I just realised that all the sections in Damaiwindz have an informal blog! :D
Please do check your section blogs out frequently or this blog for information! (:
Thank you!

By your CM. :D

left; 10:10 PM

hello band! :D
1) I am here to remind you all that your Solo Concert is 10 days away! Therefore, everyone please pull up your socks to practice and put on your very best on that day! I don't want to see any sloppy playing because you're either too lazy to practice or you havent decided on your song. This is not the attitude i expect from you all. And Seniors, you all should be the role models for your sec1s by motivating them to practice harder for their pieces so they will be on their best that day. For that, I will randomly pick someone to play their pieces for me to comment. Jiayou everyone, and i do expect your top form 10 days away! (:

2) Recently, i know many of you all have to come back for sectionals on either monday/thursday for your auditions. However, if your parents disallow you, please feel free to approach me as you would be given a consent form for your parents to acknowledge. SLs, please take note of this point!

3) For most of you, your auditions have already ended. However, some havent been auditioned yet. For those who think that you have failed the audition, i dont want you to take this so lightly. It just shows that you are not putting in any effort and is a signal to you to practice even harder from now onwards. Therefore, for sec1s and seniors, please start working on your techniques! 


It can be any exercises from the I recommend, it doesnt matter. In addition, i want to pose a challenge to you all to complete the whole book of I recommend! Dont just stick to the 4 major scales! Open yourselves to new challenges, think and plan ahead. Other than that, wont you feel the sense of accomplishment when you managed to play something new? Enough of saying, so i hope you all will think about what i said, and transfered it to action!

4) Lastly, please bring your NOTEBOOKS with PENCILS with you for every practice! I know recently, i havent been emphasizing this. But i realised everyone have been forgetting your mistakes practice after practice. Therefore, please take down the notes on the parts you are unable to play. You will be amazed after a few months that what that few sentences you have wrote every practice have become a page full. Moreover, the few notes can be a great help in your playing. After the practice, revise and you will not make the same mistake again. Its similar to studying techniques! From this friday onwards, i expect everyone to have their NOTEBOOK and PENCILS. Those without, will be punished. 


5) Lastly lastly, please practice your instruments home! A 30 mins would really be good. Please make fully use of it since you all have brought home your instrus! Sec1s please practice on your breathing at home! Seniors, your articulations and dynamics! Thats all. Goodnight World! 


Ending off, 
The road to success is lined with many tempting parking spaces. 


PS: Happy Teachers Day! :D


Yilin

left; 9:32 PM

Hello band! It has been quite some time since the blog is updated.
Anyway, just a few reminders once again.
Take note that the bandstore will not be open
on this upcoming monday so there will be no sectionals.
And the second thing is, it is a school holiday on this upcoming
tuesday and so, there will not be any band practice.
BUT, all of you are required to score study and do self-practice at home.
Like what Yilin say, don't just leave your instruments
in one corner and allow it to collect dust.
Since you have already bring it home, please make full use of it and practice!
30mins a day would be better than nothing. (:
And to end off today's post, I would like to share with you this story.
Although it's a bit lengthy, I hope that everybody will read this story and really think about it.

A Droplet And A Ripple.


It was there, clinging on to the edge of the leaf and was about to fall, fall into the little puddle of water below… The Droplet.

Yes, the droplet was ready to give up and surrender its existence to the little puddle below but something made it cling on, a little longer; perhaps a desire to stay that fraction of a second more in the company of the green leaf, the same green leaf that held it, nurtured it and was now ready to offer it to the little society of droplets underneath.

What was it? Just a droplet! Where did I come from? No one knows. Perhaps a fog, a dew, an overnight drizzle perhaps from nowhere but it was now here. It existed and existed with a distinct identity, an identity that was now to be submerged into the flow of millions - to be lost.

Reluctantly, the droplet left the shelter of the leaf. All the time it went down, it pointed towards its once safe, soft and sure shelter. And then with a little 'whimp' it dropped into the puddle.

Don't know what strength the droplet had in its heart or what amount of agony or what purpose it set itself to make it so heavy.

As it fell, it created a huge ripple all around it. Yes, it was the sign of revolution. It said that it was here to make changes, to transform the society of droplets into the way it learnt intuitively from the soul of the world, to live with a distinct identity.

But, something else happened. The ripple it sent around gradually died out and with time, silently the pool of droplets engulfed it. And its existence was lost.

But yes, the water in the puddle never remained the same again because the droplet fell, the ripple was created, the mud was churned, and the color of the society of droplets changed forever.

We may be a droplet in the ocean of people but it requires only one, to churn what lies within us, to change the course of destiny.


This story is dedicated especially to the sec1s.
If you find that you're losing confidence in yourself
with regards to your playing, do hang on!
One have to struggle and break through before he/she can succeed.
Always remind yourself to continue trying. Remind yourself of this story.
Even a droplet made an effort to hang on, so can you!
 
Zoey.

left; 9:08 PM

Hello band!
As all of you know, it is maintenance day tomorrow
so there are a few things to take note of.

1) Thermometers

Please remember to bring your thermometers tomorrow!
It is very important and I'm sure it is not too difficult to just
put one thermometer into your bag, it won't weigh much.

2) Cotton Buds

Every section is required to bring cotton buds,
the QMS are NOT going to provide them for you.
It is always better to bring more so as to play safe.
You will never know if your instruments are super dusty/dirty
till you have to use 100000 cotton buds tomorrow, haha.
The best: Everybody bring one packet each!

3) Reporting time

Tomorrow's reporting time is 8.45am not 9am.
Please take note and nobody is allowed to be late.
Alarm clock didn't ring, never hear alarm, forget to set alarm,
miss the bus, overslept, your pet dog/cat ate your alarm clock
is NOT acceptable and it is not an excuse for you to be late.

