Hey band-its,

While you are intensively mugging for your EOYs or intensively spamming your ACE or intensively engaged in your game of DoTA, please take note of the following dates:

29th-31st Oct: Band Chalet (tentative)

11th Dec: HCI+HCJC Band Concert

20th and 22nd Dec: Exchanges

Please keep these days (or maybe even weeks) free!

Please spend some individual time practising your pieces, and for all levels, please don’t forget and neglect your First Suite in E Flat. During this period before exams, some of your SLs will be holding sectionals to enhance your playing.

Instead of taking it as a chore or a burden, why not take it as a break? Use this time to enjoy the music, don’t think too technical about the notes and rhythm, but listen to the sound of music. After all, we’ll all go berserk one day if life were just a game of academics.

While at home, take another break as well by listening to Dynamica – Jan van der Roost!

Meanwhile, good luck for studying anyways :)

P.S. Please read Jay’s post below mine, thanks!

Hey everyone,

Term 4′s coming which means no band pracs till exams end -cue sad music- Please do try to set aside some time to practice your instrument, don’t lose your hard earned tone when it can be maintained by just practicing your instrument for just around 15 minutes every day (MINIMUM), and make sure you make your practice time EFFICIENT and not just randomly playing pieces. Focus on your sound, your projection,  your embouchure and breathing. Remember to listen to your band songs :D if you need band songs please feel free to ask any of your majors or sec 3 seniors, they should have amassed an extensive collection by now. Yup so please practice your instrus and of course, jiayou for eoys :)

Hi Bandits!

In case you have not read the EMB message posted by Ms Choo, here is the September Holiday Band Practice Schedule:

Tuesday: 9am to 1pm

Band Practice

Wednesday: 8.30 am to 5 pm (expect some delays)

An exchange with 3 bands: Balestier Secondary School, Bartley Secondary School and Northview Secondary School

The schools will arrive at about 9.30 am. Plans include full band, sectionals and other activities (to be confirmed later) Lunch will be catered so please check whether you can make it for the practice on Wednesday and tell your SLs by this Friday. The bands will leave at about 4:30 pm and if nothing goes wrong you will be dismissed at about 5pm.

Also, please polish up your instrument playing skills and put on your best behaviour on that day. Be helpful and take innitiatives.

Thursday: 9 am to 1 pm

Band Practice + instruments and rooms cleaning. Please bring the accessories needed to clean your instruments(brass soap, slide grease, etc) on that day. If you are unsure what you need to clean your instruments, approach the QM. Everyone also needs to bring along a rag on that day to clean up OBR, main hall, side rooms and sectional rooms.

*All band practices during September Holiday are compulsory. If you have any official reasons such as official make-up lessons(not tuition)/tests/remedials/compulsory school events that you can’t run away from, please notify your SLs in advance. Thank you.

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There will not be anymore official band practices after the September Holiday. Before wishing all of you all the best for your EOY examinations, I would also like to remind you that we have only a few weeks after the examinations to the concert which will be held in early December. Thus, to avoid being suffocated by MORE stress before the concert, worse than that you get before exams, please continue to come for individuals during the exam period. 3 hours of (focused) practice a week should be the minimum and that is hardly enough to prevent your standard from dropping.

Also, before the examinations get closer, please start working on Eb Suite and Silvercrest. Notes and (accurate) Rhythm should be completed before the end of September Holidays. I believe you guys have the ability to multi-task and will not neglect your instrument playing even under the tremendous stress of EOY exams.

Last but not least, ALL THE BEST FOR YOUR EXAMS!!! :D

Po En