, Tango by Albeniz, Air on G String by Bach, and Jamaican Rumba by Arthur Benjamin. Also premiering three local works!
Terrence Wong - Concertino for Trumpet and String Orchestra
Liew Kong Meng - Sandcastles and Dreams
Grace Chen - Temujin
How (much): $15, email wereldmuziekconcours@gmail.com for tix or contact me @ 90110995
Why: cos ur senior is premiering his work!! And the other local composer Liew Kong Meng is also a Cat High alumni. One of the best music students from CHS...The string orchestra is pretty good too. Its worth the cost!
:D
FUSED String orchestra gives its debut concert!
Who: FUSED string orchestra, a newly formed string orchestra expanded from the string quartet CALYPSO
When: 9th October, Thursday, 7.30pm
Where: NAFA Campus Three, Lee Foundation Theatre, 131 Bencoolen Street
What: Performing works ranging from the Baroque era to Modern works! Includes Bach's Double Violin Concerto, Mozart's Divertimento, Tango by Albeniz, Air on G String by Bach, and Jamaican Rumba by Arthur Benjamin. Also premiering three local works!
Terrence Wong - Concertino for Trumpet and String Orchestra
Liew Kong Meng - Sandcastles and Dreams
Grace Chen - Temujin
How (much): $15, email wereldmuziekconcours@gmail.com for tix or contact me @ 90110995
Why: cos ur senior is premiering his work!! And the other local composer Liew Kong Meng is also a Cat High alumni. One of the best music students from CHS...The string orchestra is pretty good too. Its worth the cost!
:D
Wednesday, 24 September 2008
*Urgent* Immediate instrument recall
Hi guys, Zhenxi here.
The QM is recalling all borrowed instruments* for purposes that will be made known in the near future *coughauditorcough*.
All borrowed instruments must be brought back by this Friday,24th of September, with drastic consequences being reserved for those that fail to do so. I am not clear on when the instruments can be re-borrowed, but please help to spread the message to those who sneaked off with their instruments without signing the borrowing list (Despite my pleas -.-) and are barred from any contact with electronic devices due to the current period of hardship.Alternatively,you could do us a great favour by smsing every single band/non-band person on your contact list to increase the chances of the message reaching everyone in band. That said,I am giving a call to those who signed in the borrowing list.
We apologise for the short notice and the inconvenience caused, but please understand that this is completely necessary.
On a really very much lighter note, good luck with the EOYs.
Zhenxi
*"borrowed instruments" applies to only those borrowed from the band, please do not create confusion by chipping in your own personal guitars and whatnot.
The QM is recalling all borrowed instruments* for purposes that will be made known in the near future *coughauditorcough*.
All borrowed instruments must be brought back by this Friday,24th of September, with drastic consequences being reserved for those that fail to do so. I am not clear on when the instruments can be re-borrowed, but please help to spread the message to those who sneaked off with their instruments without signing the borrowing list (Despite my pleas -.-) and are barred from any contact with electronic devices due to the current period of hardship.Alternatively,you could do us a great favour by smsing every single band/non-band person on your contact list to increase the chances of the message reaching everyone in band. That said,I am giving a call to those who signed in the borrowing list.
We apologise for the short notice and the inconvenience caused, but please understand that this is completely necessary.
On a really very much lighter note, good luck with the EOYs.
Zhenxi
*"borrowed instruments" applies to only those borrowed from the band, please do not create confusion by chipping in your own personal guitars and whatnot.
Tuesday, 16 September 2008
Scores
Hi guys...please bring back the scores on the first practice after the exam break....everything should be clear by then
Thursday, 11 September 2008
Tank!
Hey guys!
Found this piece on the Internet. It's called "Tank!", and well, though it has nothing to do with what we play, but it is quite an interesting piece.
So, I hope everybody enjoys it!
If there is any comments, you can look for me, or you can tag it at the tagboard.
=p
Found this piece on the Internet. It's called "Tank!", and well, though it has nothing to do with what we play, but it is quite an interesting piece.
So, I hope everybody enjoys it!
If there is any comments, you can look for me, or you can tag it at the tagboard.
=p
Wednesday, 10 September 2008
Tips for aspiring (and even professional) conductors!
Robert L. Ripley, a cellist from the Boston Symphony Orchestra, has some tips for aspiring and even professional conductors! Read and digest at leisure...I found it very useful...
1. Know the Score!
Don’t just know the principal parts, but every last note of every instrument. Stravinsky said, “A good conductor is one who has the score in his head, and not his head in the score.”
2. Speak up!
The acoustics in wherever you rehearse are usually not as good as in the hall, so be sure you are reaching everybody. The ‘back stands’ of the string sections, starting with the third stand, are generally neglected. All too often, the back stands have no idea what is going on up front. (In the band this may mean the brasses and percussion at the back.) Look at them when you have something to say and reach out to them as you conduct the sections; remember too that the basses are far away. You may think that they are not watching you, but they are! If they feel you are engaged with them, and with the music, it will make all the difference in the sound that you get. Communicate with the entire orchestra! When a score would call for reduced strings, Stokowski would always have the very last stands play. It kept them on their toes, gave them a sense of belonging, and sounded wonderful.
3. Keep your remarks positive.
Avoid saying ‘Don’t.’ Instead of “Trumpet, don’t play so loud, you’re killing the oboe,” say “Trumpet, a little less,” or better, just indicate it with your hand; a little hand motion is fast, effective and unlikely to embarrass anyone.
4. Never be sarcastic and don’t lose your cool.
While it is hard to articulate what an orchestra likes, it is easy to say what they hate. When I was in Cleveland with Szell conducting, we played the Brahms Violin Concerto in Akron on a Tuesday night. Szell was ‘milking’ the oboist in his big solo at the beginning of the second movement for all he was worth. When he finished, the oboist made a ‘gimme a break’ gesture (like brushing a fly in front of you). The next day, there was a rehearsal with the chorus for the season finale of Beethoven’s Ninth. Szell became more and more impatient and finally blew his top in the scherzo, banging his music stand in tempo, and yelling, “I’ll teach you to play in rhythm****!” We never forgot the incident.
5. Don’t “conduct the mice.”
Keep your hands above your waist, so everybody can see them. This is often forgotten.
6. Give clear cues.
Cues are important for the confidence of the players, especially if they have had a long stretch of rests to count. Harpists, percussionists and the tuba will thank you. (These are instrumentalists who play very little in orchestras.)
7. Conducting from memory is dangerous.
Do not risk finding out your memory is faulty by painful experience. Use the score and TURN THE PAGES. Do not find yourself fumbling for your place; the orchestra is long gone ahead of you. Many conduct at least the standard repertoire from memory, but you must have every note mastered if you want to do that. Someone asked Steinberg how he memorised. He answered, in his gruff way, “I don’t memorise! I KNOW it!”
8. The baton is only a tool.
The choice to use a baton is completely up to you. When Leinsdorf came to Boston he was not using a baton. His motions were sometimes difficult to follow, so the Artistic Committee, upon direction of the players, asked him to use a baton. He was surprisingly nice about it, but it did not help much. We asked him to go back to the hands. The point is, your beat must be clear, baton or no.
9. Save your best for the concert!
Saving something for the concert can spark the orchestra and make for a better concert. Claudio Abbado was quite low-key in rehearsals. When he came to America, he knew almost no English, so he did not talk much. He used a miniature score, and when he would stop the orchestra, he would hold he score right up to his face. After what seemed to be a long study he would take the score down and say, almost inaudibly, “Is piano? Is pianissimo?” It was not terribly inspiring. But in the concerts, suddenly he was on fire! It was a tremendous boost to the orchestra, so unexpected the first time, and of course, it made concerts really exciting.
While every conductor has to develop an individual style of rehearsing, if you perceive restlessness in the orchestra, you are doing something wrong. Is your tempo too slow? Are you following, instead of leading? Are you communicating? Are you talking too much? Pay attention to the faces of those around you and react accordingly.
