3 weeks left.

Guys,

I feel very, very, extremely worried about the band’s progress on the  Hawaii pieces. It’s 3 weeks left, and we haven’t got anything done yet. We have effectively, 1 week each for each of the competition songs. This includes phrasing, expression, intonation, dynamics, etc. Time is of the essence.

1. I would like the band to work even harder than they are now. If you are putting in a 110% now, put in 130% now. There is really no more time left, and I cannot stress that anymore than I am already doing. I know many people are already doing their best. Do better than your best then, you know you can. You need to, you must. It’s the last 3 weeks! We have to throw in as much effort as we can now. Find the time to practice, especially those playing the competition songs, find time to practice what you need to. You have to.

2. Seniors, do remember how we “choing”ed for last year’s syf. Can we do the same now? 3 weeks before syf, one could feel the tense atmosphere every band prac. Now I can feel nothing. It’s kinda like a empty space there, waiting to be filled. The urgency is missing. Is this because of a lack of competition unlike when we were in SYF’09? I have no idea. No matter what reason it is, we have to get this sense of urgency back immediately, NOW. Influence your juniors if needed to. This last 3 weeks, there’s no more tests, there’s nothing. GIVE IT YOUR ALL. PLEASE. Now’s not the time to hesitate.

Our goal for this 3 weeks:

Finish all our competition songs, in terms of dynamics, articulation, intonation, rhythm, notes, expression, phrasing, etc.
For Shenandoah: Intonation

This means that you will have to commit extra time to perfect your fundamentals too. There’s no more tests, please commit whatever time you have to perfect your pieces. If you haven’t grasp the basic notes and rhythm of the song (which you should have), do it with a metronome from now on. In fact, your metronome should always be on, and you following it every time you practice. It should be a habit already. If you are finished with notes and rhythm, get the intonation, dynamics and articulation all in.  Why on earth did we work so hard for the past 3 months? It’s because of this – Hawaii. We can make a farce out of it, or we can go there and create another miracle. What would you choose? I would choose to go there and create a miracle, but in order to do that, you have to work for it. I don’t see this happening, at least people aren’t working as efficiently as they should. It’s ultimately your choice. We can nag at you, we can push you, but whether or not you take action on what we said, it’s up to you, really. I hope you do choose the right choice, or at least the same choice as me.

Posted in Misc.