Tag: creativity

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HS Jazz Band

Wednesday 23rd September:

Now I have attended one of the jazz band sessions and my second one will be tomorrow. This is an exciting opportunity that despite having the restrictions on the number of wind and brass instruments (as well as the mandatory of practising in sections and not as a whole ensemble), I am quite excited for this ensemble and what we will be doing.

The piece we are working on right now is “Don’t you worry ’bout a thing” by Stevie Wonder and the bass part is quite easy now (especially when compared with the bach pieces in Chamber ensemble) so it is a nice and easy start. I think the biggest difficulty is just the rhythm if anything because I have noticed, just like with the orchestra piece, that sometimes, I have difficulty switching from the classical way of thinking and the 20th American century music (or rather African American as jazz, blues and rock all originated from African American culture and was “stolen” by white American musicians). This is because classical music includes baroque and romantic have an emphasis on the one and three of the beat while jazz emphasises more on the two and four so switching from that to that is a bit difficult. Also the switch from the swing style of eighth in jazz and the tight and articulated notes in classical.

The rhythm isn’t complicated, but it has happened when I practised that I mess up the syncopated rhythms (as the 2 and 4 make it feel more like syncopation). But really, my main emphasis is having fun with this piece and with the people around me. An interesting thing about this piece is that has the feeling of Latin rock and a little bit of bossa nova. Anyways, I will aim to develop my skills in music including in jazz and continue learning on my relatively new instrument (though with experience in the cello and piano has helped me with the double bass).

#LO1, #LO2

Thursday 12th November:

Today we had our recording session for a jazz piece we have been working on called Fables of Faubus by Charles Mingus. It is a politically motivated piece that was written n as a direct protest against Arkansas governor Orval Faubus, who in 1957 sent out the National Guard to prevent the racial integration of Little Rock Central High School by nine African American teenagers, in what became known as the Little Rock Crisis. The piece is played sardonically and there are even elements of cacophony that makes this piece not only difficult to channel the right emotions but also a very unique and different piece. The jazz bass piece wasn’t too difficult in terms of rhythm and I guess the only most difficult thing was the notes which are in F minor which has a lot of flats.

Now because my instrument is an accusing piece and is very quiet when played pizzicato (using plucking of the fingers rather than bow) I usually have some pickups plugged into an amp so I can hear even when the drums, guitar and all other instruments are being played. When we did the recording piece, we didn’t have the amp but a speaker plugged in so that in the editing stage, the bass will be heard. However, that meant I could not hear my self-playing so I was playing blindly and had to rely on muscle memory (there are no frets). This made it quite difficult. Despite this new experience of recording and playing without an amp, I still had lots of fun and it was the first time I wore a suit so that was interesting. I hope that soon, we can play as a live performance but for now, because of the coronavirus, recording sessions will have to suffice.

#LO2

Thursday 17th December:

This was the last session for this year and I am truly grateful for the experience. I will still be continuing Jazz band next year and I will definitely keep playing jazz and the double bass in the future, hopefully in University. Below is an image of one of our recording sessions for the Fables of Faubus piece which we showed to our community through a streaming video. It was great and fantastic to share that experience and I will not forget this experience. I have been able to improve on my listening skills, my walking bass lines, new double bass techniques like slapping, and playing with others effectively without any need for a conductor, just by listening. It has been so fun to play music and one way I have shown this passion is that recently I have used LogicPro to record my own jazz and funk pieces playing all the instruments like a one-man orchestra which has been really fun. I will continue playing music for the rest of my life and I will never forget this experience.

#LO1, #LO4

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High School Symphony Orchestra

September 10th, 2019

Investigation:

I have been with the middle school and high school symphony orchestra, as a cellist, since grade 8 in UWC. I have also played the cello in the orchestra at my old school from grade 6 to 8. I really like to play the cello and really like to play as a group in an orchestra, where we play a range of pieces from classical to modern to scene (movie) music. I want to continue playing the cello but also have aims of possibly playing the double bass on some occasions as we are missing a double bassist in our orchestra. I have skills in both these instruments which I can develop through the orchestra and work with the orchestra to develop my music skills.

