Aesthetique 2010 - Painting on Silence

Hello band members!

Below are some of the Secondary 3s' reflections regarding our recent concert on 4th March 2010 - Aesthetique 2010: Painting on Silence. All band members (especially the Secondary 3s) are strongly encouraged to post their reflections about the band's progress on our band blog.

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Zhe Wei:

Our concert was not a total success, neither was it a total failure. We have indeed given it our all in terms of our spirituality and tried out utmost best to communicate with the audience and perform to our utmost best which was of partial succcess, but with such high levels of “unpreparedness", our eyes tend to be glued to the score instead of the conductor leaving us to be unable to take signs from him and unable to feel and sense the same pulse. This caused the music to become very disorganized and messy, resulting in it to be a failure.

I have learnt from our concert that there is a serious problem with our techniques in music-playing. This was evident as we were struggling to try to finish the piece and decode the rhythms. This all underlies to our problems in the fundamentals of music playing. Clearly, our fundamentals are not well built and as a result, our playing is suffering due to our poor fundamentals and basics. Despite the fact that this point has been severly empahsised and repeated, not many people have taken heed of this advice and simply refuse to do anything on their own self-effort to improve.

Also, many people in the band simply refuse to come down to self-practice their score and simply come to combined sessions without practicing their score beforehand. This leads to a lot of them having not practiced the score and thus becoming unfamiliar with the score which as a result leads to them not playing their own parts well. With nearly everybody in our band having that kind of mentality, it is indeed hard to bring our music to further heights as we would be stuck at the same places and would be unable to get past it because some fellow members simply refuse to practice their parts and would be stuck at that part for long periods of time.

"The strength of a band is in its weakest player." This saying is indeed true. No matter how far some members may go to self practice their parts and aim for perfection, as long as we have some who refuse to practice, this slipshod attitude would not only cause their own downfall, but also ultimately lead to the band’s downfall.

In addition, many members of our band has the "skimming the surface" attitude and simply just wish to be able to play the notes and get the rough idea of the piece without caring about the minute details such as crescendos, de-crescendos and difficult parts. This leads to the music that we play to only be a rough, general idea and not a meticulous one. To quote a few examples from our concert, our piece “Seventh night of July“ was done without much expression in the dynamics. In addition, the 3rd and 4th page sounded very messy as these were the “difficult” parts of the section and we, adopting the “ skimming the surface “ attitude have only just played through the score very briefly without aiming for perfection, clarity and togetherness.

Also, our "unpreparedness", for the concert can be reflected in our musical playing. We have clearly just practiced the easy parts and left the difficult parts aside, adopting a "heck care" attitude. An example to showcase this would be the "Legend of the ancient hero" piece, our second page at the 7/8 bar was not done together as everybody felt different pulses with some lagging behind the actual tempo and some not knowing their notes and playing incorrectly. This confuses the members who have practiced and cause them to blunder which the different "noises" which they are hearing.

Lastly of all would be our attitude. Some of us hold an earnest attitude towards musical playing and practice conscientiously to aim for perfection. Some others on the hand as said hold a "heck care" attitude “ and do not spend any of their personal free time to practice which causes the band to be unable to progress further because of the mentality of these people. If we could all change our mentality and aim for one common goal, to strive for the best in what we do and do our personal part to help the band improve and soar to greater heights, our band would truly be a wonderful band.

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Shao Kai:

The main problem of the concert was the lack of preparation from each individuals of the band. Even the seniors (Secondary 4) were lacking of the preparation to confidently finish the pieces. I feel that the seniors have really helped us too much which can already be equated to spoon-feeding till they neglect almost everything including studies and practising their own part. Not sure about the other seniors but to me in my section, this occurrence is getting more and more obvious and the juniors, including me, took it for granted till they reminded me about this issue 2 days before a concert with a random remark and I finally realised that this is going on with me showing only the slightest appreciation. That got me thinking a lot till the concert.

This brings me back to the main topic for this reflection after the sidetrack. To me, everything that has passed has passed. I treat these past events as lessons that I have got to learn from, may it be a perfect event or an imperfect one. This time it was really the imperfect side. Although many feedbacks from people who are “not well exposed to music” were like ‘Great concert you have there I enjoyed it!’ and ‘Whao, quite nice leh’ etc. all having the positivity, I still felt that the concert was not that well done at all, maybe for majority of the pieces. Moreover, these people could even identify one out of the many mistakes made like the squeaking of one of the clarinet and not coming in tempo or not in tempo from the percussion. Then what about those who know music? The answer is straightforward. Worse.

