This One's For Ya

Hmm. Where should I start? Ah yes, after Con Brio!!

So that day my piano teacher was testing me on aural. So she was playing this jazz song, and she said: "You know Gershwin is a famous composer of jazz songs?" And she continued rattling on about wanting to make me play more jazz songs, while I just stood there and gaped.

Tuesday, waited outside band room. No extra band prac.

Wednesday, went to band room. Told by Kinchun that prac was cancelled.

Thursday, went to band room. Again, it was closed. Until Matthew (I think) opened it. Thanks Matthew!!! =)

Friday, went for practice. Full day batch prac. Sighs. It was pretty much a disorganized group of people waiting for a disaster to happen. I thought the scene would've been much more peaceful without the noisemakers Lucas and Samuel (ok sorry sammy, you aren't noisy, just saying that your absence was missed). Wrong was I. Rampant vulgarities and all that nonsense.

And it is about this time that I also remember Brian the Great. For allowing us Sec 2s to have batch prac in the band room. Not because of the air-con, but because of the instruments. That move was probably targetted at me, since there's no option of moving 4 brand-new timpani out of the band room for a couple of hours of batch prac (and they Sec 4s needed it anyways). Did I take it for granted? Honestly speaking, yes.

But not this year. Ain't going to plead/beg Kinchun for the band room. Instead, we'll move the glock out and take it as a makeshift superhigh-pitched timpani. Or just go for more extra pracs and practice.

Looking back, I have absolutely no idea why I didn't find time to go for extra band prac. Not a single extra prac. Was I too lazy? Or perhaps that sense of commitment only came about when I became a senior?

Hmm. This warrants reflection. Mirror anyone?

Con Brio

eee such an unoriginal name. I wonder who came up with it.

Dhruv: "I can't wait for Saturday. Because then it'll be over..." Of course I wanted to smash him up when he said that...

But anyway it's concert day. And what better way to start it off than to come for band prac late?

Jump to rehersal rehearsal. That stage was small! Note to self: bring a pack list, and use it to pack everything to fit in the stage. Besides the humiliation (right in front of sec 1s) and the multitude of scoldings, we got a laugh during WWYW rehearsal.

Ben: "Welcome to No Brainer"
Mr Oura: "No wonder whistle so lousy. I don't blame you..."

I wonder why we didn't practice Small World. I wouldn't have screwed it up due to memory... lapses.

Dinner quickly passed. Jerald you still owe me $1.20-50c! I fitted into my undersized coat, and we headed out...

Premature entrance? We were stoning there for like 3 minutes, while watching the audience come in. It was super tense! When I saw seniors like Paul and Aaron I was like, omg... not that I didn't expect them to come, but it was their hopes they had for us. And judging by what Mr Oura said earlier on, we're probably going to let them down.

We start Carmen off with a bang - Ferdian's snare drum timing was off. Eep. But anyway. Carmen. The song that the Sec 4s have been playing since Sec 2.

Ben: "Next year we shouldn't play Carmen"
Jerald: "About time!"

Mononoke. The song that I don't remember playing before.

Mr Oura: "Who sung Mononoke WWYW?"
Some guy: "Snow White!"

Snow Caps!!! =( If there was one thing that night I'd really wanted to hear us play Snow Caps well, and bowl over the audience, and to make Mr Oura happy. That clearly did not happen. We screwed up big time. I screwed up too. And at the end of it all I was really sad. I really hope there'll be a second chance to perform this.

Dunno who: "This author likes perc solos"

Ocean... dates all the way back to SYF '07. Seems so far back, doesn't it? Then we played it out really well. But it's a different story now. Perhaps we've lost the emoness of the song. Anyway during the June hols I went on a cruise... where around you was water, water and water. So like David I wanted to take a picture of a sunrise out in the ocean. On that fateful day it rained, we were forced to stay indoors. Anticlimatic.

Forgot who: "Lets create an ocean on the stage"

Interval was the peak of the night. Ventured out there, to be greeted by Zhuf, Jianwei and Brian. Awww... another reason why your seniors are so great. They're behind your back supporting you every step of the journey. Everyone recieved a flower and a pencil. Flimsy flowers =S but it's the thought that counts, as always.

Then after retiring back to the backstage, I realised that this was going to be my last concert with the sec 4s. In particular, Kinchun, since this is going to be the second time we're going to be separated. If things go well we'll get separated a third time (irony, irony). Anyways investiture is looming around the corner, and before we know it leadership will be in our hands. But back to the Sec 4s... as so many seniors have said, treasure them while you can.

Okay nothing much else happened in the other songs xD Me Kinchun and Jerald were gagging backstage with every crash Si Kai made. The Double Encore featured Small World, which I believe took the audience away. Even the audience started singing! So touching =) that probably was the main part of the night. What a wonderful ending.

Mr Oura: "I got rhythm, I got rhythm..."

Supper with Kenneth Jerald Daobo Matthew Eric. *yawn* hey people need to sleep you know.

Keeping the beat

WELL DONE RIMB PERCUSSION 2007!

Obviously I have a few bones to pick (can't help it!) but I shan't write them out.

One thing I can definitely commend all of you for is that you guys are much more well-rounded. I don't really see certain people fixed to certain instruments anymore.

Very proud of all of you for the giant leaps of improvement on technique, musicality and to a smaller extent, showmanship. Also glad to see Kenneth and Ignatius so far ahead. Hope they're well-grounded!

Yup.

Edit: I hope all of you enjoyed it. Enjoyed the music, enjoyed the playing, enjoyed one another's company.