———————————————————————————————–

September 17th 2019

Preparation: 

In today’s session, we started looking and playing Sleigh Ride by Leroy Anderson which is a Christmas song which will be perfect for our Wavelengths concert in December. This is a string double bass part below which I will be playing which gives me a chance to try something new and jazzier with the double bass. This will be a new skill that I may be able to transfer to a possible chance at the Jazz band. In this session, we clarified our different roles as different musicians playing different instruments to practise at home and be able to play without sight-reading so we can improve as an ensemble, not as individual players.

#LO2

———————————————————————————————–September 27th, 2019

CAS Audio Conversation Reflection

———————————————————————————————–October 15th, 2019,

We’ve been working on a new piece which is Kashmir by Led Zepplin, which may seem unusual for an orchestra to play (as it is a rock song and not the more usual classical music piece) but it actually works. In this piece, I have to work around the rhythm and the notes are not too hard (I actually almost just play the D note in this piece) and listening to the other players. This will be a quite interesting piece to listen too and although I have a quite an easy part, it will still be fun to play this piece and something different as well.

November 26th, 2019,

Despite my skateboarding injury, I can still play, and it is getting better. We have been working on a new piece called Glow, and it is from Disney World of Colour Winters which will go nicely with our winter theme in the concert. This is a relatively easy piece despite being in B major (meaning lots of sharps so like black keys on a piano) and we are working with the choir in this piece. So it is a great learning opportunity to play music along with a choir which I actually haven’t done. It is both a new and familiar learning piece. The human voice is a special “instrument” so it is quite unfamiliar and new in that sense. So playing music to fit harmonically is a bit of a stretch, however, the same principle of listening to other players and one’s own in an orchestra is essentially the same thing. So that is a skill I am developing through the partnership with the choir in this piece, as shown below.

#LO2

December 18th 2019

Action:

Today I had my concert where I played the three pieces: Kashmir, Sleigh Ride and Glow. We had two dress rehearsal before the concert, one on Saturday last week and one on Tuesday of that week. From my point of view, the concert went really well, not only our performance but all the other performances including jazz band, Sonos (singers), marimba, samba and more. This year, the concert was quite unusual this year where instead of a traditional formal concert, there were a lot of unusual acts along with the music. For instance, the circus club performed with the middle school orchestra, there was salsa dancing in the jazz band, solo performances, and for the first time, we played along with singers in the string ensemble. Also, not to mention that the pieces we played in the orchestra were very untraditional, and not classical. We played a quite a jazzy Christmas piece and a rock piece along with drums, electric bass guitar and electric guitar. There were no classical pieces either.

 

More evidence (more?)

 

December 19th 2019

Reflection and Demonstration:

The concert went really well even if I made a few minor mistakes in playing, but luckily in an ensemble, it is barely noticeable. However, since the double bass is a relatively new instrument and I’m the only one, it does require me to really focus and the double bass is sort of like the rhythm and I guess engine of an ensemble so I have to keep it steady. Also, playing more vibratos and better bowing will be things I will be working towards next year and next year’s concert in March.

It has been really fun to work with the ensemble and the concert was both amazing and fun to perform in. By trusting that others in an ensemble will practice and have as much fun as you have, it can create a really exciting and great performance.

#LO1, #LO4, #LO5

February 13th, 2020

In the Symphony Orchestra, we have started two new pieces, of them is the Greatest Showman which we will play together with the Middle School Orchestra and the other a Brahms piece (the fourth symphony). His piece is from the Romantic classical period, so for a double bassist, the pieces may be difficult with difficult rhythms and melodic harmonies that are similar to a cello solo or violin melody. So this will be something to work on. In addition, we have tried playing a few theme songs from Lord of the Rings and the Firebird by Igor Stravinsky. These have been more sight-reading practices. I am not too bad a sight-reading, but when it is with difficult rhythms and high notes, especially on a relatively new instrument like the Double Bass, it will be challenging. However, I am committed and these are great practices, that can even help with other instruments I play like the piano. Despite this, I also think that being able to hear and interpret music is also important, and not just reading exactly what is on the page. Sort of like poetry, interpret the meaning or theme or idea that the poet is trying to convey.

