musings

the syf postings are out!

our's is on 10th April, 4.20pm (lmao blaze it) last day last band haha (ఠ్ఠ ˓̭ ఠ్ఠ)

after hearing maris at the exchange, I think that there's still a lot of room for improvement (and although I'm saying this for myself, I think it more or less encompasses the sentiments of everyone else.)
we may not have as many people as they do, but we shouldn't let this become an excuse for ourselves and our standard. quality > quantity!!! 

yeah I think we all got a bit demoralised after the exchange   ･̆⌓･̆ but all the more we should put in our 120%!!! although maris may be gr8910, they're not the best band out there (there're many many higher mountains to scale). so let's strive to become one of them maybe  ՞ ▽ ՞ 

band camp (why do they call it a camp if they always cancel the sleepover -____-) starts tomorrow (ha ha...a. intensive 8-hours...)!!!! so jia you/ganbatte/fighting!!!! it really IS the last lap (go look at your calendars haha it's like 3ish weeks from now). so like how yall sprint during the last part of your 2.4km, let's sprint together and leave the stage with no regrets!

- joanne (lmao I was doing stoichio but I got distracted oh well)

maris exchange

two days ago...

we had maris stella exchange!! again. but they time they gave us nice cards :) like 3D haha. and 3 cards somemore. basically their standard is super good wow. i think everyone in band was shocked ?? and sad ?? and ?? idk i think everyone's gotta work harder lmao. oh and our IOTD (instructor of the day) was Ms Wee!!!! from 2 yrs ago.

Oh well 1D concert in 2 days ??

- common poster, u kno hu i m


(sorry victoria riding on your post)

:-)

Warmest greetings (HAHA I sound like a hallmark card) from Percs 15! :-)
(first few full section photos of the year heh) ((also for the orientation slides))

Let's work really hard for SYF   jia you everyone I know we can do this!

On a sidenote, trials just ended! Woo I hope we get 2 sec ones :^) jia you victoria you're gonna be a direct HAHA

-
joanne

OBS

I'm going for OBS on Monday. Wish me luck.

-the only sec3 here

Hello!!!

Hey yOooOo this is my first legit post and wow heheh I can't believe I finally have rights to the blog :') ((I think I've been whining about it for three years now wow))

Oh yeah so self intro, I'm Joanne from Batch 15 and my favourite instru is the timpani!! ((are the timpanis? ugh grammar)). 

Ok so I just got back from Day 2 of Mr Chiang's (not really his alone but w/ his posse)) EXCO/SL ((day)) camp at VJC~
Their band room is pretty small (around the same size as ours?) and their perc area is really tiny but their timpanis edit: timpani are really fabulous (the same model as the one during SIBF!!) and shiny and new and I just want to take them home. Their gong is really cute though it's like a mini version of ours.
((their bass drum!! is about the same except the frame has an extra bar thingy for you to step on so you can use your leg to mute the drum without looking like a dog that's going to pee))

We've been having like masterclasses on conducting and theory lectures and general leadership talks here and there (fun fact: did you know that Mr Wong studied psychology and is a member of Mensa) and it's been pretty cool but hecka tiring. :-)
They invited really funny and super talented guest speakers! We had one of the SIBF judges yesterday to conduct (haha) a conducting clinic and he was super funny but his sense of humour is so mean???? He kind of reminds me of Mr Chia hm. 

PS: Maris Stella's percs (uh at least those that are here at the camp) are very pro so let's be better than them
PPS: I think Bendemeer's (did I spell it right) too
PPPS: I believe that we have the potential to become better than them all. Like quality>quantity ok so even though our section isn't that big we can make it up by being really competent and all rounded percs
Also right I've come to realise that there are quite a few disadvantages behind having a super big section (like 10++) such as having not enough parts or like not enough exposure to each instrument because there's really too many people so I'm really grateful that our section's size is just nice :-)

Our SYF pieces are going to be quite perc heavy so let's jia you x 100000 and defend our title as one of the strongest points ((section? element?? thing???)) of RGSSB woot woot

This turned out to be way longer than I expected haha ごめん :x

-Joanne

PPPPS: I strongly strongly strongly regret the annoying things I posted in the chatbox out of desperation to post something when I didn't have rights

long time no see

hello percs!!!
it's been a long time haha i'm so amazed that this blog is still alive and that i now know a perc 7 years my junior (hi janika!!!) percussion is awesome don't let the love die :D:D:D when i feel like it i may (??) go back and visit! really miss that place so many memories :'( do ya'll still do spring cleaning every year? if not, the carpet is gross. i miss the drumset too haha so much nostalgia!! treasure the time you have there with your batchmates and directs and sectionmates!! also, go teach yourselves cool drum stuff like playing with 4 mallets heehee (see http://www.vicfirth.com/education/percussion101-concertKeyboard.php).

deborah
batch '10

Hi guys!