10. Don’t skip intonation.
Working on intonation is a bit wearing, too, but must be done. For multiple voices, always build a chord from the bottom note up. Do not just have everybody simply play the chord. Sometimes it is clear that one or another instrument is out of tune, but if not, then build from the lowest note.
11. Don’t conduct only the melody.
It has been said, “Don’t conduct the melody.” That is a bit of a misnomer; you are not going to conduct the bass line. What this means is, don’t conduct ONLY the melody. While you must communicate with whoever is carrying the ball at any given point, there are also elements of balance to adjust along the way, with the left hand, and whatever may come up at any moment. Szell said three things which have stuck in my mind: (1) Remember that the orchestra has played the piece many more times than you have conducted it (unless it is brand new), so do not waste their time with your needs. (2) Never stop the orchestra without telling them why. (3) Remember that you have a wrist. It can be very helpful.
12. Use a metronome.
A metronome is absolutely indispensable. You should not be a slave to it, but you need it for reference, and to set boundaries.
13. Don’t use every last second.
Even though you are entitled to use every bit of your rehearsal time, try to avoid doing it. Show your confidence in the players by trusting their professionalism to that extent. This is just a bit of psychology, but it may enhance your relationship between conductor and players. You won’t lose a thing by doing this and it is a gracious gesture that will be much appreciated.
=)
1. Know the Score!
Don’t just know the principal parts, but every last note of every instrument. Stravinsky said, “A good conductor is one who has the score in his head, and not his head in the score.”
2. Speak up!
The acoustics in wherever you rehearse are usually not as good as in the hall, so be sure you are reaching everybody. The ‘back stands’ of the string sections, starting with the third stand, are generally neglected. All too often, the back stands have no idea what is going on up front. (In the band this may mean the brasses and percussion at the back.) Look at them when you have something to say and reach out to them as you conduct the sections; remember too that the basses are far away. You may think that they are not watching you, but they are! If they feel you are engaged with them, and with the music, it will make all the difference in the sound that you get. Communicate with the entire orchestra! When a score would call for reduced strings, Stokowski would always have the very last stands play. It kept them on their toes, gave them a sense of belonging, and sounded wonderful.
3. Keep your remarks positive.
Avoid saying ‘Don’t.’ Instead of “Trumpet, don’t play so loud, you’re killing the oboe,” say “Trumpet, a little less,” or better, just indicate it with your hand; a little hand motion is fast, effective and unlikely to embarrass anyone.
4. Never be sarcastic and don’t lose your cool.
While it is hard to articulate what an orchestra likes, it is easy to say what they hate. When I was in Cleveland with Szell conducting, we played the Brahms Violin Concerto in Akron on a Tuesday night. Szell was ‘milking’ the oboist in his big solo at the beginning of the second movement for all he was worth. When he finished, the oboist made a ‘gimme a break’ gesture (like brushing a fly in front of you). The next day, there was a rehearsal with the chorus for the season finale of Beethoven’s Ninth. Szell became more and more impatient and finally blew his top in the scherzo, banging his music stand in tempo, and yelling, “I’ll teach you to play in rhythm****!” We never forgot the incident.
5. Don’t “conduct the mice.”
Keep your hands above your waist, so everybody can see them. This is often forgotten.
6. Give clear cues.
Cues are important for the confidence of the players, especially if they have had a long stretch of rests to count. Harpists, percussionists and the tuba will thank you. (These are instrumentalists who play very little in orchestras.)
7. Conducting from memory is dangerous.
Do not risk finding out your memory is faulty by painful experience. Use the score and TURN THE PAGES. Do not find yourself fumbling for your place; the orchestra is long gone ahead of you. Many conduct at least the standard repertoire from memory, but you must have every note mastered if you want to do that. Someone asked Steinberg how he memorised. He answered, in his gruff way, “I don’t memorise! I KNOW it!”
8. The baton is only a tool.
The choice to use a baton is completely up to you. When Leinsdorf came to Boston he was not using a baton. His motions were sometimes difficult to follow, so the Artistic Committee, upon direction of the players, asked him to use a baton. He was surprisingly nice about it, but it did not help much. We asked him to go back to the hands. The point is, your beat must be clear, baton or no.
9. Save your best for the concert!
Saving something for the concert can spark the orchestra and make for a better concert. Claudio Abbado was quite low-key in rehearsals. When he came to America, he knew almost no English, so he did not talk much. He used a miniature score, and when he would stop the orchestra, he would hold he score right up to his face. After what seemed to be a long study he would take the score down and say, almost inaudibly, “Is piano? Is pianissimo?” It was not terribly inspiring. But in the concerts, suddenly he was on fire! It was a tremendous boost to the orchestra, so unexpected the first time, and of course, it made concerts really exciting.
While every conductor has to develop an individual style of rehearsing, if you perceive restlessness in the orchestra, you are doing something wrong. Is your tempo too slow? Are you following, instead of leading? Are you communicating? Are you talking too much? Pay attention to the faces of those around you and react accordingly.
10. Don’t skip intonation.
Working on intonation is a bit wearing, too, but must be done. For multiple voices, always build a chord from the bottom note up. Do not just have everybody simply play the chord. Sometimes it is clear that one or another instrument is out of tune, but if not, then build from the lowest note.
11. Don’t conduct only the melody.
It has been said, “Don’t conduct the melody.” That is a bit of a misnomer; you are not going to conduct the bass line. What this means is, don’t conduct ONLY the melody. While you must communicate with whoever is carrying the ball at any given point, there are also elements of balance to adjust along the way, with the left hand, and whatever may come up at any moment. Szell said three things which have stuck in my mind: (1) Remember that the orchestra has played the piece many more times than you have conducted it (unless it is brand new), so do not waste their time with your needs. (2) Never stop the orchestra without telling them why. (3) Remember that you have a wrist. It can be very helpful.
12. Use a metronome.
A metronome is absolutely indispensable. You should not be a slave to it, but you need it for reference, and to set boundaries.
13. Don’t use every last second.
Even though you are entitled to use every bit of your rehearsal time, try to avoid doing it. Show your confidence in the players by trusting their professionalism to that extent. This is just a bit of psychology, but it may enhance your relationship between conductor and players. You won’t lose a thing by doing this and it is a gracious gesture that will be much appreciated.
=)
Sunday, 7 September 2008
Golden Jubilee
Jus some random notes on our syf choice piece and Alfred Reed.
A Golden Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 50th anniversary of a monarch's reign.To put it simply,our choice piece is about a celebration and probably written for it.
Alfred Reed (January 25, 1921 – September 17, 2005) was one of America's most prolific and frequently performed composers, with more than two hundred published works for concert band, wind ensemble, orchestra, chorus, and chamber ensemble to his name. He also traveled extensively as a guest conductor, performing in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia.
He was born in New York and began his formal music training at the age of ten. During World War II he served in the 529th Army Air Force Band. Following his military service he attended the Juilliard School of Music, studying under Vittorio Giannini, after which he was staff composer and arranger first for NBC, then for ABC. In 1953 he became the conductor of the Baylor Symphony Orchestra at Baylor University, where he received his B.M. in 1955 and his M.M. in 1956. His master's thesis "Rhapsody for Viola and Orchestra" was awarded the Luria Prize in 1959. He was a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, the national fraternity for men in music.
From 1955 to 1966 he was the executive editor of Hansen Publications, a music publisher. He was professor of music at the University of Miami (where he worked with composer and arranger Robert Longfield) from 1966 to 1993 and was chairman of the department of Music Media and Industry and director of the Music Industry Program at the time of his retirement. He established the very first college-level music business curriculum at the University of Miami in 1966, which led other colleges and universities to follow suit. Some of his more memorable quotes while teaching music business courses are: "You can't give away what you are trying to sell and expect to stay in business" and "I am the second most published composer next to J.S. Bach" At the time of his death, he had composition commissions that would have taken him to the age of 115. Reed was a member of the Beta Tau Chapter of the National Men's Music Fraternity, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. Many of Reed's wind band compositions have been released as CD recordings by the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra.