Never have I gone for a full concert performed by me and my band throughout, this is the first time. An unforgettable first time… Doing analysis for each song about what is wrong and etc. is pointless in this reflection. There are lots and lots of things going through my mind after the concert. I have seen and heard lots of things that made me feel quite emotional the day after the concert. Some band people were saying just enjoy the concert. I feel that we should not enjoy but seriously be musical and expressive at the point in time, express all our feelings fitting to what should be in the piece. Enjoying is not enough if a good performance is aimed to be given although it is near impossibility.

Leadership during the whole process was good, quite good. Everything was planned out very nicely; maybe it’s because of Mr Glosz. Just that some people need to be motivated to feel sense of urgency for things to be done like transportation, packing, moving from place to place etc. This would need the band to work together. One issue that I seen during the concert was that everyone is downright un-united and un-bonded. Everyone was in their small groups. In my section it’s already happening, in my huge batch of Secondary 3 it is even more obvious, not sure about the Secondary 4s though. Conflicts are all around. However, even there is conflict there I still feeling that the band can try to be united with the slightest bonding and work together.

Playing for the first half of the repertoire was alright, better than expected. Not to mentioned the countless mistakes made by the intermediate band. I felt that my section and I did well for the soli in Jubilance. One of the best that I have played so far. I was thinking about my seniors’ efforts put on my section and I, that I have to support my section. It was the most enjoyable time in the first half as I had a lot of feelings mixed into this soli.

Till the second half, after breaks and all the mistakes, everyone was not focused at all. Everything played was not at even the normal standards. I really do hope that the band have much more perseverance. I did not enjoy the second part at all. Yes people were clapping this and that, here and there, the atmosphere was there but I really hope the band can play as well as the atmosphere. After the whole performance was over, it was really very messy. People are looking for this this this this, oh then this other person is looking that that that. Total mess. Being the last person to leave the dressing room, I felt quite sad that all the plastic bottles are left behind. With other litter here and there. It was like rush hour and in one small corner showing the little aftermath of this crowd here after leaving that particular area. There were also things that were left behind by my section mate and I brought everything down for them but end up forgetting to bring my own blazer and school uniform. Felt pretty anxious at that moment… No light at all. Luckily there was someone there using handphone light to look for something and I borrowed it from him.

Upon reaching school, it was really unknown why Jin Sheng was so angry and had a fiery tone. Luckily people did not flare or get offended by him. But I still feel that he should change the way he treats people especially not going with his mood.

Although we did not get a chance to talk about the concert that night, doing this reflection can help me express part of it. I hope that the band can really buck up; there were a few times where I tear as I had a flash of thought of the Secondary 4s leaving us, as I have built really strong bonds with them after all.

The concert was a lesson for everyone, of what you really cannot play and what damage you can incur to the band for your incompetence. Our next short aim would be Hawaii although the more far-sighted one is taking over of the current secondary 3s, POP video all that. The concert marks as a date for everyone to know and to remember and to learn. I hope that really, everyone learnt something. As for me, I have learnt many things through this period of time till the concert. I really had got to be more musical and expressive of what I play, I have also learnt the correct way of practising any pieces, importance of fundamentals like the majors and minors and the chromatics and many more. Although we have passed the concert, we still have got to strive and continue with the effort that we put in during the chionging period before this concert. With this consistency I am pretty sure that we can do well. I have confidence in everyone in the band.

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Alumni members who have attended our concert are more than welcome to post their feedback for the band here! :D Do tell the band what you think of our concert and our current band.

That's all :)

Band Camp - Packing List

Hello! If you did not attend the previous band practice, or happen to lose your packing list for the camp, here it is:
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Packing List:
x1 Band Polo Tee
x2 Home Clothes
x1 Band PT Shirt (Orange)
x2 PE Attire (Shirt and Pants)
x5 Undergarments (Socks and Underwear)
x1 Track Shoes/School Shoes
x1 Slippers/Sandals
x2 School Green Shorts
x1 School uniform (for CIP Participants)
x1 Toiletries (Toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, towel, toilet paper)
x1 Rags
x1 Poncho/Small umbrella
x1 Raffia String (Laundry Line)
x1 Plastic Mug
x1 Fork and Spoon
x1 Torchlight with batteries
x1 1.5 litre water bottle
x1 Sleeping bag
x1 Writing materials
Cash (at least $20)
EZ Link card (topped up with at least $10)

Optional:
Medication (e.g. Inhalers)
Jacket
Track pants
Plastic Bag (For Clothes)
Vitamin C Pills
Sun Block
Hair Wax/ Comb/ Gel

Do NOT bring:
Snacks
Electronic Devices/Handheld Devices (PSP, Nintendo, iPod, MP3, etc)
Cards, Mahjong, Boardgames
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Rest well and remember to prepare your solo pieces for band camp! You guys will definitely love the camp! :)

MY thoughts. (~PHS)

Hey Guys!

