Posts Tagged ‘reflection’

Sonos Mid-Year Reflection (LO1, LO2, LO5)

Throughout my experience in Sonos, I have managed to improve my singing techniques not only within choral pieces but also in solo pieces. By practicing and performing a range of repertoire with different vocal arrangements, I have learned to harmonize and adjust my voice to better fit with pieces that we perform.

For example, during the Carols by Candlelight performance on the 7th of December 2018, I performed multiple songs with five other members of the Sonos group to an audience in the school’s open plaza. This was a new experience for me as it was unusual for me to perform in an open area. Additionally, I was performing with fewer members which was a challenge at first since I would not have the backing of many other people. This places a larger importance on my singing as part of the pieces. For the repertoire, the six of us took charge in arranging the pieces vocally which was an essential part of the performance. In doing this, I used the skills that I developed in Sonos to harmonize with the other members to establish a euphonic sound. This also required lots of collaboration as we needed to work together and listen carefully to each other to arrange our parts well.

For some of the songs in the performance, my group was joined by other singers, some of whom were teachers. Furthermore, during the performance we were asked to perform other carols which we had not prepared beforehand. It was initially a large challenge; however, we were able to adapt accordingly and perform well. I managed to sight-sing by reading the score and listening carefully to those who knew the songs, a skill that I have learned in Sonos.

In the Wavelengths Music Concert on the 12th of December 2018, I had a solo part in the starting section which was essential to the piece. In this, I was able to boost my confidence enough to overcome the challenge of performing solo. However, I believe that I can still increase my confidence in solo performances which will further improve my singing in the future.

PSE Reflection Unit 1 – Emotional intelligence

In this unit, I have learned about the difference between IQ and EQ. I think that EQ and IQ are both equally important and that they can both be developed by self-awareness and practice.

Generally, I believe that I am quite an open person and I try to be aware of my and others’ emotions and feelings which is a measure of EQ. The scores indicated on the EQ tests that I completed suggested that I had a slightly above average EQ. However, I do not believe that it is accurate as emotional intelligence is very hard to put a number to.

I think that I have quite high emotional intelligence although it is still something I can improve by focusing on being more self-aware.

FOA 1 Reflection

For my first FOA, I thought that I did quite well in exploring how language used to describe netball contributed to the issue of gender equality.

At the start of my presentation, I analysed three different texts to establish the discourse. I believe that I utilised these texts well to explore the initial purpose of netball; however, I think that I was simply repeating similar points by analysing three different texts. Instead, I could have analysed one in more depth and spent more time on other aspects of my presentation.

I think that my close analysis of specific words was quite thorough and I was able to draw important points from very short words and phrases. I feel that one of the other things I did well was identify the effect that text type had on the intention and receival of the text although I think I could have analysed context and audience purpose further. Additionally, I could have concentrated on using more terminology to show my understanding of literary techniques.

Another thing that I could have focused on is commenting on the overall style of the text before doing close analysis so that I can introduce my points before showing examples.

International University Fair Ambassador Reflection

September 15th 2018. On this day, more than 100 different university and college representatives came to visit UWCSEA Tampines to promote their institutions. This event not only lets students know what individual universities are like, but also serves to represent the UWCSEA community to each university. I volunteered to become an ambassador.

My role as a student ambassador was crucial to the presentation of UWCSEA students. The responsibilities included helping university representatives set up their individual booths and workshops, leading them to their workshop locations, and other ad-hoc duties such as resolving any technical issues efficiently and effectively, while constantly portraying professionalism and the UWCSEA values. During the day, I was required to solve a technical issue where the projection equipment did not have the correct type of adapter for the University of Kent representative’s computer. I needed to use critical thinking and communication skills to work with the other ambassadors to quickly come up with the solution to bring in a different laptop and transfer the presentation.

I was also one of the student ambassadors who registered the university representatives when they came into the school. This was a large responsibility as I would make the first impression of UWCSEA.

Overall, I used communication and critical thinking skills throughout this event to represent UWCSEA and ensure that it ran smoothly and that any issues were resolved with efficiency. I took on a position of responsibility and rose to the task with positivity, resulting in a well-run event.

In this photo I am with one of the other student ambassadors welcoming the university representatives to UWCSEA.

Polygot Theatre (Artist in Residence) Workshop

This workshop had two main parts to it: creating a sentence and using an object to create movement, both of which focused on developing devising ideas.

The first activity was to write down any five words that we thought of, then writing words that we associated with those first words. We then chose three words and created a sentence from these words. I thought that this was particular interesting as the sentences that we formed could act as a stimulus in a performance which was seen later on.

In the second part of the workshop, one group was blindfolded and given a material (elastic string, cardboard, sheets of paper or rolled up paper) to ‘play’ with and explore. Some of the movements and sounds that came from this activity evoked emotions and stories from simply exploring a material. For example, the sound of tearing paper created a sense of distress. The blindfolds helped to block out the fact that people were watching and helped us to focus on the material that we were exploring. One thing that I found interesting was that once the material was taken away, most people did bigger and more exaggerated movements to try to emphasise the idea that there was still material there.

The other group was blindfolded and given material as well but were also told to keep in mind the sentence they had created in the first activity. This created more deliberate movement with much more emotion that was formed from thinking about their sentences. When they started to say their chosen words out loud, I noticed that the intensity of their movement reflected the intensity of their speech. Additionally, from saying their chosen words, it gave the audience context for their movements and produced a clearer storyline portraying certain emotions and feelings.