Source from wikipedia.com
Sry,couldn't find any info relating the piece and the composer.
Have a nice day.
A Golden Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 50th anniversary of a monarch's reign.To put it simply,our choice piece is about a celebration and probably written for it.
Alfred Reed (January 25, 1921 – September 17, 2005) was one of America's most prolific and frequently performed composers, with more than two hundred published works for concert band, wind ensemble, orchestra, chorus, and chamber ensemble to his name. He also traveled extensively as a guest conductor, performing in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia.
He was born in New York and began his formal music training at the age of ten. During World War II he served in the 529th Army Air Force Band. Following his military service he attended the Juilliard School of Music, studying under Vittorio Giannini, after which he was staff composer and arranger first for NBC, then for ABC. In 1953 he became the conductor of the Baylor Symphony Orchestra at Baylor University, where he received his B.M. in 1955 and his M.M. in 1956. His master's thesis "Rhapsody for Viola and Orchestra" was awarded the Luria Prize in 1959. He was a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, the national fraternity for men in music.
From 1955 to 1966 he was the executive editor of Hansen Publications, a music publisher. He was professor of music at the University of Miami (where he worked with composer and arranger Robert Longfield) from 1966 to 1993 and was chairman of the department of Music Media and Industry and director of the Music Industry Program at the time of his retirement. He established the very first college-level music business curriculum at the University of Miami in 1966, which led other colleges and universities to follow suit. Some of his more memorable quotes while teaching music business courses are: "You can't give away what you are trying to sell and expect to stay in business" and "I am the second most published composer next to J.S. Bach" At the time of his death, he had composition commissions that would have taken him to the age of 115. Reed was a member of the Beta Tau Chapter of the National Men's Music Fraternity, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. Many of Reed's wind band compositions have been released as CD recordings by the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra.
Source from wikipedia.com
Sry,couldn't find any info relating the piece and the composer.
Have a nice day.
Saturday, 6 September 2008
Skills of A Modern Conductor.
What kind of skills do we expect the modern conductor to have?
Harold Schonberg, the highly respected former music critic for the New York Times, tried to summarise the skills a conductor needed to be successful; they are elaborated here by composer cum conductor Harold Farberman:
1. A conductor must play several instruments; a student should excel on one instrument and have at least a performer’s knowledge of the piano and one string instrument. More than that isn’t necessary.
2. Working knowledge of every instrument: it would be a significant achievement to know the individual fingerings of all the instruments on the stage, but it seems unnecessary (beyond the middle school conductor, at least.). The orchestra player knows the qualities, possibilities and quirks of his or her instrument better than the conductor, unless the conductor happens to be a virtuoso on the same instrument. Still, a student must learn the ranges and differing colours of the string, wind, brass and percussion groups, the qualities of sonority they produce, both individually and, more importantly, collectively in various combinations.
3. Easily read a full score: knowledge of clefs, instrument keys, transpositions, speed of metronome markings, time signatures, and the meaning of musical terms in various languages remains an absolute necessity.
4. Understand the structure and meaning of a score: harmonic, melodic, rhythmic and phrase analysis are relatively simple, but the “meaning” of music is inherently ambiguous and should not be fixed.
5. Decide what the composer wants and achieve the vision: a flood of scholarship and opinion on this subject has washed over the musical world in the last decades. What is clear (and fortunate) is that performance decisions change over time, if not from concert to concert. Compositions are live entities and should be subject to constant review. “Achieving the vision,” whether vast or limited, inevitably becomes a series of compromises because of the inadequate manner in which baton technique is understood and taught.
6. Technique and memory to assimilate a new work: does this mean the ability to memorise a new work? Toscanini’s (a great Italian conductor) weak eyes forced him to memorise, but an open score on a stand during a concert is perfectly normal and acceptable. It is interesting to note that Schonberg links technique to ‘new work.’ The truth is that every single piece of music, regardless of style and period demands new and differing technical solutions.
7. Absolute pitch and a ear for wrong notes: orchestra players are always impressed by conductors who possess perfect pitch, but it is useful only in rehearsals. Players generally know when they play wring notes and will eliminate them. If they do not, the conductor must make the pitch corrections during rehearsals. Good players will also adjust intonation automatically, but conductors with excellent relative pitch can achieve the same intonation and balancing results in rehearsals as conductors with absolute pitch. Pitch recognition is a single element in a complex hearing process. How one listens is the important factor. In my view, a highly developed sense of perfect rhythmic articulation is far more important than perfect pitch in individual phrase construction and overall structure.
8. Ability to compose and orchestrate: conductors must learn to mechanics of composition and orchestration. It is not necessary to become a composer, but it is necessary to learn basic musical procedures: creating melodic lines and shapes, accompaniments, writing counterpoints, combining instrumental colours and organising new sonorities. These are the daily vocabulary of every conductor.
Source: Training Conductors. Farberman, Harold.
Just a reminder that what is stated above is not all the stuff that makes up a conductor, it is merely the skills that a conductor should have if he is to become a professional one. As student conductors or even aspiring professional conductors, it is important to start learning these rubrics of music. It is never too late to learn them…
Terrence Wong conducts Threnody with NAFA Wind Ensemble, 3rd Sept 2008.
Monday, 1 September 2008
~Important Announcement~
Hey Guys! This announcement concerns all secondary one to secondary three members, so please open your eyes and do not miss out on any information.
There will NOT be any Band practice on Monday (1/9/08) as it is Teacher's day and the school will not be opened. So please do not come to school thinking that there is Band.
There WILL be practices on Thursday and Friday.
Secondary Ones are not required to turn up on Thursday practice, but attendance is compulsory for the rest of the band as Mr Tan will be down to work on our SYF piece.
On Friday, Mr Tan would not be coming down, and so all Secondary Ones to Secondary Threes are required to come down for practice. SLs, please take this opportunity to teach your Secondary Ones the warm-up exercises.
I have already put up a recording of Golden Jubilee on the blog. And for more details on the practices, please have a look at the band schedule.
There will NOT be any Band practice on Monday (1/9/08) as it is Teacher's day and the school will not be opened. So please do not come to school thinking that there is Band.
There WILL be practices on Thursday and Friday.
Secondary Ones are not required to turn up on Thursday practice, but attendance is compulsory for the rest of the band as Mr Tan will be down to work on our SYF piece.
On Friday, Mr Tan would not be coming down, and so all Secondary Ones to Secondary Threes are required to come down for practice. SLs, please take this opportunity to teach your Secondary Ones the warm-up exercises.
I have already put up a recording of Golden Jubilee on the blog. And for more details on the practices, please have a look at the band schedule.
For those who does not have the Band schedule, the following are the timings of the practices:
- Thursday (4/9) --> 1300~1800
- Friday (5/9) --> 1300~1800
Please do not be late and do not miss any practices without valid reason, as these two practices are very important to us.
If you have enquiries, you can tag your question at the tagboard. And that's all.
=)
Wednesday, 27 August 2008
Some Notes.
Congratulations to all senior band members who have participated in the highly successful section competition (or so i heard) and to the newbies who have performed in 'my first recital'! It's good to see such high spirits in the Band...
Just a small note, NAFA Wind Band will be presenting Terrence Wong's Threnody and some other pieces like A Movement for Rosa and Symphonietta 2 by Philip Sparke. Also includes some pieces by the NAFA Brass Ensemble. Admission is free, 12.30 pm @ NAFA Campus 3, This Wednesday (3rd Sept)
Since its e holidays, might as well come down to watch a free concert of aspiring Wind and Percussion musicians! Do come if free!
