Dear All,
All the best for the upcoming SYF!
I know all of you are feeling jittery now, this being your first/last competition. But please know, and more importantly believe, that we CAN do it! All of you are significant members of our SYF band. Be it 1st, 2nd or 3rd clarinetists, junior or senior, without any of you, we would not be half as strong as we are now. As Ms Chong has often said, our band is only as strong as its weakest player. Even the most weak and seemingly insignificant person is a deciding factor of the band's fate, so just imagine how vital and essential your role in the band is.
I think all of you are faring pretty well, and we as all bands do, face certain hiccups in our music, such as squeaking, articulation, intonation, dynamics and so on. But we HAVE to take these small little problems into consideration and work very hard during the remaining days to solve it with our utmost effort, and not choose to ignore it or treat it with utter nonchalance. These are the deciding factors between a Silver band and a Gold band, and I am very certain that we are all aiming to be the latter. We only have less than a week before we will be judged. I think the most important question we need to ask ourselves is, how badly do we want the Gold??
If we want it, we have to bravely face our problems and not back away from them. Bring your clarinets home if need be, and practice and practice until you get everything right! If you really WANT something, NOBODY can stand in your path permanently. Yes, you will face a lot of adversities along the way, but you can and will overcome them eventually. And when you've finally accomplished your aim, you will find that all your hard work will be worth the while.
I know all of us have our own personal problems and issues to handle besides SYF, and perhaps these problems may seem more potent and pressing. But think of all the people and the friends you have been working with for months on end in the Band, do you want to disappoint them? Just for these five days, focus with all you have on the SYF. We only get a few minutes to prove our worth to the judges and to the school. Focus on the Gold, and the elation and pride you would experience when we do manage to clinch it. For majority of us, this would be our one and only chance to gain glory for the school, for the Band, for Ms Chong(who has been trying very hard) and for each other. I am sure we wouldn't like to disappoint so many people by not putting in our best.
So let's fight our way there earnestly and sincerely and do it with determination and perseverance. We can do this, and we will go for the Gold together as a Band. This is the final lap, and the most crucial one at that. Put your all into your music! Express yourselves, play with feelings and with the aim of making your music touching to the audience- let them experience your heart through it. Do your best to watch Ms Chong, do not play happily at your own tempo, and read her thoughts and gestures to see what she wants from you to improve the music. Follow dynamics (especially for Star of Dreams) and articulation (for Overture No.1). Refine your tones. But most importantly, please relish the music; enjoy it tune, its style, its rhythm, and revel in the fact that you are the one creating it.
Which would you choose? A Gold or a Silver? Sad or triumphant tears? Joy or regret? A trip overseas or another monotonous year in school?
The outcome of this competition lies in each of your hands. Will you simply destroy it and make everyone's efforts come to naught, or will you work hard for the best outcome possible?
I hope our decisions would be unselfish and beneficial to the Band as a whole.
So let's all strive towards our common goal.
All for One, and One for All!
Love,