Kuek Bing Xuan
Flautist & Band Major
Zhenghua Symphonic Band
I will never forget the day when I entered my school band room for the very first time.
Seeing my seniors with their instruments, it all seemed foreign, yet exciting at the same time. That was when my music journey began.
When I came to one of the most exciting part of this journey, the SYF AP, I knew this was not going to be easy. The situation was made worse when Covid-19 struck and band practices were suspended.
Fast forward to December when the band could meet again, we had to decide whether we wanted to continue to strive for SYF. Needless to say, the band was willing to venture down this path.
Although we were struggling to adapt to the new normal as band practices were never the same again due to the pandemic and school constraints, we somehow managed to persevere and push through. When I stepped off stage after we have presented our piece, I felt like I have achieved something great.
Now that the band and I have finished this journey, I realised I have learnt a lot from it. I have learnt how to be more resilient and persevere through this tough SYF journey. Practices were tough, corrections were harsh and sometimes brutal, but these were exactly what drew the members, the teachers and the instructors together. We were all pursuing the same goal, together as one.
As the practices were shorter, I could really feel the stress when the SYF date was nearing. I still managed to pull through and became more determined.
The values I learnt from this journey cannot be taught in the normal school lessons. I have learnt how to be resilient, to persevere to complete and polish our choice piece for our SYF AP. Of course, we made many mistakes and errors, but I have learnt not to give up and to keep trying till we can perform the perfect version of our choice piece.
The second thing I have learnt is responsibility. It is our own responsibility to make sure we know our part inside out and to rectify the mistakes we made during rehearsals and practices. As the Band Major of the band, it is my responsibility to make sure everyone is disciplined and focused during the practices and rehearsal so that we could be on task and not side track from practicing our choice piece.
I will miss the feeling of playing with the band, and the stories shared during practices. Joining the band has really added colours to my life.
I have enjoyed every single band practices I had with this band, and I will never forget the laughter and the joy of being part of this band. If I have ever had the chance to restart and re-experience my entire band life in this school, I would not hesitate to as I had a lot of fun learning music and making new friends every year.
The band members have also given me the love and care that I needed in school. This band is my family, and it always would be.
Thank you to my instructors Mr Er Wee San, Mr Patrick Neo. My teachers in charge Mdm Grace Chia, Ms Marinah and Mr Jacobe Lim, for guiding the band and me through this journey.