Also, enjoy your holidays :P
Just a small note, NAFA Wind Band will be presenting Terrence Wong's Threnody and some other pieces like A Movement for Rosa and Symphonietta 2 by Philip Sparke. Also includes some pieces by the NAFA Brass Ensemble. Admission is free, 12.30 pm @ NAFA Campus 3, This Wednesday (3rd Sept)
Since its e holidays, might as well come down to watch a free concert of aspiring Wind and Percussion musicians! Do come if free!
Also, enjoy your holidays :P
Sunday, 17 August 2008
IMPORTANT!!Section COmpetition stuff
All SLs and senior section members, please do a short writeup on what your section is presenting next friday. THIS IS OF HIGH IMPORTANCE, as the emcees (me and yuchen) have to condense everything to finalise our script.
NO NEED FOR YOU TO WORRY YOUR MAMA'S HEAD OFF THAT YOUR SECTION SECRET WILL BE REVEALED.
IF YOU ARE REALLY GOOD, YOU NEED NOT FEAR!!!.
Please get it done tonight or by tomorrow band. 2mrw during band, I will request all SLs to stay back before sectionals to pass me the short writeup on what your section if doing. Just 20 words max. Don't have to reveal too much. Just do a brief one.
PLEASE GET IT DONE....THANK YOU!!!!
Qin En
NO NEED FOR YOU TO WORRY YOUR MAMA'S HEAD OFF THAT YOUR SECTION SECRET WILL BE REVEALED.
IF YOU ARE REALLY GOOD, YOU NEED NOT FEAR!!!.
Please get it done tonight or by tomorrow band. 2mrw during band, I will request all SLs to stay back before sectionals to pass me the short writeup on what your section if doing. Just 20 words max. Don't have to reveal too much. Just do a brief one.
PLEASE GET IT DONE....THANK YOU!!!!
Qin En
~A teenager's view of Heaven~
Hi Guys!
I found this particularly interesting (fiction) story on the net. I have no idea whether you have read it or not, but I am just going to post it up for everyone to see. =)
PS: It's not sick/PG 13..
PPS: This is not propaganda.
A TEENAGER'S VIEW OF HEAVEN
17-year-old Brian Moore had only a short time to write something for a class. The subject was what Heaven was like.
Brian's Essay: The Room...
In that place between wakefulness and dreams, I found myself in the room. There were no distinguishing features except for the one wall covered with small index card files. They were like the ones in libraries that list titles by author or subject in alphabetical order. But these files, which stretched from floor to ceiling and seemingly endless in either direction, had very different headings. As I drew near the wall of files, the first to catch my attention was one that read 'Girls I have liked.' I opened it and began flipping through the cards. I quickly shut it, shocked to realize that I recognized the names written on each one. And then without being told, I knew exactly where I was.
This lifeless room with its small files was a crude catalog system for my life. Here were written the actions of my every moment, big and small, in a detail my memory couldn't match. A sense of wonder and curiosity, coupled with horror, stirred within me as I began randomly opening files and exploring their content. Some brought joy and sweet memories; others a sense of shame and regret so intense that I would look over my shoulder to see if anyone was watching.
A file named 'Friends' was next to one marked 'Friends I have betrayed.' The titles ranged from the mundane to the outright weird 'Books I Have Read,' 'Lies I Have Told,' 'Comfort I have Given,' 'Jokes I Have Laughed at .' Some were almost hilarious in their exactness: 'Things I've yelled at my brothers.' Others I couldn't laugh at: 'Things I Have Done in My Anger', 'Things I Have Muttered Under My Breath at My Parents.' I never ceased to be surprised by the contents.
Often there were many more cards than I expected. Sometimes fewer than I hoped. I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the life I had lived. Could it be possible that I had the time in my years to fill each of these thousands or even millions of cards? But each card confirmed this truth. Each was written in my own handwriting. Each signed with my signature.
When I pulled out the file marked 'TV Shows I have watched', I realized the files grew to contain their contents. The cards were packed tightly, and yet after two or three yards, I hadn't found the end of the file. I shut it, shamed, not so much by the quality of shows but more by the vast time I knew that file represented.
When I came to a file marked 'Lustful Thoughts,' I felt a chill run through my body. I pulled the file out only an inch, not willing to test its size and drew out a card. I shuddered at its detailed content.
I felt sick to think that such a moment had been recorded. An almost animal rage broke on me. One thought dominated my mind: No one must ever see these cards! No one must ever see this room! I have to destroy them!' In insane frenzy I yanked the file out. Its size didn't matter now. I had to empty it and burn the cards. But as I took it at one end and began pounding it on the floor, I could not dislodge a single card. I became desperate and pulled out a card, only to find it as strong as steel when I tried to tear it.
Defeated and utterly helpless, I returned the file to its slot. Leaning my forehead against the wall, I let out a long, self-pitying sigh.
And then I saw it.. The title bore 'People I Have Shared the Gospel With.' The handle was brighter than those around it,seemed newer, almost unused. I pulled on its handle and a small box not more than three inches long fell into my hands. I could count the cards it contained on one hand.
And then the tears came. I began to weep. Sobs so deep that they hurt. They started in my stomach and shook through me. I fell on my knees and cried. I cried out of shame, from the overwhelming shame of it all. The rows of file shelves swirled in my tear-filled eyes. No one must ever, ever know of this room. I must lock it up and hide the key. But then as I pushed away the tears, I saw Him.
No, please not Him. Not here. Oh, anyone but Jesus. I watched helplessly as He began to open the files and read the cards. I couldn't bear to watch His response. And in the moments I could bring myself to look at His face, I saw a sorrow deeper than my own.
He seemed to intuitively go to the worst boxes. Why did He have to read every one? Finally He turned and looked at me from across the room. He looked at me with pity in His eyes. But this was a pity that didn't anger me. I dropped my head, covered my face with my hands and began to cry again. He walked over and put His arm around me. He could have said so many things. But He didn't say a word. He just cried with me.
Then He got up and walked back to the wall of files. Starting at one end of the room, He took out a file and, one by one, began to sign His name over mine on each card. 'No!' I shouted rushing to Him. All I could find to say was 'No, no,' as I pulled the card from Him. His name shouldn't be on these cards. But there it was, written in red so rich, so dark, so alive. The name of Jesus covered mine. It was written with His blood. He gently took the card back. He smiled a sad smile and began to sign the cards. I don't think I'll ever understand how He did it so quickly, but the next instant it seemed I heard Him close the last file and walk back to my side.
He placed His hand on my shoulder and said, 'It is finished.' I stood up, and He led me out of the room. There was no lock on its door. There were still cards to be written.
'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.'-Phil. 4:13
'For God so loved the world that He gave His only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.' -John 3:16
PPPS: Er, you may not have noticed, but I added a recording of Jericho on the blog. All you have to do is just to raise up the volume. =D
I found this particularly interesting (fiction) story on the net. I have no idea whether you have read it or not, but I am just going to post it up for everyone to see. =)
PS: It's not sick/PG 13..
PPS: This is not propaganda.
A TEENAGER'S VIEW OF HEAVEN
17-year-old Brian Moore had only a short time to write something for a class. The subject was what Heaven was like.
Brian's Essay: The Room...
In that place between wakefulness and dreams, I found myself in the room. There were no distinguishing features except for the one wall covered with small index card files. They were like the ones in libraries that list titles by author or subject in alphabetical order. But these files, which stretched from floor to ceiling and seemingly endless in either direction, had very different headings. As I drew near the wall of files, the first to catch my attention was one that read 'Girls I have liked.' I opened it and began flipping through the cards. I quickly shut it, shocked to realize that I recognized the names written on each one. And then without being told, I knew exactly where I was.
This lifeless room with its small files was a crude catalog system for my life. Here were written the actions of my every moment, big and small, in a detail my memory couldn't match. A sense of wonder and curiosity, coupled with horror, stirred within me as I began randomly opening files and exploring their content. Some brought joy and sweet memories; others a sense of shame and regret so intense that I would look over my shoulder to see if anyone was watching.