It has been so long since I posted on this blog…I have so much to tell you!

Well, since I didn’t turn up for the chair session (because of some personal reason), I will give my speech here. On the blog. =)

Now I really understand the meaning of “time flies when you are having fun”. For the past 4 years, I have really enjoyed the experience of being in CHSSB and being beside my good friends while making good Music. It will be an unforgettable experience for me…and it will be deeply etched in my mind forever.

The day when I joined band still seems so familiar and so fresh in my mind…as though it was yesterday. For many of you, I guess you don’t know the reason for me joining the band. Well, my CCA in primary school was seasonal drums (for those who went to Malacca you would probably know what seasonal drums are), and I wanted to join a CCA which has similar experiences. I should probably have joined the Chinese Orchestra, because their percussion section is similar to what I had in primary school. But I wanted new experiences. I wanted to join something new. So I went to the band.

At that time, I was a timid secondary one student who didn’t dare to speak up. It was a nerve-racking experience for me to go and try on all the instruments and pick one. It was also a bit scary to listen to the seniors while they persuade to try this or try that. They were a bit…pushy. But nevertheless, I ended up in the Horn section.

Then came secondary two. Then came banding. Then came SYF 2007 as well. It was a turbulent year for me. To manage my studies, my relationships with my friends and to cope with band is tough and tiring, especially all those “motivational talk” (which was exciting at first but grew to be annoying soon after) and practices late into the night. Then came the blow. We got Silver. It wasn’t as hard of a blow to me as it was probably to others, and I didn’t really cry. This was partly because I sort of already knew we weren’t going to get it.

As I progress into secondary 3, I started to learn to become more initiative. I learnt to manage relations better. I learnt how to influence people, both my classmates and my juniors. I learnt how to organize things efficiently, from both positive and negative examples. I learnt how to do things the way I want while convincing others to follow me. You may say that all these are leadership qualities, but I really don’t think so. All these, I feel, are just things every tom, dick and harry will pick up through his course of life. It all matters on how you use it. Responsibilities are sometimes tedious and difficult to manage, but I was able to cope with it.

Finally, I became a secondary 4. SYF 2009. =D
The stress of O levels caught up with me in early April. Yes, close to the post SYF period. So you can imagine how nervous and stressed out I was. But I still manage to cope with it all the way. And in the end we got a Gold With Honours. Yeah!
Then after that, its all studies, studies, studies. Time and time again, obstacles and hurdles were thrown at, not just me, but all your secondary Fours. The secondary Fours in Band worked as a team and overcame them together. But sadly, after that, we were so focused on our studies that we rarely meet up. This relationship with ALL the secondary Four Band members is something I will treasure until I die. The “taupok”-ing, the fake Rugby after Band hours, the wrestling, the Light saber fights, the screaming of “YEAH GOLD WITH HONOURS! IN YOUR FACE!” after SYF 2009….….they will be in my memories forever. =)

Oh well. All well that ends well.

Sometimes, I feel as though life is really like a race. A race not to the finishing line, but to experience the wonders and beauty of the race of life itself. We meet people of different personalities and different faces, and they all add vibrant colours to your life. But still, we all have to part one day and that is for sure. So, there is no need to feel so sad.
That is something I have learnt after 4 years in Band and in CHS.

My final note to every CHSSB member out there: enjoy your time here. Society is a cruel and harsh place where reality sinks in and if you aren’t fast enough to get what you want or to show other people what you are capable of, you are dead. So enjoy your time here in CHSSB. Enjoy your time here in CHS. Enjoy your youth. For when you become older and older, you will see more and more of the cruel realities of life.

In CHSSB, all the opportunities are presented to you. All you have to do is grab it. So grab it! Use every chance you can get to shine.

Seniors, do look after your juniors and please ensure their well-being. I guess that not many know that how a junior behaves is influenced by his senior’s actions and speech as well. So seniors, please make sure your conduct is good at all times. Take good care of your juniors, for if you do, they will remember you not just as a senior, but as a friend and a mentor. They will remember you for life. Trust me, I know. (first-hand experience ;p)

And also, not system is perfect in the world. And not one person is perfect as well. I have said this once, and I will say it again. Even if you hate someone in Band, or you hate the Band system, don’t hate music. It is pointless, for hating music is like hating salt. Even if you resent music and keep missing Band just because of some stupid reason like you hate the system, it will come back and haunt you one day. Because there is not one person in this world that hates music. I can guarantee that, because its in our nature.

