Jacinda Low
Drum Major and Horn Player
Quest Band (2022-2023)
To start off, the June Holidays in 2022 were the period when we were pushing our basics to prepare us for the practices from October onwards with the help of our supportive conductor, Mr. Jack Lim.
We started our practices after the end-of-year examinations and started our intensive practices during the holidays. It definitely wasn’t easy, especially for the then-Secondary One members. But with the help of the seniors and their will to improve, they managed to raise their standards, especially during the start of Term One. The Secondary One students, who are now Secondary Two, were then able to understand what it feels like to be in band. We pushed together as one, even though there were days when it wasn’t as great as others. With the never-ending encouragement from the Secondary Fours as well as Mr. Lim, we really lived up to our motto.
Band made me realize my passion for music and taught me many moral values, courage being one of them. I remember not being as loud, but with the constant life lessons I learned in band from our conductor and the leadership role I had, I was then able to speak with confidence and not fear the eyes of others. I remember when I was told that I needed to help conduct during one of the NDP rehearsals. I definitely wasn’t confident about it. But after awhile, I felt great and was then able to conduct the band during the Secondary One CCA Showcase together with the other three majors. Being a leader in the band gave me opportunities to reflect and recount my actions, although they may not have been perfect at times. It sure did improve me as a person as well as a leader. I’ve never regretted being in band, and I realized that we had a bond like no other, from going out for dinner after practices to going out even during the holidays. This showed that we aren’t only friends in the band but also in our own private lives.
During the holiday and Saturday practices QuestBand had, I could see the bond getting stronger and closer as each practice passed. From forming cliques in our own section to forming one with juniors from another section, it really gave us a sense of belonging.
For me personally, this batch would be one of the greatest, as I could really feel each milestone that we experienced. I would miss the intensive practices we had days leading up to April 12th, our SYF Day. On the morning of SYF, I could really tell that we all grew tremendously as I saw seniors helping to fix the juniors hair and attire and the other way around when the juniors helped the Secondary Fours, who were in a rush to bring all our belongings up to another venue without being told to do so. Right after we got off stage, I could see members tearing up as I stood at the end. At that point, it really hit me that it was the end of the six-month journey. It was really heartwarming to see us comforting one another after knowing that the six months of hard work finally paid off in the 10 minutes of our stage time. Another thing that I’ll feel nostalgic for are the small encouraging talks that Mr. Lim always gives before our run-through—the last 20 minutes of our practice. I would say those are the talks that really pushed and encouraged the band to go further with the never-giving-up mindset that has been engraved in our bones.
I’m really thankful to our teachers, who are always buying snacks for us during band exchanges as well as our Saturday practices to give us a physical boost of encouragement, and also to the small talks at the end of practices for a mental boost of encouragement.
However, even with all these nice and memorable experiences, it hasn’t been easy being the drum major. This batch would be one of the biggest batches, even before COVID-19. We had no seniors to look up to, as the two batches before us were split into Band A and Band B. At the start of our major-ship journey, we were still figuring things out, as it was now the quest for our SYF as a whole band. We had to keep pushing the band, and it wasn’t easy at the start due to the change from a COVID-era band to a full band. It really did tire me out and drain me out when I felt that our band did not improve because I really wanted the best for us. However, with the other three majors being there for me and vice versa, we managed to pull through and get to where we are today. A lesson I’ve learned here is that it doesn’t take a second to see a change, no matter how big or small it is. It took us six months to get to where we are now with the help of our loving alumni as well as our dearest conductor, Mr. Lim.
And to sum up my band journey: With Passion, We Can Succeed!