Dear Band Members,
SYF arts presentation for us begins next week, and it is the biggest gathering and sharing session of the bands in our vibrant band community. As one who has performed in 4 SYFs, I share many memories of this event in my banding life And I also had the greatest honour of writing the two set pieces for all of you for this year.
For some of us, this will be the first time performing on a stage, and for some, possibly the last. However, I’d like all of us to remember that this 10 minutes on stage, although it may feel like a culmination of the past few months of hard work, is not a final destination, but simply a stepping stone on our journey in life. All the skills we learnt, eg. teamwork, leadership, responsibility for our own parts, constant grinding of a skill, they will all go a long way when we continue on with the remainder of our banding life, in further education and work.
To the graduating students, I thank you for your service to your band, and for being an example to your juniors. Your hard work and experience over the years would have groomed you into a better person as well. l encourage you to go back to visit your alma mater from time to time, to continue giving support and share experiences with your juniors!
To those performing live for the first time, this will be a rite of passage of sorts. You have already come a long way from the start of learning the instrument and music in general. Enjoy this experience in sharing your newfound skills with fellow bandmates from the country!
No matter what the result any of us gets, never forget band has always about being a family making music together. And this family isn’t restricted to just within our own bands but extends across the whole community. I encourage all of us to go down to the conference hall whenever possible to support, encourage and learn from one another.
All the best for SYF! Let’s make this the biggest festival on Earth, and when it is allover, we can go party in space (:
Best Regards,
Lee Jinjun o-iik0