Today, I have also been fortunate to practice with the Jazz band, on a piece called the Sunny Side of the Street. This is a relatively easy piece because it is a solo and there is a rigid form (of course I can add some improvisation). Also, instead of only giving the loos skeleton structure and having to create a bass line or walking bass line, I can follow the notes given as shown below similar to any other piece I play in the orchestra or Chamber Ensemble. So I guess it is an easy start however, I will working on a few bass solos and perhaps do some improvising but still largely keeping to the written notes on the sheet. This sort of music is meant to be exact and not laid back, pieces during this era usually kept at the same pace and with precision and tightness (not quick agitated ones but full and concise ones) on notes.

#LO4, #LO2, #LO1

14th June 2020

Almost nothing has happened in terms of orchestral music but I have continued my learning of the double bass and other instruments at home. For instance, instead of partaking in an ensemble with others, I did it myself through an app called Acapella. I have recorded many jazz pieces by playing the piano, double bass, guitar and since I have an electric piano, saxophone and drum kits sound as well. Even if I am not actually playing these instruments like the sax or drums or trumpets, or just brass and wind instruments in general, I have developed an appreciation and some knowledge in the ways they replayed in an ensemble. What I mean is that for an instant the sax usually plays the melody or improvises and solo, the drums provide the backbone of the piece and I have learnt a few jazz and R&B type beats and so on. I have played Green Onions, All of Me, In the Mood, Blue Bossa, Autumn Leaves and more. So this has been a fantastic experience to develop and improve on the strengths that I have in many areas of music and musical instruments.

I will certainly partake in the symphony orchestra next year, most likely playing the double bass but perhaps the cello in some cases. It has been a great chance to continue the orchestral journey I have had since middle school across two different schools. I absolutely love the experiences I have had and there are a few sentimental feelings in playing in the ensembles as I have played in them for so long and have always been enjoyable. I have improved my skills in new instruments and improved my listening skills as well. I will be grateful for the experiences I have had in the symphony orchestra.

#LO1, #LO4

22nd September 2020

I had my first orchestral session today as I was sick last week and I am quite excited about this piece. Like last year it has elements of jazz (The piece is neo-classical but has elements of jazz and 20th-century music styles). So the real difficulty I have had is switching from the thinking in the emphasis on beats 1 and 3 to 2 and 4. Sometimes it is really difficult to get that pattern but once it is set it becomes second nature. It is sort of like flying to another country and adapting to the new time zone, so I am switching my inner clock to another style. My aim in this year’s orchestral session is really to have fun, it is my last year here and I want to make most of it. I love playing music so orchestral pieces will be fun and hopefully, I can spread that joy in performances if that will be allowed of course due to Covid-19.

#LO1, #LO4

24th November 2020

We had a recording session of the piece above which was exciting and great. I made a few mistakes (with the rhythm) so I think that my goal for future pieces is to really work with the rhythm as that is often the most difficult part of a music piece for me. It is nearing the end of the year and we have just been practising a few Christmas music that we will record for the younger students at our school. Next year, we will start more classical pieces of music and although it is nearing the end, the symphony orchestra has truly been a great experience and I will miss playing with a big, talented group. I am also grateful that I have been able to challenge myself with the double bass. I hope that in the future, perhaps during my time in university, I will still be able to practice music and play in some sort of band or orchestra because it has really been a fascinating and exciting experience throughout my time here but also at other schools. I was quite fortunate in grade 6 in my old school because we all had to play an instrument and in the school orchestra. I realised how much I really enjoy playing music so I am really grateful for that experience at my old school.

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Solar For East

September 11th, 2019

Investigation:

I have pretty much always been interested in the environment and when I heard about how a few of my students in my grade that started a student-led group with aims to put solar panels on our school roof little over two years ago I was immediately interested in joining. a little more than a year ago, the leader of the group, Hemal Arora, decided to, I guess you could say, fire many of the students already involved as they were not interested or passionate enough to work and probably joined because they wanted their resumes to look good. He wanted to find hardworking and passionate students who would be willing to work towards this goal and I was soon accepted into the group.

