Chloe Soh
French Horn player & Drum Major
Hougang Secondary Symphonic Band
Being my first choice CCA in secondary school, Symphonic Band somehow stood out to me and before I knew it I have been in the CCA for the past four years and participated in two SYFs.
However, my most recent SYF in 2021 made me realize the pain and hardships of leading my CCA during the Covid-19 pandemic. After my seniors stepped down in the earlier part of 2020, we faced many challenges along the way.
Having practice sessions in 2020 to prepare for our SYF was nearly impossible because of the strict safe management measures to keep us safe from the virus.
Consequently, we were unable to practice with our instruments and had to turn to alternative methods to engage my CCA members. We came up with endless Kahoot and Quizlet games to test and revise music theory.
Honestly many of us found it a bit dry but we had to build up on our fundamentals and continuously improve. Due to this, many of our CCA members lost interest and started to give up. Nevertheless, the Covid-19 pandemic did not stop us from putting in our best efforts during practice and on our actual SYF itself.
Now that I have already stepped down, I can still remember the bittersweet moments I had during my four-year journey in band. Even though we did not do as well for SYF as we had hoped, it dawned on me that it was more than receiving Accomplishment as an award.
I had the opportunity to see my members bond and grow together in the CCA. As a leader there is nothing more I would ever want than to see my CCA mates forge strong relationships with one another.
I am indeed very proud of them and I will miss the memories and forged and my place in this close-knit community.