A file named 'Friends' was next to one marked 'Friends I have betrayed.' The titles ranged from the mundane to the outright weird 'Books I Have Read,' 'Lies I Have Told,' 'Comfort I have Given,' 'Jokes I Have Laughed at .' Some were almost hilarious in their exactness: 'Things I've yelled at my brothers.' Others I couldn't laugh at: 'Things I Have Done in My Anger', 'Things I Have Muttered Under My Breath at My Parents.' I never ceased to be surprised by the contents.
Often there were many more cards than I expected. Sometimes fewer than I hoped. I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the life I had lived. Could it be possible that I had the time in my years to fill each of these thousands or even millions of cards? But each card confirmed this truth. Each was written in my own handwriting. Each signed with my signature.
When I pulled out the file marked 'TV Shows I have watched', I realized the files grew to contain their contents. The cards were packed tightly, and yet after two or three yards, I hadn't found the end of the file. I shut it, shamed, not so much by the quality of shows but more by the vast time I knew that file represented.
When I came to a file marked 'Lustful Thoughts,' I felt a chill run through my body. I pulled the file out only an inch, not willing to test its size and drew out a card. I shuddered at its detailed content.
I felt sick to think that such a moment had been recorded. An almost animal rage broke on me. One thought dominated my mind: No one must ever see these cards! No one must ever see this room! I have to destroy them!' In insane frenzy I yanked the file out. Its size didn't matter now. I had to empty it and burn the cards. But as I took it at one end and began pounding it on the floor, I could not dislodge a single card. I became desperate and pulled out a card, only to find it as strong as steel when I tried to tear it.
Defeated and utterly helpless, I returned the file to its slot. Leaning my forehead against the wall, I let out a long, self-pitying sigh.
And then I saw it.. The title bore 'People I Have Shared the Gospel With.' The handle was brighter than those around it,seemed newer, almost unused. I pulled on its handle and a small box not more than three inches long fell into my hands. I could count the cards it contained on one hand.
And then the tears came. I began to weep. Sobs so deep that they hurt. They started in my stomach and shook through me. I fell on my knees and cried. I cried out of shame, from the overwhelming shame of it all. The rows of file shelves swirled in my tear-filled eyes. No one must ever, ever know of this room. I must lock it up and hide the key. But then as I pushed away the tears, I saw Him.
No, please not Him. Not here. Oh, anyone but Jesus. I watched helplessly as He began to open the files and read the cards. I couldn't bear to watch His response. And in the moments I could bring myself to look at His face, I saw a sorrow deeper than my own.
He seemed to intuitively go to the worst boxes. Why did He have to read every one? Finally He turned and looked at me from across the room. He looked at me with pity in His eyes. But this was a pity that didn't anger me. I dropped my head, covered my face with my hands and began to cry again. He walked over and put His arm around me. He could have said so many things. But He didn't say a word. He just cried with me.
Then He got up and walked back to the wall of files. Starting at one end of the room, He took out a file and, one by one, began to sign His name over mine on each card. 'No!' I shouted rushing to Him. All I could find to say was 'No, no,' as I pulled the card from Him. His name shouldn't be on these cards. But there it was, written in red so rich, so dark, so alive. The name of Jesus covered mine. It was written with His blood. He gently took the card back. He smiled a sad smile and began to sign the cards. I don't think I'll ever understand how He did it so quickly, but the next instant it seemed I heard Him close the last file and walk back to my side.
He placed His hand on my shoulder and said, 'It is finished.' I stood up, and He led me out of the room. There was no lock on its door. There were still cards to be written.
'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.'-Phil. 4:13
'For God so loved the world that He gave His only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.' -John 3:16
PPPS: Er, you may not have noticed, but I added a recording of Jericho on the blog. All you have to do is just to raise up the volume. =D
Thursday, 14 August 2008
Dear Band Members,
Some of you have requested to see a sample of the video of Aesthetique before deciding whether to buy it. Here's a watered-down quality for youtube version of a small portion...
Videos go at $10 each. Please give your names to Luke by tomorrow evening if you want to own a copy. To see the design of the DVD, ask the media department to show you.
Thanks.
Some of you have requested to see a sample of the video of Aesthetique before deciding whether to buy it. Here's a watered-down quality for youtube version of a small portion...
Videos go at $10 each. Please give your names to Luke by tomorrow evening if you want to own a copy. To see the design of the DVD, ask the media department to show you.
Thanks.
Sunday, 10 August 2008
Saturday, 9 August 2008
The Day.
The day where some of us are waiting for (especially me, because i finally get to listen to my piece...haha.) is here.
Here are all the audio tracks from the concert, Aesthetique 2008. The video is being processed and I am happy to say that it will be ready for distribution via the Media department by next this monday. Meanwhile, enjoy the (extra) fruits of your labour! XD
Oh Yes, Happy National Day!
Friday, 8 August 2008
National Day 2008 *WOOTS*
Yo People!
National Day is coming up! (Well, actually its tomorrow..)
So aren't you guys excited? Happy? Enthusiastic? Overjoyed? Off the roof?
I am sure none of you are, because I really doubt if there are even any patriots in our Band. (excluding the teachers, and Mr Tan). On the contrary, if you are, then good for you! Tomorrow, on the 9th August, the whole of Singapore will be celebrating our nation's 43rd birthday!
THREE CHEERS FOR SINGAPORE!!!
Anyway, while I was on my way to the library@esplanade today (with yue feng, yu chen and (CO) xuan ming), I noticed that not only was Yu Chen in red, all the other pedestrians are in red as well. And they are not just mere students from Primary or Secondary schools, but adults are wearing red and white too!
When we were at the City Hall MRT station, I was flabbergasted! All I saw was a sea of red and white. And I am not exaggerating! It was so spectacular, i wanted to fish out my digital camera and snap a picture at that instance. ( Sadly, I didn't bring my Digital Camera) Even foreigners are wearing red and white?
At that moment, a sense of pride was welling up in me. It was so, so, AWESOME, seeing fellow Singaporeans wearing red and white all at the same time! It was a sight to be remembered, and I will never forget it in my mind.
It was at that moment when I realised that, Singaporeans aren't that worse off as they say in the news, that we are un-patriotic to our own country. But that's absolutely not true. There is a still a sense of belonging in the people of Singapore.
Believe me or not, I, who once thought that National Day was just a waste of time, was really looking forward to tomorrow's celebration. National Day marks the day of our independence, and we really should be proud of it!
So, I hope you guys will be anticipating in tremendous excitement for the upcoming National Day's performance. And I hope you guys will enjoy it as well!
Because I know I am going to! =P
National Day is coming up! (Well, actually its tomorrow..)
So aren't you guys excited? Happy? Enthusiastic? Overjoyed? Off the roof?
I am sure none of you are, because I really doubt if there are even any patriots in our Band. (excluding the teachers, and Mr Tan). On the contrary, if you are, then good for you! Tomorrow, on the 9th August, the whole of Singapore will be celebrating our nation's 43rd birthday!
THREE CHEERS FOR SINGAPORE!!!
Anyway, while I was on my way to the library@esplanade today (with yue feng, yu chen and (CO) xuan ming), I noticed that not only was Yu Chen in red, all the other pedestrians are in red as well. And they are not just mere students from Primary or Secondary schools, but adults are wearing red and white too!
When we were at the City Hall MRT station, I was flabbergasted! All I saw was a sea of red and white. And I am not exaggerating! It was so spectacular, i wanted to fish out my digital camera and snap a picture at that instance. ( Sadly, I didn't bring my Digital Camera) Even foreigners are wearing red and white?
At that moment, a sense of pride was welling up in me. It was so, so, AWESOME, seeing fellow Singaporeans wearing red and white all at the same time! It was a sight to be remembered, and I will never forget it in my mind.