September 20th, 2019

Preparation: 

I will be continuing with this group and hopefully will be able to put more solar panels on our school roof. In today’s session, we talked about our goals of:

  1. 100 Panels installed by January 2019
  2. Hand over the project completely by June 2020
  3. Reach 130 panels funded by June 2020
  4. Fundraise with the middle school (Event) and junior school (Month of Giving) – High School Presentation ( – Teacher Departments)

We have the money for about 80+ panels right now and 25 are already installed with about 60 or so that we have right now in stock. However, we just learned that not all of the money may not go to the solar panels and some may need to go for the inverters (the technology that converts DC to AC (the electricity current we use)). The inverter will be replaced by a new brand by our vendor (who helps set up the solar panels) and some support structures will hopefully be ordered by September. We are planning for an installation in January (we cannot do it earlier because the foundation group (which we work together with)  will have a solar specific appeal that will go out in November, more for new parents). We also work with the facilities team at UWCSEA and they want to get a clearer picture of the structure and layout of the panels. 

Today we got a surprise that we are actually loaning panels from Dover (the other campus of UWCSEA) and we didn’t know that previously. In addition, we might have a solar trip to India to visit a factory and learn more about solar panels, but this is more of a side project. One of our main issues to promoting ourselves and being visible in our school community so we need to work on advertising ourselves because it definitely improves the chance that someone will donate. Since this is a new year we might do some sort of refresh on videos, presentations and our website, but we’ve also missed important opportunities such as UWC day or a whole High School Assembly so we need to find opportunities as well. This might include—Screening of a certain film (by mother of two children in the school – she has a film on a vegetarian diet), 22nd April 2020 Earth Day,  fundraiser – ‘Let us be heroes.com’, family festival.

One of our members discussed some of the ethics of this project. In a way, we are sort of helping the school without them realising it or at the very least not in a way that they are involved. We are saving money for them by putting up solar panels and we are all doing this with some support of the foundation and facilities but not from the actual board of directors and the board of UWC worldwide. It’s like we are a group raising money for solar panels for another person house that we have connections do but ultimately it is their house that is benefiting because they save money. Since the school is a non-profit, it could be that a lot of this saved money could go to waste by spending on unnecessary renovations or salaries even and not back into the solar program.

#LO4

#LO7

October 11th, 2019:

Preparation: 

During these past few weeks, I have attended some meetings with some of Solar For East members and have written emails to each of the heads of grades in primary (elementary) school. I had a meeting with Ms Markey, the head of primary school who encouraged us to continue our class giving program next year (starting in January of 2020). We had this class giving program last year which allowed us to raise money for 17 panels. The class giving program, depending on every class, is a program in which students can donate money (usually about two dollars) for…(need more information).

We’ve got several small, side along, projects and we are trying to hand off the project to new and younger members. These projects include some college events, smaller installation events, fundraising push for the UWC Foundation and lots more.

#LO4

October 24th, 2019:

Action and Reflection:

Today, I installed a lot of solar panels during our October Break with a few of our Solar For East members and a volunteer. This wasn’t an event and instead, we did this so that we could actually set up the inverter and actually start producing energy because before today, we haven’t actually made a difference, it is only today when there are enough solar panels, that we can begin producing energy. Right now we have installed 82 panels but we have lots more in stock which we will either install soon or during an installation event with the school. Through installing panels, I guess I have developed the skill of both patience and the need for precision and accuracy because if one panel is off, down the line, that error will be great. Also, I have developed my skills in installing solar panels, which isn’t very hard but is still a relatively new skill.

Climate change is a global problem is the biggest environmental issue that we face today and perhaps even the biggest threat right now to us. Taking individual action doesn’t contribute all that much. Me taking the bus instead of the car or even putting solar panels on my roof will, of course, make a difference but in the grand scheme of things I and the vast issue that climate change looms over us, it doesn’t really help. However, if we all do individual action, collectively we make a difference. The plane will still fly even if I don’t take it but if we all try to reduce our air travel, then there will be less demand for flights and thus fewer carbon emissions. So, the solar project doesn’t make a huge difference (but still quite a lot) but it is the inspiration that is the most important in the issue. One of our mottos is to light up a brighter future and create a spark in people’s imaginations. What we have been doing is getting our school community involved, not just a facilities team doing all the work without the community knowing. When children and even adults see the work they have contributed they get inspired and are more likely to be more eco-friendly and environmentally conscious. One good example that I have is the Tesla. A few summers ago, my family tried a Tesla, we got inspired to hire a Tesla over the summer and now we only hire electric cars when we go back to Sweden. this has inspired many of our family members who some have got a Tesla and others are thinking of the same. It’s like the smartphone. At first not many had one but now almost everyone does. It is the inspiration and passing on of ideas that creates change not just individual action.