 

At the end of the workshop, we formed smaller groups to create a movement sequence with one of the materials of our choice. My group (Emily G and Lydia) and two other groups chose the elastic; however, the sequences were different. This showed how there are many different ways to use the same material. My group started with the elastic in a tangled ball and then we stretched it outwards to unravel it. We then played with pulling on the string and wrapping it around ourselves before letting go so that it bounced back together. We were then told to remove the elastic and we were separated so that Lydia and Emily were together on one side watching me and I was standing away from them, looking at the audience. This created a very different story but still with the main theme from the initial sequence.

I think that the word association to create a stimulus and techniques to finding the different ways to utilise material is something that will be very useful in future devising performances. I can especially use the exploration of the elastic in my collaboration project performance this year as we are planning to use rope which is a similar material.

Pre-Tabitha Reflection

I first joined Tabitha GC three years ago in Grade 8. Since then, I have taken on the role of Head of Sales and Logistics Manager in the following years as well as taken on other leadership roles within projects. This year, I am looking to increase my responsibility and involvement in Tabitha by being GC Chair. I think this position will help me develop my leadership skills and increase the depth of my experience in service.

I think that I stand a good chance at getting this position as I have been with Tabitha for three years and organised many of their events as well as participated heavily in the team discussions. I have also taken on leadership roles within projects that we have done and I would know how best to engage all the members of the service. Additionally, I am looking for more depth in my commitments so I would definitely be able to take on the extra responsibility. Lastly, for Project Week later on in the year, one of the options that I’m currently looking at is a house building trip to the Tabitha NGO in Cambodia. Being GC Chair would enable me to build a good foundation for my volunteer experience there.

My involvement in the Tabitha GC has allowed me to address global issues and take action to help those in need internationally. I am looking forward to being involved again this year.

Pre-Running Hour Reflection (LO1)

As a local service this year, I have joined Running Hour. This is a service that partners with intellectually or visually challenged members to engage in light physical activity and conversation. I am new to this service this year so I am not entirely familiar with the goals of this service. However, my expectations are that I will be able to develop an understanding of how being intellectually or visually challenged affects the lifestyle of individuals in the Singaporean community.

I have not done local service with people before, my only other local service experience was at an animal shelter. I have noted this as an area that I may have been lacking and so one thing that I am looking forward to is participating in a service that clearly impacts the local community in a different way than what I have done previously. I see this as an opportunity for me to grow in my understanding of social issues and develop my skills in interacting with people that I don’t normally interact with. With this, I can also gain insight into global issues as there are many similarities between challenged people in Singapore and overseas.

U18B Volleyball Reflection 1

For the first sports season of the year, I was placed in the U18B Volleyball team. Personally, since I only started volleyball about a year ago, this is a large achievement. I am very much looking forward to improving my volleyball techniques to increase my level of play.

Last year, I was on the U18C Volleyball team playing in a ‘middle’ position. This year, my coach is hoping to move me to a ‘setter’ position which will be a new experience for me. It will most likely be challenging at the start to adjust to a new position however I am excited to expand my skills in this area.

So far, we have had one practice as a team on Friday. This practice helped me to highlight my strengths as a player as well as the areas in which I could improve on, which was especially serving for me. This season, I’m also hoping to improve my communication on court as collaboration is especially important in volleyball. Collaboration comes from forming a good relationship with your team, I am also looking forward to this and forming new friendships within my team.

Sport Ready Netball Reflection 1 (LO1, LO2, LO4)

Sport Ready is a netball academy dedicated to developing netball skills and giving passionate players a chance to compete in competitions around Singapore. This is a club that I have joined outside of school and have been a part of for 1 and a half years now. The year is divided into two seasons with try-outs at the start of each season for team placement. This year, I was put into the first team which competes in an adult league on Monday evenings.

Since the team competes in an adult league, the standard of play is quite high and physically challenging. Receiving a placement in the second team is a good achievement where I can show my strengths in netball. However, there are some areas in which I can improve on. This season I am looking to develop techniques that I can use during game play and increase my spacial awareness on court as well as improve my shooting accuracy. Games against adult teams will inevitably be challenging, which will help me improve as a player and highlights areas of improvement for me.

The commitment to Monday evening games will also be difficult at times as I will have to maintain responsibility in other activities and service in addition to balancing academics. Nevertheless, I am very committed to netball as a sport and will be willing to adapt to any difficulties along the way.

Pre-Sonos Reflection

Sonos is a choir activity centred around developing singing skills in a group. I have been in the High School Sonos Activity for the past two years and before that I was in Middle School Sonos.

In joining Sonos in Grade 11, I am hoping to show commitment to this activity since this would be my fourth year. I also believe that although I have learned a lot in previous years, there are still some new singing techniques that I can learn how to use this year to further improve my singing.

Additionally, this year I am looking to volunteer myself for some solo singing positions. In this way, I will be undertaking risks and possible challenges as it would be a new experience for me. With solo positions, I can not only be a risk taker in stepping out in front of a crowd but also improve my singing skills as an individual instead of just within a choir.

Overall, I am looking forward to being a part of this community again and further improving my skills.

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