Remember, it is you who chose Band, not Band who chose you. You have no reason to dislike it. Even if your parents are unhappy with Band, all that matters is that you don’t. Joining Band is not just about having a good time and attaining exceptional results; there is element of sacrifice and hard work as well. Time is precious, so you sue it wisely. Everyone would have to learn how to juggle enjoyment, school work and Band. It’s the same for all other people. But the more you put in, the more results you will reap. These results are as outstanding to you as they are to other people. Before that, sacrifice is necessary. I still remembered in 2007, we practiced until 9 pm! And no parents complained, because we made them understand that its our choice that we want to stay until that late to practice.

If you love Music, you will do whatever it takes to make yourself a better musician. You have the choice.

Always remember that there always more than one option. Consider all of them, start to solve problems the direct way. If you don’t like the system, give suggestions to change it. If you don’t like the leaders, talk to them and make clear to them your unhappiness. If you don’t like someone, thrash it out with them and clarify your doubts. People ask me what is the best way to solve problems, and my answer is “the direct method”.

Just decide on something and go do it. For example, you decide that you want to improve. So, don’t hesitate. Go and self-practice immediately.

Well, I hope you survived until this paragraph. It’s a long post and I hope you get what I mean and what I am trying to say.

CHSSB, on behalf of the secondary Fours and Alumni, I wish you all the best and we all have faith that you will soar to even greater heights.

Most importantly, enjoy your time there and treasure it. Make every minute fruitful. Because only if you enjoy making Music, will you be able to produce Music that is so heavenly that it is enjoyable for the people you love. Never forget that.

Go for it! B)

Poh Hang Siang (~PHS)

CJC TUNE IN 2009!

Hey graduating batch of CHSSB!

CJCSB will be having a tune in on 5th december 2009! (it's a saturday)

Here's the poster for it


For more details you can click on this link sgbandfusion

Yup! It'll be fun! Anyway, all of you Yellow Badge people are invited to join us for TUNE IN, even if you may not be considering going to CJ

BUT! come and have an experience of what our band is like and who knows? we'll see you for the rest of the year and you might wanna join us next year too!

I know that CJC doesn't sound like a good school as always, but in my 1st year, it is quite fun and once you're in, you don't wanna go anywhere else. That's how it's like

SO! Contact Xing Hao @ 92251762,
including your details like :
1. Full Name
2. Which sec school are you from (obviously cat high)
3. Which section are you from

Thanks very much! :)

I hope the sec 4 still visits the band blog to see this. hahaha.

Updates

Hello band! :)

As the band website is currently under maintenance, I have uploaded the official leave form for download. Click here to download the leave form.

If you are going overseas this holiday, and you cannot find the hard-copy version of the leave form in the band room, you can now download the soft-copy version and fill in the leave form before you go for your holidays.

Yup, that's all :)

&, On behalf of everyone in the band, ALL THE BEST to Sec 4's for O'Levels! Jiayou :)

- Kit Chong

hey band.

Yes, yes, yes. Would you believe it? It's me again.
I'm sure we all know that it's been a while since anyone posted anything.
In fact, the last time anyone posted anything was eons away.
Actually, I'm doing this not because I want to administer CPR to this blog.
Well, it's actually because I want to convey a message to you all.


otherwise, why would I want to post here? for fun?


One night, after having been knocked out from trying to study Geography, I had envisioned (to my sheer horror) that certain unimaginable things might become reality. A foreboding premonition, I would say.


As in, certain things may happen.

In fact, maybe they DO happen.


I took this into serious consideration, before I made the decision to post on our blog.
So I ended up taking time off my mugging regime to tell you guys this.




1. Do NOT consume any foods or sweet drinks in the band room.


This also applies for the band store.



This might be applicable from COMMON SENSE, but for fear that some of us don't have it, I shall say this once.


consuming any type of foods or sweet drinks is strictly prohibited and punishable by the laws of the band room.


we don't want any cockroaches running around in our sacred band room, do we.

Yes, yes. We all know that foodies are yummy and have this fragrant, tempting aroma about them, and we all know that the band room/store is one of our favourite places in the world.

But we also need to take note of this - that foodies not only tempt us, attract us; it also attracts cockroaches, mice and other such creatures. Just like bees to honey.

Say, what would happen to an ignored crumb, grain, or whatever nice and flavored ends up on the ground?

I don't want to imagine.