#LO4, #LO6

Demonstration:

November 29th, 2019

Today, we have officially been saving the environment. Now the system is up and running and we are currently offsetting (although very little but still a considerable amount) our carbon through solar power. Our plan is to get the section of the roof done before we graduate with the plan of handing off the project to new students which is an important task that needs doing. We can currently see how much power output we are getting from the solar panels and today is sort of a historic moment.

This week and next week, I have participated in a few presentations and workshops with grade 3s (and we are planning to do the rest of Junior school later on this year and next year) in order for them to get a hands-on approach and really engage themselves in the issue of climate change and the prospect of solar energy. It has been going really well and I have been the communications liaison, contacting and writing emails to the heads of grades and teachers so we can make these workshops happen. The idea is that later on, we will implement our class giving program again. This program (which we did last year) was a combination of 30 days of kindness (donate 2 dollars for every act of kindness a student acts) and raising funds together with a class to “adopt” a solar panel. This worked really well last year where we got 17 panels which were great but we hope for more next year. It is also a great learning opportunity for the students who are all in primary school.

January 24th, 2020

For the past few weeks, we have been planning presentations for Grade 5, 2 and Grade 1, created workshops and presenting to grade 1s as well as creating a recruitment process for Grade 9 and 10.

We’ve also been discussing with the Head of Sustainability to do workshops with middle school, perhaps in the SEED program, which is a program that every middle school class does for a few weeks that involves sustainability. During this meeting today, we have also been discussing about making solar for east a college service while still allowing our privileges (in the sense that we are not a normal service and require hardworking and committed members in our group as service at this school can sometimes lead to forced applications to different service groups so some may not be as interested or as hardworking or focused). We’ve been going in the dark and been in secrecy a bit and now the Head of Facilities may be leaving so we may have to be a service to ensure our survival at our school and that future generations of students can help make our school more green in terms of energy usage.

This is important because we are only Grade 11s and we need new students that can take over. In a way, I have been a part of the first generation of solar for east and it has been an amazing opportunity. But to ensure that we can install more solar panels, we are going to have to make our group into a service and hope that people will continue our work that has been done. As a team, we have decided to finish by the end of grade 12, our section of the roof.

I have been coordinating a lot with teachers and heads of grades about meetings and presentations and so far it has been quite hectic but definitely rewarding as this project is something I am quite interested in.

 

 

February 28th, 2020

Over the past few weeks, I have had more presentations with Grade 5 and planning soon with K2 and Grade 2 in March. We have also accepted our new recruits which are exciting and mean a bit less workload for us. It has been a bit tough trying to communicate with a few heads of grades but mostly it is working great. We have been doing a lot of other products that I haven’t been entirely aware of such as beginning with the Middle school presentations, working with the parent’s association, the Foundation and some promotional videos. We are in the process of handing off some of the work to the new recruits.

Through Solar for East, I have definitely been able to improve my management and communication skills both when it comes to emails and talking to a variety of age groups from adults to the youngest of school children. These are important skills later on in life and it has been a very valuable experience and journey for me. It has also been a challenging and productive journey with lots of work to be done and have been done. I consider myself quite a sentimental person and is nostalgic and attaches sentimental value to the most mundane objects and experiences one can imagine. However, we are almost nearing to the end, and for me, it is difficult to let things go especially something big like Solar For East and that will be very tough for me. I will still continue to work for a few months but already, especially after the Installation over the October break and thinking about the new recruits, I am already sad and am longing for the past. But of course, one has to let go of the past and move forward. Dwelling in the past and trying to repeat it is not the best solution. Anyways, Solar For East has been absolutely phenomenal and I just wish I had spent more time there. The more I am reflecting the more nostalgic I am getting so I will stop here for now.

#LO1, #LO4

April 22nd, 2020

We are living in quite a unique time right now because of the COVID-19 situation and almost everyone around the world have had and are having similar experiences with COVID-19 such as working from home, school closures, lockdowns, social distancing and many other methods. In Singapore, we have had almost a complete lockdown where schools are shut down, non-essential business are closed, people working from home, mandatory mask-wearing outside and when outside, only for much-needed exercise and buying groceries. This, of course, will affect the organisation and our service in Solar For East but despite the Circuit Breaker (that is the name of the lockdown here in Singapore which was extended to June the first from May the 4th), we still do some of the work that we still can.