Hi guys! I'm Victoria from batch '16 and it's my first time posting here :-) Yesterday was Inunion and I had a really fun time playing with my seniors and juniors! We played Lion King, Air for Band (sec1s), Metrodance (this really hyped cool song) and Shanghai Tun (tan? dun?), The sec1s this year are actually not bad hehe. With that, I'd like to really thank my directs Helen and Talia for everything these 2 years and I'll miss you two so much!!

Talking about directs, I can't believe I'm getting my own down-directs next year :o I'm actually quite scared since I'm the only sbm :/ And I'm still not very good in some things like double strokes, -4321, and I don't think I know the names of a few auxiliaries as well odear. However, I plan to work really hard this holiday!!

Good luck to us,
Victoria

Inunion'2014

Hey Hey!!
wooohoo good job for inunion today juniors!!! It was really good:D and thanks for the farewell gifts, I really liked them:D
So sorry we were late and missed Lion King:( there was rsb prac and we had to rush :(( but I hope yall had fun!
I hope yall will continue to love RGSSB Percs and continue this blog!
Have fun in your remaining time in band and jiayou Percs'15:D

-Talia

Last prac D:

Hey section!!

Tuesday was my last prac in RGSSB and today was the last time I am gonna wear the band uniform (for photo taking). Theres lots I want to say but most of all I want to thank all of you for being so awesome and loving percs so much and making my life as SL so much more enjoyable! I really hope yall will have a great time in RGSSB and love percussion even more! I will try to come back and visit more often:D jiayou yall can do it!

Talia
RGSSB Percs SL Batch 2014

Section Exchange with Maris Stella Symphonic Band

Hello Section!

Yesterday was really fun and interesting; we had a band exchange with Maris Stella Symphonic Band, who has the same resident conductor (Mr Chiang) as us :)

First we had a masterclass by a guy called Mr Sim together with the Maris Stella Percussion section, he taught us many techniques for every instrument. Then, both of our bands gathered at the hall to listen to each other play, and Maris Stella played a song called "Give Us This Day" which sounded very cool. Also one of the percussionists had this crazy xylophone part which was awesome!

Anyway, here is a photo of our two sections together (We couldn't find our Sec ones D:)

Side note: Their section is massive!! Not exactly in terms of height, but then again one of the percussionists from Maris Stella had to push our snare drum to drumset height and play while sitting on a chair because our snare drum was too short for him 

Here is the card for the section exchange that they gave us! You can really tell how much effort was put into it, right? ::::)

Our updated section board :)

Okay, that's all for now! Bye!

Percussion Ensemble Festival and 2014

Hello everyone :D

Recently Joanne, Hwisoo and I had a directs outing to the Singapore Percussion Ensemble Festival to support Aliza and Xing Ern! :)

It was really cool and exciting, they had a 5 octave marimba (!!) and there was one song where a girl played 8 toms! Also Aliza did a cool thing with the toms in one of the pieces where she leaned on it with her arm and hit it, changing the pitch(?) Throughout the whole concert we were super awed and we now feel super inspired and motivated to improve :)

Hm, it's a short post but Aliza and Xing Ern, great job at the concert!! Also, Talia's wrist is hurt, so let's wish her a happy and fast recovery ^^

Percs '14 with our instructor, Mr Chia :)

Bye!!

Sophia Kim 

Haha okay it's me again...
The juniors can't post cos we all have no idea how to add them in to post>< oops

okay oh ya and I havent said yet...I got the cool light-up sticks:D called firestix....basically its shock sensored so when you hit, it'll light up;D we can use for Cadenza:D Go see it on youtube its really really cool:D

Okay yeah so everyone shld be playing your warmups at 168 comfortable by tmr (i'll check) and see if I can give you guys genroku tmr...maybe not cos Ms Wee's coming tmr so yeah:) But rmb to bring your notebooks every prac so you can take down what you shld be able to play by next prac:D

what shld I say now....oh yeah all our exams are coming (including our seniors in JC) so jiayou everyone!!:D:D study hard and prac hard!

and we really must practise really hard so we can earn a spot for section ensemble for cadenza:D


-Talia:D

Hey section :D
okay we decided that we should revive this blog so every week we will post at least once even if it's just HI >< if not this is really gonna be seriously seriously dead -.-
Oh wells...yeah tmr's NDP  celebration performance:)!!! yay! and everyone's coming for last minute change of skirts and stuff...no more L size skirts liao...why everyone so tall O.O
And we had phototaking today!:D and we have to rewear our uniforms tmr...and I realised I forgot to bring my court shoes home so I shall just go to the band rm tmr and find it><
Meh...jiayou section! practise hard and we will do well:D:D practise your basics well and work on your foundation:)
Okay i really need to chiong memorise FPS now...zai jian:D

Here's a pic we took today after phototaking!


bye!
-Talia:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D  

Hello section! :) whoo blogspot is cool but I'm really noob at it :P

Today we had to get out of the band room to practise so we went outside the hall where Talia stood underneath her poster! :D

Random post x) but yay!
P.S. Tomorrow is CCA trials for band! Hopefully we'll get at least two perc juniors C:

Sophia Kim

ROARRRRRR

Oh yay!!!!!! Finally I can post:D meh why do I have to go for OBS:'( I scared later sunburn....
Okay I need to pack bye!:)
This is just for testing btw

-talia

HELLO PEOPLE

just feeling random, but i think we should learn how to do 4-mallet grip! like properly, and without injuring our hands or arms or something!! after all, for cadenza, y'all may need to play 4 mallet stuff. i used 4 mallets in sec one for cadenza before, but looking back, i realise i was playing... wrongly. and i haven't been playing 4 mallets ever since T.T which is NOT GOOD!

so, there are quite a number of different grips (for holding 2 mallets in one hand), like for example the burton grip or stevens grip. y'all know kenneth, one of the percussionists at rwinds? yeah i think he used the stevens grip for coda, if i'm not wrong. (so i may be wrong.)