Infested with pests and vermin...can we still call our band room a "sacred place"?

So, just take note of that. In case you can't remember not to break this time-honoured code of the band room, remember what your brain is for. Put it to good use.

Use it in the RIGHT way.



2. do NOT play BALL games in the BAND ROOM.

all right, we all heard it.

I believe we all know that many things in the band room are purchased with exorbitant prices that broke the bank.

Therefore, take the balls outside to play if you want to.

After all, avoiding such a vice is better than cure/caution/whatever you call it.


3. do NOT mess around with the vacuum cleaner.

As we all may have noticed it, there is a nice, shiny, nice, brand-new, nice, expensive, nice, multi-purpose, nice, functional, nice, portable, nice, clean, nice vacuum cleaner in the band store, stowed under the QM table (despite its inability to accomodate the thing completely, Wee Kiat has agreed to let me keep it there due to lack of space. Thanks Wee Kiat^^) which is, to put it succinctly, nice.

Hence, I don't want anyone to meddle with the vaccuum cleaner. As one of our taggers has said, "those things are expensive". I would like it if it is only put to use when the band room is particularly filthy and it needs a machine to help clean it out.



As an afterthought, please don't use the broom leaning in the corner to sweep up all the tiny little eyesores from the floor. It will only make the band room dirtier by adding all its hair onto the floor, ie. 越帮越忙, despite your efforts to help clean the band room since you can't use the band vacuum cleaner without the estate managers', or any of the leaders (ie.majors)' presence and consent (I know I didn't mention this before, so here it is). Thanks^^


So, study hard for your exams, don't let your teachers down. Study hard, you hear? Then when we come back for band, play HARDER! (without completely putting your studies aside, of course.)

I suppose that's all I have to say then.

Well in that case,


have a good evening and happy mugging!





=> Thanks, your friendly neighbourhood estate manager.

Hey band.
This is your estate manager speaking.
Due to time constrain, I frankly doubt I would be able to get my point through in band practice.
Therefore, I will now tell you guys what I want you guys to know. (ie., say my piece.)

1. Do NOT put whatever you like all over the band room.
I believe most of you have noticed that there was a notice placed on the door of the band room not too long ago.
The BAND ROOM is a SACRED PLACE, it said.
I know that some of you see the band room as a second home.
But it's not an excuse to treat the room like your own house!
People who came down to practice last friday would have seen it.

Water bottle on the green shelf. (you people should know which green shelf I'm referring to.)
Hanger on the floor.
etc, etc.

PLEASE, if it's your stuff on the green shelf, take it back!
That should be all for part 1. Now on to part 2.

2. Instruments on the shelves.
Look, I don't think anybody would mind if you placed your beloved instrument there TEMPORARILY (ie. 5 minutes?) because you're afraid you'd damage it in any way. Remove it as soon as possible after that.

BUT.

When you people are told to keep your instruments, or when you're done with your personal practice, please do not place it in the band room. It should be kept in the band store, or to be more specific, your instrument's case. Do not put your instrument there, forget about it and go home.

As for instruments that can't fit in their cases, kindly put them in the band store, your section's shelf, where it wouldn't be too obvious to cause any hindrance. Thank you.

Now on to part 3.

3. The cleanliness of the band room.

This is the part where I'm most annoyed.
I think you guys know this already.
We all need a conducive environment for band practice.
The cleanliness of the band room, naturally, plays an orchestral role in this.
What I don't like is that you guys don't seem to take this seriously.
In fact, it might be to the point that people call it disrespect.
Now, listen up. I'm tired of saying this again and again, and I don't want to say it again.
When you guys are done keeping your instruments, you're supposed to sit quietly, in your distinct and neat rows, playing your part in keeping the band room clean (ie. picking up the white and red stuff on the carpet). Well, you guys are supposed to be bending over and picking up those tiny little eyesores until someone comes along to address you people. Then you straighten up and listen.

Instead, what do you guys do?

I see the majority of you ignoring little bits of stuff in the carpet, TALKING, SITTING AROUND DOING NOTHING, PLAYING.

I think I need to get this straight.

I am not here to clean up the band room for you.
Rather, what I do is to direct you guys in making the band room a cleaner, nicer, and a pleasant place to practice in.

As such, I would not tolerate that wrong idea. In fact, it might become what I see as utter disrespect if you even have the guts to tell me that.



I hope you guys will understand.



=>Your friendly neighborhood estate manager

Hey Band .

GOOD NEWS .
There is OFFICIAL band practice from Monday onwards .
Practice starts at 3 so please be punctual .
Be prepared for an AWESOME practice on Monday, so BE THERE .