It was at that moment when I realised that, Singaporeans aren't that worse off as they say in the news, that we are un-patriotic to our own country. But that's absolutely not true. There is a still a sense of belonging in the people of Singapore.
Believe me or not, I, who once thought that National Day was just a waste of time, was really looking forward to tomorrow's celebration. National Day marks the day of our independence, and we really should be proud of it!
So, I hope you guys will be anticipating in tremendous excitement for the upcoming National Day's performance. And I hope you guys will enjoy it as well!
Because I know I am going to! =P
Saturday, 2 August 2008
Attendance
I'm sure everyone who came on Friday already knows this.
The attendance was horrible. Like some undigested lump of something in the bowl after you've had a dump.
Sure, it was after exams. Everyone is thinking (especially those that didn't come) that there shouldn't have been band; they should have been allowed to take a break, like run off to watch a movie or something. The fact is, there WAS band, and it was the first practice after the exams with Mr. Tan.
The people that didn't come obviously do not have the discipline that is required of them, nor do they have the basic respect for the other members of the band, let alone Mr. Tan. If the rest could fight temptations and turn up, punctually or not, why should those that didn't come be allowed to do so? All thanks to them, the practice wasn't fruitful, morale was low, and Mr. Tan's didn't have his usual sunflower face on.
Monday's sectionals; section leaders are reminded to make sure your members come down for practice. And if any member thinks he can weasel out of it just because his SL closes an eye or two, then he can think again, knock his head on a wall, then walk back to the band room.
Band practice is relaxing, so just have an open mindset and stop trying to avoid it. All it requires is for you to sit down and make good music- or at least try to- in a comfortable air-conditioned room. It is not something tiring like 2.4 or physical training. So if someone tries to pon band, we'll take the hint. Next time he turns up, he won't be practising, he'll be having extremely constructive physical training in a nice and comfy field. Don't make the leaders resort to that.
It's really up to you.
The attendance was horrible. Like some undigested lump of something in the bowl after you've had a dump.
Sure, it was after exams. Everyone is thinking (especially those that didn't come) that there shouldn't have been band; they should have been allowed to take a break, like run off to watch a movie or something. The fact is, there WAS band, and it was the first practice after the exams with Mr. Tan.
The people that didn't come obviously do not have the discipline that is required of them, nor do they have the basic respect for the other members of the band, let alone Mr. Tan. If the rest could fight temptations and turn up, punctually or not, why should those that didn't come be allowed to do so? All thanks to them, the practice wasn't fruitful, morale was low, and Mr. Tan's didn't have his usual sunflower face on.
Monday's sectionals; section leaders are reminded to make sure your members come down for practice. And if any member thinks he can weasel out of it just because his SL closes an eye or two, then he can think again, knock his head on a wall, then walk back to the band room.
Band practice is relaxing, so just have an open mindset and stop trying to avoid it. All it requires is for you to sit down and make good music- or at least try to- in a comfortable air-conditioned room. It is not something tiring like 2.4 or physical training. So if someone tries to pon band, we'll take the hint. Next time he turns up, he won't be practising, he'll be having extremely constructive physical training in a nice and comfy field. Don't make the leaders resort to that.
It's really up to you.
Wednesday, 30 July 2008
DO OR DIE!!!
All Band members take note, this friday, there will be a photo taking session. Thus, we will all have to bring our Full U, this means, white suit, blazer, tie, and black shoes.If there are any problems please feel free to call or approach me and mike.Please inform all those ppl that dont usually get these messages like Jinsheng and Xiyun, they usually give the excuse, "No one tell me leh" they better not this time!!!!
Sec 1s please bring your tie and collar pins, and for gods sake please don't play soccer in your uniform before coming for band. This goes out to ppl like Mitchell etc etc, be in a calm and composed mood upon entering band room and right before taking photo dont go and have lil sparring sessions.
Tomorrow, thursday. I will be opening the band room till 3.30, anyone who wishes to place their items in the band STORE may do so, however, it is your responsibility to make sure you CAN identify your clothes, i do NOT wish to have another repeat of someone crying because a second party mistook the clothing.
Sec 1s please bring your tie and collar pins, and for gods sake please don't play soccer in your uniform before coming for band. This goes out to ppl like Mitchell etc etc, be in a calm and composed mood upon entering band room and right before taking photo dont go and have lil sparring sessions.
Tomorrow, thursday. I will be opening the band room till 3.30, anyone who wishes to place their items in the band STORE may do so, however, it is your responsibility to make sure you CAN identify your clothes, i do NOT wish to have another repeat of someone crying because a second party mistook the clothing.
Sunday, 27 July 2008
Random Wind Quintet
Since some of you guys have been wondering, what that 6 page score off a so-called woodwind quintet was; what sounded so ritualistic yet refined - what I had been practising for de-stressing entertainment whenever I pop by the band room, here's what it is.
Summer Music for Wind Quintet, by Samuel Barber.
A contemporary work of art, played by the Woodwind Quintet of Berlin Philharmonic. Therefore it is imperative for all Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Horn and Bassoon players to view once, for an idea of how your instrument should sound at its best, how to blend, listen and accommodate in an ensemble. It's quite soft, so turn up those speakers. Enjoy.
Edit:
This is probably one of the lesser anticipated and appreciated form of classical music. So some of you may be wondering why it sounds weird. It's 20th century, and if it is played by a woodwind quintet, it is rightfully music and therefore worth your listening. Brace yourself, weird chords and melodies alright.
Part 1
Part 2
Summer Music for Wind Quintet, by Samuel Barber.
A contemporary work of art, played by the Woodwind Quintet of Berlin Philharmonic. Therefore it is imperative for all Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Horn and Bassoon players to view once, for an idea of how your instrument should sound at its best, how to blend, listen and accommodate in an ensemble. It's quite soft, so turn up those speakers. Enjoy.
Edit:
This is probably one of the lesser anticipated and appreciated form of classical music. So some of you may be wondering why it sounds weird. It's 20th century, and if it is played by a woodwind quintet, it is rightfully music and therefore worth your listening. Brace yourself, weird chords and melodies alright.
Part 1
Part 2
Saturday, 26 July 2008
What is Art? What is Good Art?
Let us ask, what is art?
We have seen in the recent newspapers about the photographer bagging the “UOB Painting of the Year” prize, which consist of a series of photographs of animal parts, which led to a dispute amongst the public community between good and bad art, and that most common people claimed that the series was bad art just because it was mortifying.
So if something is ugly and/or morbid, even for music, is it art? So what really is art?
Perhaps the 19th century Russian writer and philosopher Leo Tolstoy has defined it best. Let me extract a few points from his essay, ‘What is Art?’ (1896) Before you try to argue against it, read it and try to understand and absorb these points of view; these may very well help all of us in creating better music because after all, music is art too! Let us try to read…yes it’s long but take your time to read and digest…
-“Art, in our society, has been so perverted that not only has bad art come to be considered good, but even the very perception of what really art is has been lost.”
-“In order to correctly define art, it is necessary, first of all, to cease to consider it as a means to pleasure and to consider it as one of the conditions of human life. Viewing it in this way we cannot fail to observe that art is one of the means of intercourse between man and man.”
-“The activity of art is based on the fact that a man, receiving through his sense of hearing or sight another man’s feeling expression of feeling, is capable of experiencing the emotion which moved the man who expressed it. To take the simplest example: one man laughs, and another who hears it becomes merry; or a man weeps, and another who hears feels sorrow…By his movements or by the sounds of his voice, a man expresses courage and determination or sadness and calmness, and this state of mind passes on to others.”
-“However, if a man infects another or others indirectly, immediately, by his appearance or by the sounds he gives vent to at the very time he experiences the feeling; if he causes another man to yawn when he himself cannot help yawning, or to laugh or cry when he himself is obliged to laugh or cry, or to suffer when he himself is suffering – that does not amount to art.”
