COVID-19 PANDEMIC - TRANSFORMING THE WAY WE WORK , STUDY , PLAY AND LIVE | LUMEN
11 restrictions that were put in place , the committee members had to innovate and come up with creative ideas to enable everyone to have fun . One such activity was where members had to replicate a picture that was flashed onto the screen . They had a lot of fun indeed , while being socially responsible .
After 6 months of intense online and offline training sessions , the members , under the guidance of their teachers and instructor , presented their symphonic piece from the anime Howl ' s Moving Castle , " Merry Go Round of Life " at the SYF Arts Presentation . Their superb performance received the Certificate of Accomplishment at the SYF .
Military Band : One Band , One Sound With just months to the SYF Arts Presentation , the milestone performance opportunity for every aspiring student-musician to be on stage to play their hearts out for the judges , news about more restrictions being imposed on CCAs broke and caused panic amongst many bandsmen .
Bands could no longer carry out practices and rehearsals physically . Just like their counterparts from other performing arts groups , the bandsmen took their practices online which slowed down their progress significantly . The weekly online sessions were by no means comparable to the thrice-weekly sessions . What made it worse was the countless technical difficulties they faced during the online sessions which further dampened their spirits . However , as bandsmen united as one , they were determined to reach their end goal . As soon as school was back in session in 2021 , they realised that they had much to catch up on . The news about their
instructor ’ s hospitalisation created even more uncertainty about the possibility of them participating in the SYF Arts Presentation .
‘ No , this was not some unrealistic stroke of bad luck like we all see in the movies , this was real life . No amount of thick plot armour was going to magically pull us through to SYF ; the untimely absence of our instructor meant that we would just have to put in even more hard work into this piece . This SYF piece was no longer just about proving our worth to SJI , just as our seniors had done with their SYFs , this was now also about representing our instructor who could not be there ,' Jair Lee , MN301
As the days to the competition drew closer , the previously playful and easy atmosphere in the band room was replaced with one of tension and agitation . For some , being able to perform together on stage as a band for a mere 3-minute at the SYF this year was of particular significance ; this has been the moment they have been practising for since Secondary 1 where they had picked up an instrument for the first time in their lives and blew their first notes . Only this time their rusty hand-me-down instruments were replaced with lustrous ones , somewhat like a rite of passage to symbolize how far they have come and grown as bandsmen .
Together with the teachers ’ encouragement , the resilient bandsmen shouldered on through months of hard work and achieved stellar results for their performances .
Bryant Chan , FN301 , recalls of his SYF experience , “ No amounts of safe distancing precautions , SafeEntry check-ins , smiles obscured behind our masks or isolation from our seats being spaced far apart would distract us from the joy and satisfaction of perfecting the performance we had been practicing for the past 6 months .”
Vocal Ensemble : Singing Through A Pandemic As cases soared and schools were forced to shut down , members had to come to a compromise and practise singing from home behind their screens . The shift to a virtual platform massively hindered their ability to make significant progress during every practice . Synchronous singing was rendered completely impossible , forcing a turn based system with individual singing . While many found it difficult to practise in these extraordinary situations , some members found it a blessing in disguise . The small groupings of the choir allowed members to forge stronger friendships with each other while developing their musical talents and interests through the creation of music .
“ The pandemic has made the Vocal Ensemble much more focused as we are no longer able to mask our mistakes in the voices of others , forcing us to sing in groups of 5 ” - Jerrad Ng , FN203
It was daunting for the new members who joined the choir in Year 1 and Year 3 as some had barely any musical background . Tran Thanh Hung ( MN301 ) recounts his experience : “ Having never been in a choir before , I was thrilled but also worried about my lack of singing experience and musical background . However , seeing how much effort the rest of my peers had put in , I was inspired to practise constantly in my free time to not let the choir down . Ultimately , the choir as a whole has produced a piece of recording that moved our listeners ’ hearts .”
The Vocal Ensemble was able to host a successful virtual farewell ceremony for the outgoing Year 4s recently . Through the virtual meeting , the EXCO of 2021 carried out various interactive activities such as an online Kahoot quiz and Complete the Lyrics game .
There is no doubt that the Performing Arts groups in SJI were able to innovate despite the restrictions that were imposed on them as a result of the pandemic . They have all emerged winners in their efforts to do so !
Facing page ( bottom left ): Preparation for SYF 2021 , “ A Wok Story ”
This page ( top left ): The Guitar Ensemble at the CCA Open House 2021
This page ( bottom left ): Bandsmen from Group B performing during the SYF Arts Presentation
This page ( lcentre right ): A special training session for the Sec 1s with our Choral Conductor , Mr Toh Ban Sheng