Some thoughts.

Hello people!

It has been a VERY long time since I have posted something.

So I am sure everyone will be looking forward to my posts.
So, here I am. =D

JUST JOKING!

Well, just here to share an interesting moral/ethical dilemma with you.

You are driving down the road in your car on a wild, stormy night,
when you pass by a bus stop and you see three people waiting for the
bus:

1. An old lady who looks as if she is about to die.
2. An old friend who once saved your life.
3. The perfect partner you have been dreaming about.

Which one would you choose to offer a ride to, knowing that there could only be
one passenger in your car?

Think before you read on, because your answer speaks a lot about your character and your attitude in your own responsibility to others.

1. You could pick up the old lady, because she is going to die, and thus, you should save her first.
2. Or you could take the old friend because he has saved your life and this would be the perfect chance to pay him back.
3. However, you may never be able to find your perfect mate again.

This was told to me by another friend of mine, and I chose the first option.

But its not even close to the perfect answer.

You should give the car keys to your old friend and let him take the lady to the hospital. Then, you would stay behind, and wait for the bus with the partner of your dreams.

Missed that out right? Ha! I knew it.

There are so many things in Life which we, as young people, are missing out now. All around us, poeple are needing help, but we often turn a blind eye towards them. Your excuse? "I have no time!"

Kindness begets kindness. Unkindness begets unkindness. And an act of helping others will definitely lift your soul to a whole new level. Nope, this is not a sharing about Music-making, but a sharing on Empathy: how you treat to others just because you want to.

I feel that there has been too much emphasis on Music-making in CHSSB. Although that is excellent, I felt that the "brotherhood" between members have disappeared. You only care about what will benefit you.

That may not true for everyone, but it certainly is for most. (Not just CHSSB)

So, please, I urge everyone of you to look around you and ACT. There is no need to hesitate, no need to deliberate and no need to consider when you see someone in need. If you see your seniors struggling, a word of concern is enough to keep them on track. If you see your juniors discouraged, a small word encouragement is enough to fuel their spirits. We ARE One Band, One Sound, and One Brotherhood.

How can there be One Band without One Sound, and how can there be One Sound without One Brotherhood? And being emphatatic, and thinking a bit out of box, is just what you need to achieve what CHSSB has been trying to achieve for the past few years.

Most importantly, it is important to dare to try. Who cares if you fail? Only you band-mates will care for the best for you; by encouraging and helping you to solve your mistakes.

Anyone can do it, its just a matter of how. Afterall, all of these are intrinsic, right?

Quotations.

Recently I borrowed a book from the Esplanade library titled “The Quotable Musician: from Bach to Tupac” by Sheila Anderson and found it pretty interesting, holding all manners of quotes from musicians and artists from all walks of life. I would like to grab some of the interesting quotes and share it with you guys…they’re all interesting, but whether I agree with them is another issue altogether.

***

‘Only become a musician if there is absolutely no other way you can make a living.’ – Kirke Mecham

‘I am not a blues singer. I am not a jazz singer. I am not a country singer. But I am a singer who can sing the blues, who can sing jazz, who can sing country.’ – Ray Charles

‘A good composer is slowly discovered. A bad composer is slowly found out.’ – Ernest Newman

‘Give me a laundry list and I’ll set it to music.’ – Puccini

‘The way to write American music is simple. All you have to do is to be an American and then write any kind of music you wish.’ –Virgil Thompson

***

‘I once sent him a song and asked him to mark a cross wherever he thought it was faulty. Brahms returned it untouched, saying, “I don’t want to make a cemetery of your compositions.” ‘ – Hugo Wolf

‘There are still so many beautiful things to be said in C major.’ – Sergei Prokofiev

‘You can’t possibly hear the last movement of Beethoven’s Seventh and go slow.’ – Oscar Levant, trying to explain his way out of a speeding ticket

‘I say, play it your own way. Don’t play what the public wants…you play what you want, and let the public pick up on what you are doing, even if it does take them fifteen, twenty years.’ – Thelonious monk

‘Applause is a receipt, not a note of demand.’ – Artur Schnabel

‘If I don’t practice for one day, I know it; if I don’t practice for two days, the critics know it; if I don’t practice for three days, the audience knows it.’ – Ignacy Jan Paderewski

***

‘I cannot tell you how much I love to play for people. Would you believe it – sometimes when I sit down to practice and there is no one else in the room, I have to stifle an impulse to ring for the elevator man and offer him money to come in and hear me.’ – Arthur Rubinstein

