Cadence Siow
Flautist
Student Conductor
Nanyang Girls’ High School Concert Band
At last, my journey in band came to an end after our final in-school performance, along with the rest of my Secondary 4 batch. After so many years and hours spent here, it’s hard to leave behind the extended family of 71, along with all the memories we made and will treasure in our triangular basement band room.
I believe our journey in band has been characterised by progress, not just in terms of our musicality but also in character and resilience. All of the members have come an extremely long way and I’m honoured to have witnessed the growth of this ensemble. Through all of our hard work and determination, we came from sight-reading Seventh Night of July, a piece that seemed hopelessly difficult at first, to eventually putting up performances of the piece. I am also glad to see band members who once did not believe in themselves strive towards musicality, evidencing a shift in attitude and maturity.
Of course, none of this would have been possible without our teachers-in-charge and our conductor Mr Louis Yeo, who pushed us past our self-imposed limits to achieve what we would never be able to otherwise. No amount of thank you’s would be able to convey the extent of our appreciation and we hope that we have made them proud.
After months of effort and preparation, our band took part in the SYF Arts Presentation and achieved the Certificate of Accomplishment. Despite the initial disappointment and confusion, I have seen our band members exhibit their strength and resilience to accept this and strive to achieve greater heights for future performances. While not all of our band members might be proud of this award, I hope that we will not be defined by this label as we put up our very best performance on stage that day. The journey has been both fulfilling and constructive, and I believe the adrenaline and focus of performance, not the award, made everything worthwhile. The feeling of hearing months of effort come to fruition as every band member with me on stage played their hearts out is something I truly treasure and look back upon as one of the best memories made.
I am extremely grateful to Nanyang Concert Band for providing all of us with the resources to pick up a musical instrument, as well as the opportunity to lead the band as Student Conductor. I would also like to thank all 71 musicians of NYCB 2019 for making this journey as a family. Even as the Secondary 4 batch steps down, we hope that all future NYCB musicians will continue to strive to sparkle and shine on stage, pushing the limits of what you think you can achieve. And at the end of the day, remember that it’s okay to make mistakes as that’s how we learn, mature and forge memories with those beside you.
To all bands who took part in this year’s SYF Arts Presentation, congratulations for surviving months of festivals and parties! I’m sure the journey hasn’t been easy for any of us but I hope we’ll all continue making music as a big community of Singapore. May the passion live on 😀