It has been quite long ago since all of us maintain our instruments
so everybody, please put in your best effort to maintain your instruments
till it is in top standard! I'm sure everybody will feel very statisfied
to see their instruments in top form so let's work hard tomorrow!

Never consider the possibility of failure;
as long as you persist, you will be successful.
- Brian Tracy

Zoey.

left; 8:47 PM

hello band!

In case you all have been wondering why we have been shifting from classrooms, to harmony room, to bandstore or music room for sectionals, its because they are having orals now. And we wouldnt been able to use the classrooms.

Therfore, i hope you all will try to bear with the limited space we have and make do with what you have instead of grumbling! We all know, and we will be trying to find a way out. Meanwhile, please bear with it!

Next, as you all have realised we are starting on Pasadena. Its all of your job to ensure you score study before you come for band practice. As you all know, our time is very limited, and if we were to use the time for score studying, we wouldnt be able to complete other stuffs!

Furthermore, if we are going have score study, you all will whine saying that band practices are boring! Therefore, if you dont want band practices to be boring, you all have to do your own part by bringing home your scores to score study! Its not that hard right, perhaps its only a pathetic 10grams! LOL! Hence, please be a good girl/boy by bringing home your scores!

--

Dearest Sec1s, i realised you all have been trying to keep up the standard with the seniors! And you all are doing well! (: Please continue to work hard, and always try, because you will never know if you never try! On the other hand, a minority of you are giving up on yourselves. Have you even ask yourself why you did that? If you never even dared to brave the challenges and try, you wont know what is hidden inside you, the talent or potential.

I believe that every individual has a hidden potential inside you. Whether you are going to unleash it to allow it to soar to achieve greater heights, or to cage it up just like how a bird is and enjoy mundane life, its up to you. It will explain your life, your future later on. I just hope you all can be like the freed eagle, that is willing to brave the mountains and to take up challenges.

Hence, Goodnight people!
Please drop by to tag, as the tagboard has been rather lonely for the past few weeks!
:D

Yilin

left; 10:53 PM

Hey band!
Firstly, please be reminded that there WILL be band practice
tomorrow so remember to bring back your instruments.
The bandstore will be open tomorrow morning,
at 6.45am for everybody to put back your instruments.
I want to see everybody coming back, it's compulsory!
It won't kill just to wake up slightly earlier just for ONE day.
And before you leave the bandstore, do sign in your
instruments through the QM loanbook.
Secondly, tomorrow will be your last chance to go and check
out the duty roster. The leaders will test anybody randomly
during assembling. Once again, it won't kill just to memorise
what's your duty for each practice. And also, the duty
roster will commence from tomorrow's practice onwards.
Yah, I guess that's all. Remember to tag before you leave
as you can see, the tagboard is collecting dust, haha.
Lastly, happy belated national day! (:

For every person who doubts you, tell you that you will fail,
try twice as hard to prove them wrong.

- Unknown

Zoey.

left; 12:49 PM

NOTE: PLEASE REREAD THIS POST AS
THERE'S A FEW CHANGES MADE TO IT. THANKS! (5/8)

Aloha band! I'm here again to remind
you guys regarding some stuffs.
Because I'm sure some of you are still blur as sotong.
So please take note of all the informations
and do spread it to your friends. It will be appreciated!

1) Band practice on this friday is cancelled
There won't be any band practice on this friday
so for those members who are absent for today's
practice, remember to loan home your instruments
on this thursday. It's strictly compulsory!

2) SYF celebration on this friday
After the national day celebration on friday,
there will be a celebration for all SYF participants
which includes main players, reserves and also non-SYF members.
It is organised by the school and the sec4s will have to
come too.
You don't have to assemble outside the bandstore anymore.
INSTEAD, your SL will be standing at one corner of the
hall and all of you will have to go and find your SL.
As for the seating arrangement, it will be acoording to the
way all of you assemble:
Flutes DoubleReeds Clarinets Saxophones
FrenchHorns Trombones Trumpets
Basses Percussion (Your previous assembling position)
We will be sitting behind the Guzheng members
and we will be sitting from one end of the hall stretching
till the other end.
So we will have to form about 2 or 3 lines as stated above.
The new transferred members will go back to
their old section for the celebration on friday.

3) Duty roster for the band
Please check out the duty roster which is pasted
inside the bandstore, at the area where you normally
put your bags. Memorise what you have to do and
the leaders will test randomly on the next practice.
So make sure you know what's your role for each practice.
Be responsible and do what you're supposed to do!

Hope that you all are clear of the instructions.
And PLEASE, do not be blur on friday!

Ending off with,

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Zoey.

left; 9:05 PM

wooo! i'm back again. (:
i just wanna share something with you all!

please go and visit:
http://www.bandfusion.sg/newsletter/June2009.pdf

its really cool!
you get to see the details of the interview with Kelly Tang,
the composer of 2 overtures!
so i really hope you all will take a look at it! (:

secondly, please work on your breathing techniques at home!
we have not enough time for you all to work on your
fundamentals in band practices!
and if everyone's working on fundamentals,
you all will start getting bored of practices!
so, do your part by doing your breathing at home.
simple things like diaphragm training, checking of embrochure,
using diaphragm to support your air could be done at home!
therefore, after all the sayings, please do really practice at home.
its for your own good! :D

lastly, i do expect everyone to be in correct attire,
and sign in your instruments alright.
we have punished you all countless times,
and we do not wish to punish you all anymore.
okay, thats all! see you all, on tuesday! (:

If you do not hope, you will not find what is beyond your hopes
St. Clement of Alexandra

left; 12:13 AM