~fragments of moments~

I guess a lot of things happened during the NON-UPDATED days of my blog. There were happy moments and there were unhappy moments...

fredy was extremely happy on 17th April when Lin Sheng and fredy brought the whole Angklung and Kulingtang group for the SYF. It was a day full of noise, worries, anxiety, team spirits, tears, laughter and relief.

I don't know how to put it in words but fredy just find it a very very wonderful experience.

I still remembered when all of them were in the Tuning room. It was the scariest "before performance" moment that I have ever experienced. The lot of them, the whole ensemble of 50 ppl, totally forgot how to play their piece. Some played wrong bars, some remember wrong things. They have no score with them cause they have memorized the 2 songs. It was very scary, there were no percussion in the tuning room. All of them claimed they will listen for the percussion, especially the Kulintang (mallet percussion). Upon hearing that, Lin Sheng and I were totally dumbfounded. There were nothing we coulldo at that moment. Totally helpless.

I warned my percussion section after that and it seemed that understood their importance too.

All of us walked out of the tuning room after the personnel signalled us. Lin Sheng was sad when he heard them in the tuning room. The whole ensemble look so sad and the normal noisy and lively atmosphere were all gone in split second. ALL of them.. I REALLY MEAN IT.. ALL OF THEM, were so sad and felt so bad. I guess children's emotion is very easy affected and they show their emotion straight on their faces. There were only silence from tuning room to waiting area. It was rather scary to see the whole lot of them behaved that way. I am not sure whether they felt the pressure, or it was their worry. One of them actually cried and affected quite a few around him. That boy is one my better players and of course well behaved one. I was sad when I saw him cried. fredy is just so useless, so easily affected by them. I wipe off the tears off his face... even though he just cry non stop. Maybe I should use the word "cry", maybe I should use "weep". He doesn't dare to cry out loud, just by himself, hide behind his friends and trying to avoid us. My thumb was filled with his tears already (yesh, I wiped off with my hands, can't find any tissue in waiting area), he just continue to weep. fredy felt so useless at that moment and could only tell him not to worry and just go for it.

Seriously, I really felt fredy is useless. As their tutor, as the person that need to take care of them, yet there was nothing much fredy could do. (T.T)

Lin Sheng talked to them and asked to play well. No matter what they need to fight for their own glory and honours. I guess Maris Stella Kids do have the "honours" or I should say Egoistic sense, they knew they could not lose like that.

Pri school kids are just Pri school kids, they did get a bit rowdy when they have waited for quite long but still easy to manage, just need to shout slightly louder, everything will be fine.

We were at backstage waiting.. then I remembered (after quite long), we never do what maris stella always like to do.. prayer.. When I remembered that, it was too late.. we were going up already. Zhen Cheng, Sean and I pushed our own percussion up and arrange them. Everything ready to go.

They played... 3 of us stayed in backstage watched and listened to them through the Hall sound system. It was not bad. Everything was clear and good. Actually that was the 1st time, I heard them played so well. Unbelievable. Their dynamic contrast, when p, it was really soft... when it is f, they really played it loud and clear. That was seriously something, I think not even band (I mean sec school and above) could achieve.

After performance, we gave them a short break and ready to go back. Lin Sheng asked me for comments and my predicted results, I told him I have 80% confidence it would be gold. I can't confirmed much as it is our 1st time participating in the SYF. If it is a band comp, I will be 100% sure. We would not know the results till the next day... so ya.. (good thing is.. We have gotten a GOLD! ^^. fredy is totally happy! )

On the bus back to Maris Stella, it was SO NOISY! I totally couldn't stand that! haha. Can you imagine people calling ur name from all sorts of directions and talk to you at the same time? It was chaotic but quite fun. It was fun being with them. Seriously fun!

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15th April was my first time performing in Esplanade Concert Hall. Actually it was nice performing there but everything was just blur and happened fast. Moreover, there were alot of things that I do not like, so I don't seem to want to remember it that well. Actually, I just have a vague idea of performing there. So can't say much.

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10th April

Band SYF. It was a safe and ok performance by band. Lin Sheng tuned the whole band in the morning and in the tuning room, if not, I guess the band would have gotten something worst than a Silver. Yesh, they have gotten a silver. I was quite worried about them when I watched them in the audience seats, there were SO MANY THINGS that I've not managed to teach them..Reason being I have never gotten a FULL percussion section. There was nothing I can do with just a few people. It was surprising to hear how a pri school band could sound so in tune. Their clarinet, it was so in tune.

The intonation for the whole clarinet section was so good, I guess alot of sec school or jc or even communiy bands couldn't get. Don't ever doubt that possibility.. cause, pri school kids really will listen to every single thing you say. You asked them not to touch their bells, they will 100% not touch it, unless they accidently knocked it. Somemore, these pri school kids, will forever use the same amount of air throughout, meaning, if they sense they run out of air, they will just supply them with the amount of air they put in previously. That makes tuning easier. Problems with older players are all are taught alot of ways to control intonation, air, embouchure and others, thus when they hear a bit of wrong, they will tend to change BUT for these pri school kids it is a complete different case. They do what you asked them to do, also when they use a specific embouchure, they will stay in that embouchure cause they are more comfortable with that embouchure. That makes everything perfectly fine after you have tuned them. Also, it is always vital to change, correct and teach when they are children. I only realized how true is it when Lin Sheng told me after the competiton. My Percussion section just did what I ask them to. How I asked them to play, they will just do it for me.

I guess it's not too late for me to realize that.

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