Tuesday, April 28, 2009
the final lap!
9 DAYS MORE SAJCCB!
at 10:10 PM
Monday, April 20, 2009
HELLO- just some random thoughts
hihi ppl!
i guess we are all very encouraged by today's practice as it was really one of the good ones... we could really feel the emotions running with e sound. well, press on for syf, and lets make our rehearsals even better! i believe that there's no limit to how good we can potentially sound, provided everyone puts in our 110%, heart and soul into it. i believe that there will be this practice soon in which all will go well, and we really feel confident of ourselves. i cant wait for the day to come, and i cant wait for the excitement to go on stage and give my best.
i know this musical journey with my batch, e j2s was definitely not a smooth one, with so many incidents, problems and all, but at the end of the day, its possibly this last stretch that is the one we will remember the most. i hope, or rather, im sure that we would walk of the stage feeling proud to have performed the best 2 pieces of music in our entire band life. we have definitely come a long way from e start...... twins, west side story, flower power, takashimaya performance, american riversongs, sightreading pirates of e carribbean so many times and never playing it, PERTH, albany, CTs, exam break, festival winds (think powerpoint shirt...) band camp, CCA day, performing arts day, signups, a lot like jazz, last band camp which ended a few days ago.... haha... these memories which brought joy, tears, anguish and a whole palatte of other emotions and experiences to us we will never forget. i would also like add an observation/fact: from e start, till now, there definitely have been improvements, in both our playing standards and attitudes. WELL, at e end, lets not be bothered by the negatives or past setbacks, but instead press on for this last stretch of the journey and hopefully have this final magical performance together as a batch.
and soon, the j1s will take over and the j2s will step down. and after stepping down, despite all the ups and downs, theres no denying that i will miss my batchmates, as well as the times i spent in band. but yea... theres always SAB right? haha.
oh yeah, and jiayou for e j1s, and as you guys may have started on e right note, i hope complacency will not be a problem, as in music, there is an inifinity to standard. dont take comfort in the fact that you are better than someone, but instead push yourself to beat your own standards.
anyways,
let us all have one common direction,
a BURNING DESIRE TO PLAY THE BEST EL CAMINO REAL AND OVERTURE 2 IN OUR LIVES AS MUSICAIANS.
in closing, let me say something (esp to my batchmates) that i have always said
IT'S NOT HOW WE START, ITS HOW WE END. just enjoy e music!
--by the person who says its not how we start, its how we end.
haha and sorry im no lit student, and im not very good at phrasing artistic sentences or anything fancy so please forgive me for any incoherence in my statements...
haha but you get the general meaning dont you? dont you? haha!
at 10:47 PM
Thursday, April 16, 2009
artsy fartsy
i think the reason why we can't play up to standard is not really mainly because we don't practice hard enough. Of course yes we can afford more practices. But what is music? I guess it's not really practice, practice, and only practice. Music is an art, and art itself cannot be defined. It is not like mathematics, or experiments, that you can practice and try over and over again to get the best possible result.
Art has always been an expression of your individuality and emotions. When we settle ourselves down for band practice, too much focus has been put upon playing correctly, in terms of rhythm, dynamics, balance, tone etc. But what happens to the expression of yourself through your instrument? School is always being a bitch to everyone; teachers, results, tests, tutorials and you get the drift. But what else in life can we look forward to? Is Gold with Honours the title of the prize we really want? Maybe we should shift our own attention away, away from the stress and pressure. It has already done enough damage to destroying our musical cells.
I wanna feel my music and notes. Not just solely to play them. I want to touch audiences and sad to say, judges. I want to connect to people, and myself, with music. Why do you even love music in the first place? Sometimes we are so occupied with other achievements we tend to forget the first time we fell in love with this art. Don't be afraid to express who you are, don't be afraid peoplewill not appreciate you. If you're in pain, or in joy, draw out those emotions through your music.
I guess its really simple? Extremely hardwork, discipline (not pushing yourself to the extent you're hanging loose on the edge of the cliff), passion passion passion, and emotions. FEEL, don't play.
23 days (??) left to SYF? it's never too late. I don't want to focus on all the nasty comments i've heard about my own section. I guess it is enough - the damage words have done to me. It's high time i do justice to Music.
all the way SAJC band, up and on!
at 11:51 AM
