Elliot Ang
Euphonium Player
Secondary 3 Council Member
St. Patrick’s School Military Band
I have always been amazed by what the Saint Patrick’s School Military Band could do, even when my elder brother joined the band in 2008. Looking back, I was happy and excited about what was coming up for the band in Secondary 1. I was an experienced bandsman so I had a head start in terms of experience on an instrument. To me, it was amazing to see how even those without experience had the drive to catch up to those that have experience.
Back then, I did not see the point of some things that we did. For example, drills and some traditions. However, through the traditions and the other things my batch and I have done together, we have learned values such as discipline and respect. When we had the council selection, I was selected as one of the 4 members, but even now I’m afraid of succeeding the previous batch as they were amazing leaders. The 10th of April marked the day they stepped down, bringing with it a sad but defining moment for my batch of bandsmen. This meant that the band was now under our control and our juniors were now our responsibility, and that they would be the future of our band and the band that we will leave behind.
Throughout my band journey, I have been exposed to many ways of leading my band through various courses in and out of school, giving me the opportunity to make many friends and connections along the way. Band brings musicians together through a common goal, our passion for music and the determination to improve our bands.
Our band has always been stereotyped as ‘torture’ by our schoolmates due to the 12 hours of band we have every week. But, to us, band is not just a typical CCA. It’s a CCA that is set apart from the others because of the relationships we have built with each other, the music we play and the satisfaction we have at the end of every performance. Another thing that sets us apart is our traditions, cultures and the long history we have, with alumnus coming down to help, teach and tell us their stories about their time in band, giving us the motivation to strive for better.
Limelight and SYF were our biggest achievements in April. In preparation for the two performances, we spent countless hours in the band room preparing and perfecting our pieces. It showed us that, if we all set our mind to it, we could do anything together through hard work and encouragement displaying our school motto “Potest Qui Volt” He who wills, can. Under the guidance of Mr. Sebastian Koh and Mr. Marvin Khoo, together with the support of our teachers, parents, alumni, and friends, our band has been brought to greater heights.
With the continuation of great leadership, discipline, traditions, and cultures our band can definitely go even further!