‘Never look at the trombones; it only encourages them.’ – Richard Strauss

‘I am amazed at radio DJs today. I am firmly convinced that AM on my radio stands of Absolute Moron. I will not begin to tell you what FM stands for.’ – Jasper Carrott

‘I never use a score when conducting my orchestra. Does a lion tamer enter a cage with a book on how to tame a lion?” – Dmitri Mitropoulos

‘God tells me how the music should sound but you stand in the way.’ – Arturo Toscanini, to a trumpet player

‘Conductors must give unmistakable and suggestive signals to the orchestra, not choreography to the audience.’ – George Szell

‘If anyone has conducted a Beethoven performance, and then doesn’t have to go to an osteopath, then there’s something wrong.’ – Simon Rattle

‘He uses music as an accompaniment to his conducting.’ – Oscar Levant, on Leonard Bernstein

‘Opera is when a guy gets stabbed in the back, and instead of bleeding, he sings.’ – Ed Gardner

***

‘Too many pieces of music finish too long after the end.’ – Igor Stravinsky

‘Music rearranges your molecular structure.’ – Carlos Santana

‘The rhythm of jazz is against the normal psychological needs of Man.’ – The Peoples Music Press, Peking, China

‘I like Wagner’s music better than any other music. It is so loud that one can talk the whole time without other people hearing what one says. That is a great advantage.’ – Oscar Wilde

‘I have often thought that if there had been a good rap group around in those days, I might have chosen a career in music, instead of politics.’ – Richard Nixon

‘An artist should be judged by his best, just as an athlete is. Pick out my best work and say, “That’s what he did, all the rest was rehearsal.” ‘– Artie Shaw



:D

BAND.

Alright, this is the first time I'm blogging here.
I understand every single band member is now all asking this same question:
"WHY IS THERE NO BAND?" .
for some truly passionate musicians, those who pester me to open up the band room even during the band break last week, they are probably going like,
"I MISS BAND LIKE I"M DEPRIVED OF A LIVING SOURCE."
for some other opposites they'll probably not care about band at all .

My point of this whole post IS TO GET EVERY SINGLE BAND MEMBER DOWN FOR PRACTCIE TOMORROW . IT IS NOT COMPULSORY BUT HIGHLY ENCOURAGED FOR EVERYONE TO BE DOWN TOMORROW AT 3 .

This is the direction from the school . It is a FREE PRACTICE (if you get what i mean)
It is not compulsory but i'll be down there so i want to see the whole band there . I won't punish you if you are not there but YOU'LL REGRET NOT GOING DOWN FOR PRACTICE TOMORROW BECAUSE you will CHANGE THE IMPRESSION EVERY OTHER BAND MEMBER HAVE OF YOU.

So, get the message. Be there at 3 tomorrow PUNCTUALLY . ENCOURAGE ALL YOUR BAND BUDDIES TO GO DOWN IF THEY ARE INTENDING NOT TO . Ultimately , you can still choose not to go down tomorrow 13th July , you WON'T get punished .

It's your CHOICE . MAKE THE RIGHT ONE .

Promoten.

Hello all!

Just here to promote a concert where my second work for wind band will be premiered!



OP.2009
"10th Anniversary Concert: The Next Lap"


Date | 19th June 2009, Friday
Time | 1900 hrs
Venue | Yong Siew Toh Conservatory Concert Hall (National University of Singapore)
Admission Charges | SDG$10.00

Clarence Tan | Music Director
Nathaniel Tan | Bassoon

Programme:

Orchid Park Wind Orchestra
Singaporean Folk Song Suite | Zechariah Goh Toh Chai
Dreamscapes (World Premiere) | Terrence Wong
Symphony No. 2: II. Dreams Under A New Moon/III. Apollo Unleashed | Frank Ticheli

OP'us Alumni Winds
March "Wind For Winds" | Shin'ya Takahashi
Old Churches | Michael Colgrass
Bassoon Concerto in Bb Major K191 | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
The Merry Widow Selections | Franz Lehar

Interval

Combined Wind Orchestra
First Suite In Eb | Gustav Holst
El Camino Real "A Latin Fantasy" | Alfred Reed
1812 Overture | Piotr Illyich Tchaikovsky

FOR TICKETS and directions ask me directly or approach Yue Feng! :D

P.S. good luck for Elegance al Esplanade!

Instrument Fixing

Due to unforseen circumstances, the windworks people will only be coming down on the next friday, in the morning.

So during the next week, please try to write an account for your instrument, if your instrument is not working well.

e.g. Eb Key is not moving, dented at blah blah blah.