We have some technical meetings where we have introduced the new recruits about the solar system on the roof and how it works and a few of the intricacies of how we work as a team. I have also been working on a United World Stories Video where we have sent a video the UWC community on tips on sustainability (many other services are doing similar things so we are focusing on energy-saving tips) during the Circut breaker period. We are also working on to build our portfolio and organising our folders which is really messy! We are are also going to have a meeting with the PA (parents association) to thank them or their continued help with our project and to also give them more info on how our project is going. We have been doing a lot with meetings online for the past few weeks and it is going okay, but of course, it is difficult to raise money for the solar panels but we are still planning for an installation in June we hope, but that may be difficult due to the pandemic.

 

#LO4

14th June 2020

Since last time, my main contribution has been to help the new recruits with their new plans to integrate solar and sustainability learning in High School classes, mainly helping those in the DT and maths department. I haven’t made a significant contribution to the website, but some of us in the team are building a website similar to that of other services we have. Solar For East, as I have mentioned before has been an amazing experience and I will definitely help and contribute next year. Unlike in many other activities, are productive hasn’t really gone down and we have achieved a lot. The only difficult is that fact that we can have a final installation with the junior school classes this year. I feel like I have contributed a lot to the team and to the sustainability to our school, and inspiring others to continue the journey. Our school uses a lot of energy so offsetting some other energy through the use of solar power will make quite a huge difference. Most of the energy at the school comes from the air conditioning which for many buildings is the biggest proportion of energy consumption. Solar For East really has a large impact on the local scale, and although small, in some ways global as we will use less natural gas, the main energy source here in Singapore (which is at least better than coal or oil). So, I will continue this experience until next year and I am proud and grateful for contributing to this wonderful mission that we have in Solar For East.

#LO4, #LO6

December 2020,

My time at Solar for East is nearing an end. We have done a lot this year such as the 100 panels thank you video, discussing alternative ways to get donations such as sponsorship of electricity usage rather than panels, and most importantly handing over the leadership to the new team. This is definitely one of the activities or service that I will miss the most because of two very big reasons. Firstly, I have made great friendships through the Solar For East group, to the point that my best friends are in the Solar For East old team. Before I joined I didn’t know any of them, but as time grew on, we became really close. It has been such an amazing time working with everyone and I appreciate every moment. Secondly, it is the service with the most visual impact and something I am very passionate about. I really hope that I will be able to contribute to something of this scale in the future and honestly, I will miss so much of everything of my time here. I wish that I did a bit more this year but other than that the only regret is just to have more time with the group and with the solar initiative aim. This is an experience I will never forget.

#LO4

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High School Chamber Ensemble (Includes ITP)

September 9th, 2019

Investigation:

I decided to join and audition for the High School Chamber Ensemble because of two things. One was that I was interested in it and wanted to try something new. The second reason was because of my hopes for joining the jazz band. Although I can already play a few instruments such as the cello and piano and could perhaps join the jazz band playing the piano (as I already can play really well and have played jazz pieces before), I wanted to join the jazz band playing a more interesting instrument. Last year I started playing the double bass and since I am a quick learner (due to my previous music experiences), I am already fit (and have been accepted) for the high school chamber ensemble. I do not have time for the Jazz band right now, or at least during their audition and rehearsal times so I have decided to start with this ensemble for hopes to be better at playing the double bass and possibly be able to join the jazz band on one fo their performances as a bassist (my orchestral conductor and organiser of the chamber ensemble plays the double bass and sometimes plays as a sub in for the jazz band (since there isn’t anyone playing the double bass at the moment except those playing the electric bass) which means that I could work with him to reach that goal).

Preparation: 

During today’s session, we introduced to each other and started on play two pieces, one a Beethoven piece and the other a Romanian folk dance. My role is to play the Double bass and to provide the rhythm and overall accompaniment to both pieces. Since the double bass is a relatively new instrument to me (although I am still able to play the pieces below), this will be a new experience for, as well as a new experience as I have never played in a chamber ensemble before. In order to develop this unfamiliar experience, I have prepared along with my conductor (who plays the double bass) to have ITP (Instrumental Teaching Program) to practice on the double bass. ITP is also a new experience of which I have not taken before.