(well basically all the rwinds perc people are really quite pro, so next time after you graduate from RG - not too far away! - join rwinds at least once, cos the experience is really good, and you'll really learn alot, and make great friends too.)

so here are a few websites you can explore to learn more!

burton grip http://www.bknights.org/ensembles/bkpe/pdf/BurtonGrip.pdf
stevens grip http://www.vicfirth.com/education/articles/howarth.html

maybe y'all can try burton grip first? it seems more familiar, in terms of holding the mallets i guess. of course if you want to try stevens there isn't any problem. but anyway the 4-mallet grip is really quite important, and i read on a percussion website before that actually, we should learn the 4-mallet grip once we start learning mallets, cos it's just as important as the usual 1 mallet per hand grip. :D yup!

do take time to try it out okay! and maybe we'll make a trip back after the new sec ones join yall - eh must tell us when they join ok! :)

love,aliza. (IMISSYALL BOOHOOO T.T)

you guys still so free should post more! anyway i just visited today cause apparently one of us requested for password reminder so i got sent the email as well ._.

happy new year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR SECTION!! ♥ ♥

We should resolve to post more.

xx

Hi friends!

So there's going to be a 100-word write-up for every section during CCAO. Sharon's not here, so Fang Fang told me to write it, and I think I may have oversold our section heh. It's just hard to put the awesomeness of our section into words, and once you start you tend to go overboard! But it's relatively accurate. Anyway here it is, so in case you have violent objections you can still voice them out heh!

During a particularly memorable band camp, while the rest of the band were having dinner, the percussion section decided instead to climb over the wooden railing to the beach where they took photos, skipped stones and watched the sunset together. This episode reflects the spontaneity and open mind of all our members, our fun-loving and bubbly personalities earning us the nickname Perky Percs. It also shows how close-knit we are, bonded by numerous section outings we have to buy drumsticks, celebrate birthdays or just to have fun together. The unique experiences of being a percussionist that no other section can understand also bind us together, from training your arm muscles by playing cymbals to moving the timpani for the first time to sleeping in the section area in the band room, a privilege no other section has. We also have immense love and passion for our instruments and making music, protecting our drums and mallets with our lives and always pushing our limits by finding our own scores to try. Many may think that percussion is unimportant, but there is no denying that every part in a band piece contributes to the music – the bass drum may be soft, but it keeps the tempo; the crash cymbals may only come in twice in an entire piece, but the grandeur of the crash will lend a huge emphasis to the music. If you still think that percussion is way too easy, come try it out yourself, and even if your sticking and subdivision are perfect, challenge yourself with new rhythms. On the contrary, if you think that percussion is way too difficult, don’t worry, you’ll find in us a new family to support and guide you throughout your journey in RGSSB. <3

Quite true luh hor.

(And yeah it's nearly 300 words because there's really a lot to write teehee.)

Hello everyone! 8)

Ooops the blog hasn't been updated since 3 months ago D:

Anyway, yesterday was Inunion '11, our very last Inunion! ): The songs were okay I guess! And the Sec 1s played surprisingly well eh! Good job! :D I'm so jealous they got to play Phantom of the Opera omg we didn't even get to play a batch song for our Inunion !@#$%^&* On the other hand though, batch dance was quite ahem ahem embarrassing, at least for me, especially since almost everyone videoed us dancing oh gosh, including my mother (!!!!!!) And EVERYONE (I think) laughed when we started the dance with the NA NA NA NA part -hides face- There was this part where we were supposed take our partner's hand and twirl (?) underneath it, like the typical couple dance. But I couldn't reach my partner's hand, so in the end I ended up looking like some retard twirling under my own arm T_T But overall it was still very fun lah!!! 8D

After that we had section dinner/supper but quite fail LOL only Aliza, Xin Hui, Hwi Soo and I went. The sec 1s couldn't make it and Lei Chen went home and Xing Ern didn't come and ahem Deborah pangseh-ed us so... ): When's the next chance for us to have section dinner/supper again ah? Cadenza XIII?? SO FAR AWAY D8

And right just in case AXE miraculously comes here tonight... ('comes' and not 'come' cause AXE is a couple :D)

GOOD LUCK FOR YOUR 'O' LEVELS TOMORROW!!! :D

Ok byebye!

<3 Sharon

P.S. Paiseh I don't have a lot of stuff to post about this is just to make Deborah less sad LOL.