-Thanks

Attention all sec 4 band members

There would be band practice for the sec four band members on this Thursday and Friday. Practice next week would be on Monday, Thursday and Friday. There would be a break for your prelims following that week. Practice would then resume on 26th June, Friday. 

Holiday Practice schedule

This is basically the schedule for every week of the holidays.

• Mondays- 1pm to 6 pm (sectional for sec 2s and 3s)
  

                                   (combine for sec 1s)

• Thursday- 8am to 12 pm (junior band)
  

                                   1pm to 6pm  (combine)

• Friday- 8am to 12 pm (junior band)
  

                             1pm to 6pm  (combine)

 

On 25^th June, Thursday, there would be a full day exchange with St Patricks from 8 am to 5 pm.

 

Secondary 4 Band members........

I do hope that this blog is still surviving...


This is a notice to remind [ALL Secondary 4 Band Members] that they [Are to] perform for the [Esplanade Showcase].



Rehearsals will be [Limited] Only to the [First Week of June].

If there are any issues regarding the above, kindly look for the Leaders (any), or the various Teachers-In-Charge.


thanks. X)

Lawliet,

Pandemonium and Chaos......

Hey band,
No more lame arguments alright?
At least have musical ones.
Dont need someone (especially your band leaders) to bring order okay, just be matured and take care of yourselves.

Such trivial matters are really not worth going on about.............



Sec 1's, 2's and 3's.......

It's your examination period..........
Study hard and persevere.
I wish you all the best in your respective exams. X)


Sec 4's...........

Study. Do Homework. Revise. Go for your remedials lol.

yupp, pretty much it.
your exams arent that far off.........
O levels arent exactly the most fun thing to prepare for... but yea...... you dont want to have those tears of regret at the final day.


I'm missing band and my Instrument already....
haha....... X)
Hope you guys are doing alright.
Mr glosz too. ^^

Cheers.......
buhbye! X)

Lawliet was online on 3/5/2009 at 12:05pm.

A source of Insipration

I am sure many of you have seen this.

Susan Boyle, 47, "country bumpkin, dazzled the crowd and the judges during the auditions for "Britain's Got Talent 2009"

She sang "I dreamed a dream" (Don't ask me about the grammar) from Les Miserables (sounds familiar Secondary 4s?). At first, they laughed at her. "Cyanical" was the word, but after she sang, they weren't laughing anymore.

How could they, when all of their mouths were agape?

I hope that this video will never cease to be a source of inspiration to you, because it has been mine...(at least for the past few days)



Watch Susan Boyle, hd in Entertainment  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Our Deepest Gratitudes.

Hey people!

On the behalf of the whole CHSSB, I would like to extend our deepest gratitudes to all our teachers, alumnis and tutors for their hardwork and their unwavering support to us during the most arduous part of our journey towards our GOAL. (not gold w/hon)

I would also like to take this oppoturnity to thank all the people who gave us their congratulations after SYF for what we have achieved.
(Thanks Mr Leonard Tan!)

Last but not least, though I know this is kind of late, but I want to thank all CHSSB members for not giving up, and perservering on together as a band towards our GOAL during the SYF period. I want to thank every single one of YOU who toiled, struggled, played, and cheered side by side with me, and the rest of the band.

Those memories will really stay with me forever. (Especially how crazy we went after everything..)
And I am sure they will stay with you too.

Revisionist perspectives of the SYF. Or band for the matter

Continuing from my posts on the Band Blog Tagboard.

I've left the school for 2 years now. But while I don't remember what the school taught me for Physics (I'm an Arts student now) or how many times I was late for school, it's the experiences I've had in Band that I still remember to this very day.

Like, how we played sunrise at sunrise.
Or, how the band screamed their guts out for Jericho (2005 SYF/WMC)
Or perhaps, the evil playing and whacking of timbales, or other instruments for the matter, for Incantation and Dance. (I'm sure some of you guys remember the rhythm)
Or maybe whatever dance moves or choreography we showed at VCH or the Esplanade whenever it was aesthetique.
The ecstasy of hearing the results that we got GWH for 2005 and the heartbreak when we got Silver 2 years later.
And maybe, some of the more unpleasant experiences along the way.

But that's life.

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

I'm sure you've heard of that somewhere.

Because many years later, while you might have forgotten your subject content in school (that's why the USA produced Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader... when some of its applicants are Ivy League College Grads), or even how to play your instrument to the standard you are now, it's those memories that you'll remember for life. It's the experiences that brought you along to that final result that you'll keep in your memories.

And speaking of Jericho and Incantation and Dance, I can still play my parts for the pieces. I bet same goes for Yiyong and Junwei.