-“The feelings with which the artist infects others may be most various – very strong or very weak, very important or insignificant, very bad or very good; feelings of love for one’s own country, self-devotion and submission to fate or to God expressed in a drama, raptures of lovers described in a novel, feelings of voluptuousness expressed in a picture, courage expressed in a triumphal march, merriment evoked by a dance, humour evoked by a funny story, the feeling of quietness transmitted by an evening landscape or by a lullaby, or the feeling of admiration evoked by a beautiful arabesque – it is all art.”
-“Only if the spectators or auditors are infected by the feelings which the author has felt, it is art.”
-“The stronger the infection, the better is the art as art, speaking now apart from its subject matter i.e. not considering the quality of the feelings it transmits.”
-“A real work of art destroys, in the consciousness of the receiver, the separation between himself and the artist – not that alone, but also between himself and all whose minds receive this work of art. In this freeing of our personality from its separation and isolation, in this uniting of it with others, lies the chief characteristic and the great attractive force of art.”
-“The presence in various degrees of three conditions – individuality, clearness, and sincerity – decides the merit of a work of art as art. Sincerity is the most important of the three. It is always complied with in peasant art, and this explains why such art always acts so powerfully; but it is a condition almost entirely absent from our upper class art, which is continually produced by artists actuated by personal claims of covetousness or vanity.”
-“Thus is art divided from that which is not art, and thus is the quality of art as art decided, independently of its subject matter, i.e. apart from whether the feelings it transmits are good or bad.”
You, the band member need not agree with all these points; nevertheless it is good to use these extracted points as a means to a perfection of your own art: making music as an individual and as a band. :D
We have seen in the recent newspapers about the photographer bagging the “UOB Painting of the Year” prize, which consist of a series of photographs of animal parts, which led to a dispute amongst the public community between good and bad art, and that most common people claimed that the series was bad art just because it was mortifying.
So if something is ugly and/or morbid, even for music, is it art? So what really is art?
Perhaps the 19th century Russian writer and philosopher Leo Tolstoy has defined it best. Let me extract a few points from his essay, ‘What is Art?’ (1896) Before you try to argue against it, read it and try to understand and absorb these points of view; these may very well help all of us in creating better music because after all, music is art too! Let us try to read…yes it’s long but take your time to read and digest…
-“Art, in our society, has been so perverted that not only has bad art come to be considered good, but even the very perception of what really art is has been lost.”
-“In order to correctly define art, it is necessary, first of all, to cease to consider it as a means to pleasure and to consider it as one of the conditions of human life. Viewing it in this way we cannot fail to observe that art is one of the means of intercourse between man and man.”
-“The activity of art is based on the fact that a man, receiving through his sense of hearing or sight another man’s feeling expression of feeling, is capable of experiencing the emotion which moved the man who expressed it. To take the simplest example: one man laughs, and another who hears it becomes merry; or a man weeps, and another who hears feels sorrow…By his movements or by the sounds of his voice, a man expresses courage and determination or sadness and calmness, and this state of mind passes on to others.”
-“However, if a man infects another or others indirectly, immediately, by his appearance or by the sounds he gives vent to at the very time he experiences the feeling; if he causes another man to yawn when he himself cannot help yawning, or to laugh or cry when he himself is obliged to laugh or cry, or to suffer when he himself is suffering – that does not amount to art.”
-“The feelings with which the artist infects others may be most various – very strong or very weak, very important or insignificant, very bad or very good; feelings of love for one’s own country, self-devotion and submission to fate or to God expressed in a drama, raptures of lovers described in a novel, feelings of voluptuousness expressed in a picture, courage expressed in a triumphal march, merriment evoked by a dance, humour evoked by a funny story, the feeling of quietness transmitted by an evening landscape or by a lullaby, or the feeling of admiration evoked by a beautiful arabesque – it is all art.”
-“Only if the spectators or auditors are infected by the feelings which the author has felt, it is art.”
-“The stronger the infection, the better is the art as art, speaking now apart from its subject matter i.e. not considering the quality of the feelings it transmits.”
-“A real work of art destroys, in the consciousness of the receiver, the separation between himself and the artist – not that alone, but also between himself and all whose minds receive this work of art. In this freeing of our personality from its separation and isolation, in this uniting of it with others, lies the chief characteristic and the great attractive force of art.”
-“The presence in various degrees of three conditions – individuality, clearness, and sincerity – decides the merit of a work of art as art. Sincerity is the most important of the three. It is always complied with in peasant art, and this explains why such art always acts so powerfully; but it is a condition almost entirely absent from our upper class art, which is continually produced by artists actuated by personal claims of covetousness or vanity.”
-“Thus is art divided from that which is not art, and thus is the quality of art as art decided, independently of its subject matter, i.e. apart from whether the feelings it transmits are good or bad.”
You, the band member need not agree with all these points; nevertheless it is good to use these extracted points as a means to a perfection of your own art: making music as an individual and as a band. :D
Thursday, 24 July 2008
sec 2s no band next friday!!! woohoo!!! sec 2s, please read
hello, its my first time posting on the blog, what an honour... anyway, i just want to announce to all the sec 2s that we do not have to go for band next friday!!!! woots... we will instead go to some bar and partay!!!!
Unfortunately, our dear band major jun yao is jealous that he is not a sec 2 and he cannot join us to go to party, and disallow this fabulous plan... so when we see him tomorrow, we beat him up ok?? lets us show jun yao that we the sec 2s are not pushovers!!!!
SYF and WMC is drawing closer and closer to us by the seconds, but we do not have to worry a thing about it!!! Bil Keane once said " Yesterday's the past, tomorrow's the future, but today's a gift, thats why it is called the present" we just have to enjoy every single day, and dont moan over the past or the future, and do our very best in preparing for our exams and the upcoming competitions!!!!...... woots!!!
eh..... the not come for band thing is just a joke.... dont be like tzung ern, thought is real...
Unfortunately, our dear band major jun yao is jealous that he is not a sec 2 and he cannot join us to go to party, and disallow this fabulous plan... so when we see him tomorrow, we beat him up ok?? lets us show jun yao that we the sec 2s are not pushovers!!!!
SYF and WMC is drawing closer and closer to us by the seconds, but we do not have to worry a thing about it!!! Bil Keane once said " Yesterday's the past, tomorrow's the future, but today's a gift, thats why it is called the present" we just have to enjoy every single day, and dont moan over the past or the future, and do our very best in preparing for our exams and the upcoming competitions!!!!...... woots!!!
eh..... the not come for band thing is just a joke.... dont be like tzung ern, thought is real...
Tuesday, 22 July 2008
A Little On Conducting.
Here's just a part of my modular portfolio for my Band Training and Direction elective under Mr Leonard Tan from the previous half of the year...share with you people...Here I will mainly share on what I have learnt on the objective of conducting and what is good conducting.
Why Conduct?
It has been shown that conductor-less large ensembles spend much more time rehearsing than large ensembles that have a conductor to lead them. Thus from here we can conclude two things: a conductor is a time-saver (which is something true but we just hate to admit it) and a conductor is above all, a leader of the entire band or orchestra. A conductor shows through his gestures what he wants of the ensemble, and thus leads them with a single source of interpretation and musicality.
What is good conducting?
Good conducting can be summed up in two aspects: it is clear yet musical. It is quite pointless when a conductor does an emotional tear-jerker piece in a strict 4/4 time pattern throughout the piece even though the score seems to say that everything is in 4/4, and it is equally pointless when the same piece is conducted with great emotion and fervour when none of the players can see or understand what the conductor is trying to convey to them. Good conducting must be clear to the players (not only to yourself!) and equally musical so that the music is music and not just a fixed sequence of sounds being played back in order. One might as well program a computer to play such sounds to achieve the latter.
How does good conducting work?
