Hi all,

This is already the last week of January, and the Tasmania trip has just been finally confirmed to be on the 29th of March. In reality, we only have a miserable 18 full band practices left, with barely 1 and a half months exclusive of the holidays and weekends left for preparation. I am not exaggerating anything at all, it's all accurate figures. Have all of you asked yourselves: Where are we now? What is our ultimate goal? I desperately hope that at the end of this email, you will realize that we are already running out of time, and that we will really "ROCK" the stage in Tasmania if we should continue with this kind of effort each and everyone is putting in now.

Take a look at the repertoire...

S2s and 3s
Choice: UNCONFIRMED
Set: UNCONFIRMED
March: Blue sky and sunshine
Hymn: Amazing Grace

S3s and 4s
Choice: Gondwana
Set: Bushdance
March: Inglesina
Hymn: Shanandoah

In addition to the above, Esplanade concert will be on the 1st of June moreover S3s will all be needed to teach your new S1s, which is extremely important as they only have 1 year to SYF, and all of you will be involved in the above 2 ensembles.

By now, I hope that you are feeling the urgency to why we need to have a full-week practice and have it full swing. We really have no time, no resources except for ourselves unlike during SYF where we had an additional camp in March, a multi-band exchange to simulate SYF setting, tutors to coach us and a demo band to hear how we should sound like. Furthermore, we are now split up into 2 bands with totally different repertoires. This is definitely different from SYF. Now we only have ourselves to work sectionals, work combined sectionals and full band, and we can only listen to recordings as far as that. So the effort, committment and concentration each and everyone of you have to give in has to be at least like SYF or even more than that to be able to achieve what we set out for. You don't want to go to Australia with a totally unprepared band going for a competition and taking nothing back. What will you tell your friends, your family, your new juniors and the alumni? We are going for this trip because there is support from the school, from your parents. And I believe that your classmates in school will know that you are going for a competition. Are you going to tell them you brought back a certificate of participation, a bronze, a silver? Of course everyone doesn't want a disappointment, but what will you do to avoid that? That's the big question. Will you work together in the team and prioritize it as the most important or will you put all other things such as studies and having your own sweet time enjoying lunch with friends as the top priority?

It is really not impossible to achieve our goal of at least a few gold medals. It is within reach but not easily within reach. Only if everyone works together hand in hand and stretch yourselves to your maximum will the awards be real. We are going to an international competition, not a national one. Even if we are a gold band (with honours) in Singapore, we will really drop to a bronze or below internationally if we continue having this slow rate of improvement.

So I want to make this clear. Any other tutions, piano lessons and any other non-important and non-official matters like family outings, class outings that are non-compulsory school events like remedial, push them back on compulsory band practice dates (Mon, Thurs and Fri). Tues and Weds are non-compulsory, but all those who don't have tuition, no piano lessons are required to come down, but if you have important matters to settle or have certain things like tests the next day the SLs will take note and let you go early.

It will be very tiring for all to cope, especially the s3s. S2s and S4s you have no reason to complain, as the S3s have far more committments than all of you, to be part of both bands, to shoulder the responsibility of Junior Band and most of them are in MTDC, where their concert is in June. I do not wish to hear any unnecessary complains from S2s and 4s, as the s3s are down for 6 days in a week and they have to get used to the s3 studies.

I will want reasons from those who cannot make it for any practice. SLs you are obliged to help your members sort their time if they have too many committments. Please also remember that full band is when sections are put together from work in sectionals and sectionals is when individuals ARE READY for their parts and SLs polish things. So individuals is very important.

Practice smart and hard.


Thank you,
Weixiang
Drum major


&

Hi all SLs,

The practice plan is attached on the previous email on the Tasmania. It is very hectic. But all of you are not as busy as the s3s. So as SLs, you really need to use all the s2s and 4s/5s sectionals slots to push them like crazy in terms of technicals and pieces and make sure they don't pull the s3s standards down. It is A MUST TO DRIVE THEM LIKE NUTS NOW. Have a section talk in one of the s2s and 4s/5s slots and make sure they are all motivated and focused before you intensively drive them to their limit.

Remember, we only have 18 full band practices. We don't have an additional camp. We don't have a demo band. We don't have tutors. Now it all depends on YOU SLs to pull the band up twice the standard of now. When you work on technicals drive the s2s to make sure they can do it perfectly. Make sure they can remember the basics of being a wind band member: pushing air. Mr. Tan has already mentioned many times, they don't push air. Make sure they slog their lungs AND stomach out no matter what. Then work precisely the details. Make sure during their individuals slots they are practicing with full focus, with right techniques, right air, right image of the music. Put together the s2s and 3s ensure all details are fully covered before every full band prac. Then from their Mr. Tan will do all the things that is inter section, not intra section or worse, individually. Remember, 18 full band practices must be FULLY UTILIZED for balance, for inter-section intonation, for inter-section nuances, inter-part layering, for inter-section togetherness and the full band sound. Your section sound, section intonation, section chords, section togetherness in terms of articulation, dynamics must be there before every full band. NO LESS THAN THAT. I repeat, no less than that.

If I find any section not doing good in full band, you are going to answer to weilin, reiko and me in front of the whole section and band. If i find the attendance is not good for sectionals and not productive, prepare to have a talk with the leaders. So the onus is on you. You know what it is like during SYF. Do whatever it was during SYF now and do more than that, remember it or not.

Notice there's a slot every tues 4pm to 5pm. During this time is the time for you to help your s3s in teaching their s1s. Next Tues will be their 1st prac. So I wanna see all EXCOs and SLs for a meeting regarding s1s and s3s teaching, and also for the Tasmania trip this coming Tues after practice.

It's going to get very serious from now onwards because of the band's standard now. I'm sure none of you want to go to Tasmania with an unconfident, unprepared band... So work comes before you reap the seeds you sow. This is our final lap as SLs after the Esplanade trip. Please, put in your best effort to bring up the band to it's original shape... The first step is to plan your sectionals well and teach your s3s to teach your s1s well. Then follow the practice schedule seriously, take every practice seriously and push your members. Only then will be be ready for the upcoming 2 major events.


Cheers,
Weixiang



Almost everyday band practice. Cool to the max man . Hahahaha, gonna improve . Hahas. Chiong practice and chiong studies. Nextnext week will be the test week lor. Gonna pass almost all. Cannot afford to fail alot like last year. Gonna push myself on my saxxxxx and studies to the max man :D Hehehe, im gonna try. I CAN DO IT :B

Hai , thinking of homework , studies , test. Going to be mad lah, homework alot sia. English ama (by wed) , 3 assignment of d&t (monday) , english compre (friday) , math(monday) then still got chinese and geog de powerpoint for the learning journey (idk when hand in) , siansiansian. Alot right. The math de is volume and surface area?! IDK WTF IS THT SIAL. Diedie. First math test got test tht one sia. Idk wtf is tht. Worse -___- . Alot of test. Booooomz -act dead- Andand . My piano practical on feb idk week what sia . Then theory on i think 19 march? Idk . Practical so fasr sia. Want die le la. Need chiong this chiong tht already. The only day i can chiong everything is sunday. JIAYOU :D