In addition, I find it quite beneficial to work in an ensemble, especially with a double bass being a new instrument as I can listen to what the others are playing and maintain the same tempo and feel of the music. Since all of us are very good musicians, it was quick enough for all of us to start playing these pieces. However, it is a challenge to know what to listen for and being able to both collaborate and work together as musicians while still maintaining good articulation and style of one’s own instrument. So there is a bit of juggling with playing in an ensemble.

Below are the two pieces we have started working on:

 

#LO2
#LO5

———————————————————————————————–September 27th, 2019

CAS Audio Conversation Reflection

October 14th, 2019

I have had a few ITP lessons with my orchestral teacher who plays bass and I have played a few exercise pieces such as these below:

These are quite easy, but they are a good way to work on my articulation and bowing, as well as fingering, to be more prepared and confident when playing the difficult pieces in the ensembles I am in. Also, by being more confident in the playing I can focus on other techniques as a musician and will have an easier time at the following tempo and learning new pieces. I will be soon working on a bit of Jazz. In a way, this is quite vital for me to do this as the bass is still a relatively new instrument.

In the Chamber Ensemble, I have been continuing to work on the Romanian Folk Dance which bowing, articulation and rhythm are all quite difficult. This will be the areas I will be practising on.

November 4th, 2019

Today, I have been working on jazz including simple walking bass lines and walking blue’s lines. I have been doing some individual study in the walking bass lines and some of the jazz pieces (and even some rock pieces) that I play on the piano have similarities in the jazz I play on the double bass. Jazz is just a simple (sometimes complicated) skeletal structure in which musicians can improvise and play along. On the piano, when I improvise, it is all about following the chord structures or the main chord on the piano. For instance, when I play Green Onions (which is not jazz technically but has elements of it), I play around the F minor blues scale. When I play the double bass, I look at the chord that is currently being played and then play the notes in that scale. Sometimes I go up chromatically and sometimes I go up or down arpeggios and major notes in a scale. Also, by playing the double bass, I have been able to acquire more knowledge in jazz but also become more confused about what jazz really is.

Source: Louis Armstrong Quote. (2019). A-Z Quotes. Retrieved 5 November 2019, from https://www.azquotes.com/quote/10818

#LO2

January 13th, 2019

Today, My orchestra teacher and I noticed that my posture for holding the bass or rather when playing notes was off and possibly due to my wrist injury I created a new habit of playing wrong., so something that I will be working on for the next few weeks is developing my playing skills especially my hand posture and sustaining notes. After trying the correct posture I noticed that I came closer and closer to the bass and was not relaxed so it will take time.

This week we have been working on Capriol by peter warlock and And is a very famous and rememberable tune that I’m sure most people recognise. .We were going to play this in the orchestra a few years ago and at the time I was playing the cello but know I’m laying bass and although the parts are a bit easy and different it is still a fun place to play, but the downside is that there is a lot of rest and one where there are about 30 bars of rests, making me feel like the brass section of the orchestra, just kidding.

Unfortunately, I am unable to participate in this activity anymore because of the New Coronavirus outbreak. The Singapore government and the school have put tight restrictions on performances and events with many people. So the concert in school and the Esplanade concert will be cancelled. However, the Esplanade concert will be postponed to December.  Despite the bad news, we will have a relatively small performance in the Music Department for a few Middle and Junior school classes (they will rotate so not everyone at once) and we will play a few of the pieces in the symphony orchestra and perhaps the chamber music ensemble as well.

So far, both orchestra and chamber music has been going well. I have been able to keep up and balance with my demands from academics, yet still have intense but enjoyable sessions with the chamber music ensemble. We have even stayed after school for extra practices (usually after the orchestra because all of us lay in the orchestra. I am really glad that I pursued music as an after school activity here at UWC.

#LO1, #LO4

April 20th, 2020

We are living in quite a unique time right now because of the COVID-19 situation and almost everyone around the world have had and are having similar experiences with COVID-19 such as working from home, school closures, lockdowns, social distancing and many other methods. In Singapore, we have had almost a complete lockdown where schools are shut down, non-essential business are closed, people working from home, mandatory mask-wearing outside and when outside, only for much-needed exercise and buying groceries. This, of course, will affect the organisation and our service in Solar For East but despite the Circuit Breaker (that is the name of the lockdown here in Singapore which was extended to June the first from May the 4th), we still do some of the work that we still can.