It is important to understand the effects of conducting; conducting is almost purely psychological in nature (though the players do have to be first ‘sensitised’ to your conducting). Good conducting brings out both the conscious and sub-conscious parts of the player’s mind; it helps bring the player to a higher level than he thinks he can achieve in performance.
How to be a good conductor?
If band instructors tell their musicians to practice their parts, should it not go that they themselves have to practice too? Thus I feel that a good band instructor should do adequate score study before the rehearsal (especially so for new works that have no available recordings…yet) and that he should practice in front of a mirror. Also, the conductor should not stick to what he practices in front of the mirror if it does not work out with the band; either the band has not been ‘sensitised’ to his conducting or there is something wrong with the gestures displayed. Thus a good conductor should also be flexible enough to allow room for change in his conducting when something does not go the way he would like it to go.
Sunday, 20 July 2008
WARNING: PG-13/ Not suitable for Minors!
Disclaimer: The following jokes are, what we call, "misleading". So, if you have a pure of heart (which i HIGHLY doubt), please, DO NOT scroll down!
Oh, and do not try them at home.
Seriously
WHAT WOULD U ANSWER> > > > > >
A first-grade teacher, Ms Neelam was having trouble with one of her students.
The teacher asked , "Tom, what is your problem?"
Tom answered, "I'm too smart for the first-grade. My sister is in the third-grade and I'm smarter than she is! I think I should be in the third-grade too!"
Ms. Neelam had enough. She took Tom to the principal's office.
While Tom waited in the outer office, the teacher explained to the principal what the situation was. The principal told Ms Neelam he would give the boy a test and if he failed to answer any of his questions, he was to go back to the first-grade and behave.
She agreed.
Tom was brought in and the conditions were explained to him and he agreed to take the test.
Principal: 'What is 3 x 3?'
Tom: '9'.
Principal: 'What is 6 x 6?'
Tom: '36'.
And so it went with every question the principal thought a third-grade should know.
The principal looks at Ms. Neelam and tells her, 'I think he can go to the third-grade.'
Ms. Neelam replied, 'I have some of my own questions. Can I ask him ?'
The principal and Tom both agreed.
(HIGHLIGHT TO SEE ANSWER)
Ms. Neelam asks: 'What does a cow have four of that I have only two> of?'
Tom, after a moment said, 'Legs.'
Ms. Neelam: 'What is in your pants that you have but I do not> have?'
Tom: 'Pockets.'
Ms. Neelam: 'What starts with a C and ends with a T, is hairy, oval, delicious and contains> thin whitish liquid?'
Tom:'Coconut'
Ms. Neelam: 'What goes in hard and pink then comes out soft and sticky?'
The principal's eyes open really wide and before he could stop the answer, Boy was taking charge
Tom: 'Bubblegum.'
Ms. Neelam: 'What does a man do standing up, a woman does sitting down and a dog does on three legs?'
The principal's eyes open really wide and before he>could stop the answer...
Tom: 'Shake hands'
Ms. Neelam: 'Now I will ask some'Who am I' sort of questions, okay?'
Tom: 'Yep'.
Ms. Neelam: 'You stick your poles inside me. You tie me down to get me up. I get wet before you do. Who am I?'
Tom: 'Tent'
Ms. Neelam: 'A finger goes in me. You fiddle with me when you're bored. The best man always has me first. Who am I?'
The Principal was looking restless, a bit tense and took one large Patiala Vodka peg.
Tom: 'Wedding Ring'
Ms. Neelam: 'I come in many sizes. When I'm not well, I drip.. When you blow me, you feel good. Who am I?'
Tom: 'Nose'
Ms. Neelam: 'I have a stiff shaft. My tip penetrates. I come with a quiver. Who am I?'
Tom: 'Arrow'
Ms. Neelam: 'What word starts with a 'F' and ends in 'K' that means lot of heat and excitement?' Tom: 'Firetruck'
Ms. Neelam: 'What word starts with a 'F' and ends in 'K' & if u don't get it u have to use ur hand?' Tom: 'Fork'
Ms. Neelam: 'What is it that all men have one of it's longer on some men than on others, the Pope doesn't use his and a man gives it to his wife after they're married?'
Tom: 'SURNAME'
Ms. Neelam: 'What part of the man has no bone but has muscles, has lots of veins, like pumping, & is responsible for making love?'
Tom: 'HEART.'
The principal breathed a sigh of relief and said to the teacher, 'Send this boy to the University, I got the last ten questions wrong myself..."
Just like all of us including YOU. =)
Oh, and do not try them at home.
Seriously
WHAT WOULD U ANSWER> > > > > >
A first-grade teacher, Ms Neelam was having trouble with one of her students.
The teacher asked , "Tom, what is your problem?"
Tom answered, "I'm too smart for the first-grade. My sister is in the third-grade and I'm smarter than she is! I think I should be in the third-grade too!"
Ms. Neelam had enough. She took Tom to the principal's office.
While Tom waited in the outer office, the teacher explained to the principal what the situation was. The principal told Ms Neelam he would give the boy a test and if he failed to answer any of his questions, he was to go back to the first-grade and behave.
She agreed.
Tom was brought in and the conditions were explained to him and he agreed to take the test.
Principal: 'What is 3 x 3?'
Tom: '9'.
Principal: 'What is 6 x 6?'
Tom: '36'.
And so it went with every question the principal thought a third-grade should know.
The principal looks at Ms. Neelam and tells her, 'I think he can go to the third-grade.'
Ms. Neelam replied, 'I have some of my own questions. Can I ask him ?'
The principal and Tom both agreed.
(HIGHLIGHT TO SEE ANSWER)
Ms. Neelam asks: 'What does a cow have four of that I have only two> of?'
Tom, after a moment said, 'Legs.'
Ms. Neelam: 'What is in your pants that you have but I do not> have?'
Tom: 'Pockets.'
Ms. Neelam: 'What starts with a C and ends with a T, is hairy, oval, delicious and contains> thin whitish liquid?'
Tom:'Coconut'
Ms. Neelam: 'What goes in hard and pink then comes out soft and sticky?'
The principal's eyes open really wide and before he could stop the answer, Boy was taking charge
Tom: 'Bubblegum.'
Ms. Neelam: 'What does a man do standing up, a woman does sitting down and a dog does on three legs?'
The principal's eyes open really wide and before he>could stop the answer...
Tom: 'Shake hands'
Ms. Neelam: 'Now I will ask some'Who am I' sort of questions, okay?'
Tom: 'Yep'.
Ms. Neelam: 'You stick your poles inside me. You tie me down to get me up. I get wet before you do. Who am I?'
Tom: 'Tent'
Ms. Neelam: 'A finger goes in me. You fiddle with me when you're bored. The best man always has me first. Who am I?'
The Principal was looking restless, a bit tense and took one large Patiala Vodka peg.
Tom: 'Wedding Ring'
Ms. Neelam: 'I come in many sizes. When I'm not well, I drip.. When you blow me, you feel good. Who am I?'
Tom: 'Nose'
Ms. Neelam: 'I have a stiff shaft. My tip penetrates. I come with a quiver. Who am I?'
Tom: 'Arrow'
Ms. Neelam: 'What word starts with a 'F' and ends in 'K' that means lot of heat and excitement?' Tom: 'Firetruck'
Ms. Neelam: 'What word starts with a 'F' and ends in 'K' & if u don't get it u have to use ur hand?' Tom: 'Fork'
Ms. Neelam: 'What is it that all men have one of it's longer on some men than on others, the Pope doesn't use his and a man gives it to his wife after they're married?'
Tom: 'SURNAME'
Ms. Neelam: 'What part of the man has no bone but has muscles, has lots of veins, like pumping, & is responsible for making love?'
Tom: 'HEART.'
The principal breathed a sigh of relief and said to the teacher, 'Send this boy to the University, I got the last ten questions wrong myself..."
Just like all of us including YOU. =)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)