by curri58987@gapps.uwcsea.edu.sg | Jan 27, 2022 | CAS, CAS Highlights, Creativity (CAS)
As IFP is an activity primarily for Grade 11 students and the final weeks after the Grade 5 workshop were spent on my CAS project, I would just like to write quickly to reflect on the experience as a whole. I was able to collaborate with many new people in this activity, as well as face challenges with them as we communicated and persevered through the pandemic, planning projects together and delegating tasks and discussing. Although sometimes we had disagreements, we all realised that we had similar morals in wanting to create a respectful, tolerant and open-minded environment regardless of our views.
We also had many amazing workshops from some great speakers about listening, paraphrasing and other important skills which translate not only to presentation and facilitation skills, but also in daily friendships and interactions. These understandings underpinned every activity we did afterwards. Furthermore, as we planned through the pandemic it became increasingly important to be accountable for any issues that were encountered safety-wise in our workshops, especially as there were some activities that could have risked injury, as well as activities in-person where we had to be aware of health regulations. If we did not heed these restrictions, it would have a detrimental effect on the future (similar) events hosted by future IFP teams, and therefore I think that we all felt morally obliged to adhere to restrictions.
I also learned about the difference in the facilitation of discussions to learn about global issues versus actually learning about the global issue. Although it is very helpful in understanding systematically the issue at hand (using many conflict analysis tools such as Galtung’s conflict triangle) it is not always necessary in order to be a good facilitator. Good facilitators enable understanding by encouraging students to take initiative to think critically and develop their own, unique ideas about an issue rather than telling them what to think. Therefore, I aimed to align myself with this definition of a facilitator (learned through IFP) throughout the year and further into my future in my career choices.
I had an amazing experience with IFP even though we weren’t able to run workshops overseas (as is the usual protocol) due to the pandemic, and I am thankful for the opportunity to connect with new people and learn so much about the fundamental principles that underpin how humans can successfully and peacefully interact with each other.
by curri58987@gapps.uwcsea.edu.sg | Feb 17, 2021 | CAS, CAS Highlights, Service (CAS)
During the first term at Ladakh GC, we have been focusing on developing efficient systems and infrastructure in order to plan our action for the rest of the year. This has also helped to consolidate our bonds as a team. We have successfully divided responsibility amongst two main branches of our GC – Enterprise and Communications – and each group has brainstormed and engaged with our goals, mission, aim and issue in order to develop structures for meaningful implementation.
As Co-Chair, one of the challenges I’ve faced has been establishing convenient and manageable channels of communication within and outside of the GC. I feel that the pace at which events move is heavily dependent on the strength of communication between individuals either in the GC or as part of the wider service department at UWCSEA. In order to overcome this challenge, I’ve realised that using follow up emails and scheduling calendar invites for meetings have become essential methods and skills that foster effective communication. However, these channels require time, commitment and patience to maintain, and therefore I think that a further long-term goal will be to nurture the relationships between members in the GC, between our GC and our school, and most importantly, between our GC and Lamdon School NGO.
Therefore, in the future, one of our most pressing aims is to call or receive some form of communication from Lamdon School NGO. If it is possible, our GC would also be thrilled to meet the students of Lamdon School over call, not only to further develop the partnership between our GC and Lamdon School, but also to share our respective experiences especially within the context of the current world pandemic. We possess great curiosity as to the lives and culture of Lamdon School students, and a stronger personal connection to the students of Lamdon School may also encourage and motivate us in our action over the next year.
To conclude, I would like to express how excited I am for the action we will take over the next few terms, and congratulate my fellow members on a successful, collaborative and productive first term!
by curri58987@gapps.uwcsea.edu.sg | Oct 25, 2020 | CAS, CAS Highlights, Creativity (CAS), Music Journal, Music Journal Highlights, TOK
You can visit this link to watch the performance and hear a little bit about the piece, it’s context, and how the author’s circumstances might influence the way we perceive art.
Video Transcript:
This piece is called ‘Sicilian Blues’ and was composed by Hiromi Uehara, who is a Japanese jazz composer and pianist.
Why did you choose this piece?
I chose to play this piece because I think it really exemplifies how understanding the cultural and social context behind a composer can really enrich a piece. Uehara, as a woman and in the world of jazz outside of America represents how the jazz movement has spread. The genre of jazz was born in the black community in New Orleans in the early 20th century, with roots in West African cultural and musical expression, and it rose up as a cultural force against oppression and racism. As a counterculture movement, it’s really powerful and beautiful, despite the complexity of jazz music theory.
More on the Jazz movement
Ironically, though, the music theory world and the jazz world are pretty elitist. It’s hard to get in there, it can be quite cold and unforgiving. I think, though, that it’s a testament to the universality of music that a piece such as Sicilian Blues can be considered beautiful despite all this. And, of course, there are still people that discriminate and look down upon the Jazz movement for its history, no matter how wonderful the music is. I think that really goes to show how culture and social values really impact the way a piece is viewed.
Music Theory, and the Universality of Music
I think it’s obvious to all of us that music is much more than notes on a page. People who understand music theory might see the artistic value, they’re able to do almost like an autopsy on a piece to figure out why it’s so beautiful, but you don’t need a deep understanding of music theory to appreciate a piece. That also relates to how you don’t need a social context to appreciate a piece either. This is why music is universal. However, music theory and social context can really enrich a piece in terms of experience, despite the fact that it’s not necessary to know. I think that this complex universality is a key part of all art and all life, and is what makes Music such a fulfilling art.