We had a meeting online with Google Meet where we discussed a possible performance online where we each individually play a piece and then put it all together so it becomes like a real performance, and share this piece to the wider UWCSEA community. This is going to be lots of fun but also challenging because we are going to have to play the same tempo and the same tuning otherwise it can go horribly wrong. TO solve this, we will all tune to A 440 and have the same tempo (headphones on so with a metronome and not disturb the sound of the recording). The piece we will play will be the Romanian Folk dance by Bartok.

#LO4

14th June 2020

The only thing we managed to do in this circuit breaker period is an attempt to record a piece collectively but that went horribly wrong because we started around the beginning of the circuit breaker period to record this, and only a few of us including myself actually recorded our individual parts. This was disappointing that nothing really happened, but hopefully next year, we might have a concert and perform or practice new pieces.

In terms of the whole year, the chamber has been an amazing chance to practice a new instrument and moving to different genres of music like Jazz. One of my goals for this year was to expand my musical knowledge and that was defiantly met. I even learned a new instrument and I am grateful for the people who have helped me and the opportunity to grow in many of these ensembles. I am most certainly going to continue this journey next year and Chamber has absolutely been so amazing every practice session.

22nd September 2020

In this chamber ensemble this year, I hope to develop my skills in the double bass playing both modern classical and classical music to enhance my music skills. In addition, I hope to be more active in my notes on music sheets, I tend not to write a lot of notes and thus forget and don’t actively improve sometimes, so my aim this year is to actively take down notes on particular sections of music such as outlining a rhythm or circle an important dynamic marking or writing down fingerings and bowing and so on. This will not only help me practice but it will ultimately help be more active and contribute more to the ensemble as I am not racking my brain for a particular thing my instructor told me two weeks ago about a particular section in the music.

I have a study to look at which will help me a lot with the baroque (Bach) piece as there is a lot of sixteenth notes and scales which is quite difficult to play quickly and articulately on double bass. So that is something that I will work on.

Besides, the other two pieces are fairly manageable and the Despedida piece (a Filipino piece with marimba) isn’t particularly difficult but has an unusual and confusing rhythm because of all the key changes. But since the rhythm repeats itself, just getting it in the head at the start of the piece will make the playing of the music a lot easier. The switch between 6/8, 2/4 and 3/4 seems daunting in the beginning but after a while, it makes sense and isn’t all that difficult. It is just about getting that feel which I will be working on with this piece.

This is an exciting opportunity to play the double bass again and in a style and setting, I am very familiar with. But despite this, there is a lot to be learned especially with the Bach piece which is quite challenging.

   

#LO1, #LO2, #LO4

31st October 2020

Today we had a recording session of the 1929 piece (above image) at school which we will then send to the school community. We would have played this piece in the Wavelengths concert at school but of course due to Covid that will not happen. We might have a chance to play at the Esplanade concert hall in February but so far not likely. It was a great chance to play with others and hopefully share this piece with others. During the practising and actuating recording, it was really important to listen to others, breathing together and making eye contact with other players so that we are all on time and play harmoniously with others. It can be difficult to focus on others and oneself but with practice, it makes it easier. It is a lot of fun to play with others because it adds more richness to the music and it is a lot more fun to play with others than individually. Like there is a connection between music and people.

#LO4, #LO5

December 2020

Up to this point, we have been able to record the Marimba Concerto, the Price Quartet and the Bach Double despite the covid restrictions. It is nearing my end here with the Chamber Ensemble group and I have been ever so grateful for this experience, playing really challenging pieces with only strings and improving a lot on my bowing and playing higher notes on the double bass (new skill). The Bach double piece is a quick tempo and with lots of arpeggios and scales that can be difficult with the double bass, but I was able to overcome this challenge. I will continue playing for the chamber ensemble group next year and I will keep playing music and the double bass (as well as cello and piano) for the rest of my life. I have learned a lot as an ensemble and have made great friends as a result. This has honesty been a fantastic experience and a tremendous experience to share with the community the pieces we have been working on.

#LO2, #LO4