Events
Music Society - Singapore Exchange Trip
2016-04-21 15:20:00
The Music Society, together with the Chamber Orchestra, went to Singapore for an exchange trip during 30/3 - 4/4. The trip involved exchanges with St. Joseph's Institution and St. Andrew's Secondary School, a public performance at St. Andrew's Cathedral and visits to famous attractions in Singapore.
Exchanges and Performances
1. St. Joseph's Institution
St. Joseph's Institution is our brother school, founded by the De La Salle Brothers. We had a school tour around the campus, visited their classes and had some musical exchanges with their students. We had the chance to experience the school life of a SJI student and we thank all the teachers and students at SJI for giving us such a wonderful experience.
Joint SJI and SJc ensemble under the baton of the band teacher of SJI, Mr. Samuel Ng.
Bandsmen and string players of SJI and SJC.
2. St. Andrew's Secondary School
We had a musical exchange with the Saint Choir of St. Andrew's Secondary School. We performed two classical pieces while the Saint Choir performed 2 Malaysian folk songs.
Rehearsal of the joint resemble of St. Andrew's and SJC
3. Performance at St. Andrew's Cathedral
We performed with the Saint Choir of St. Andrew's Secondary School at the Cathedral in the Evensong on 3/4. We performed an oboe concerto by Vivaldi and Ave Verum Corpus by Mozart with the Saint Choir. This was the Singapore debut of the Chamber Orchestra.
Choir of St. Andrew's and Chamber orchestra of SJC
Joint rehearsal at St. Andrew's Cathedral
Culture Learning
1. City Walk
Guided by local Humanities teachers, we had a city night walk along the Singapore River and were introduced to Singapore's history, culture, heritage and traditions. We passed MICA building, Boat Quay and CBD, Empress Place, Victoria Concert Hall, Fullerton Hotel, Merlion Park, Esplanade, Helix Bridge and the walk ended at Marina Bay Sands.
One of the stops of the city night walk - Merlion Park
2. National Gallery Singapore
The National Gallery Singapore is a large gallery with 6 Levels. It displays masterpieces of different styles of pieces and we were particularly fascinated by an exhibit called "Siapa Nama Kamu?" (Indonesian: "What is your name?"), which traces the development of Singapore's art history from the 19th century to today. The Gallery provided us with insights into how artists reacted to different backdrops and situations in this multi-cultural country.
3. National Museum of Singapore
The National Museum of Singapore tells the history of Singapore through photos and antiques. We learned more about Singapore and how this small piece of land developed into a modern city.
Tourist Attractions
Universal Studio Singapore
Universal Studio Singapore is one of the largest and most famous theme parks in Singapore, offering exciting rides that feature movies such as the Huntsman, Transformers, etc. Also, delicate souvenirs can be bought in the park. We spent a great afternoon playing and shopping there.
Reflections
Throughout the Singapore Trip, I learned much about Singapore's culture and lifestyle, and also our differences in different aspects like music, the education system, religions, goals of life and values.
- Visits and Exchanges: St. Joseph Institution (SJI) and St. Andrew's Secondary School
> SJI: We attended their music lesson. Thanks to the spacious music room and long lesson time, the teaching method was very different from ours. During the lesson, the students were invited to sight-read a score and perform it with variations, and other non-performing students needed to identify the changes. I talked with some of them and can felt that they love music very much.
> St. Andrew's: We observed their choir practice. The school emphasizes much on music and they have a large number of singers. The choir has performed and participated in different world-known competitions, from which the choir members gained much experience and learned to identify their shortcomings and overcome them to deliver good music. This further consolidated their passion for music.
Musical environment
It was surprising to see pianos, which are open to the public to play freely, in different major shopping malls. Moreover, the Singaporeans put much effort and time to music and their respect to music, facilitates them to deliver brilliant music and create a good music environment. I hope to see a change of attitude towards Music in the individuals or the whole society in the future.
George Siu, 3E
Exchanging with local schools provided me with opportunities to appreciate and learn from others. The performance given by the choir of the local school encouraged me to accept different cultures and music written in different styles. I am now motivated to learn more about different types of music humbly and passionately. Also, it was a great time for me to relax and explore the world.
Jacky Lo, 4E
This trip was surely one of the best trips I have participated in. As this was my first time that I left for another country only by myself, I surely learnt to be independent. I was deeply astonished to have a peek at the education style of Singapore, which is very different from Hong Kong. Moreover, I was very impressed by the great skills of the musicians at the two prestigious local schools. I also liked the tour provided by a local geography teacher, Mr. Ng, a friend of Mr. Cheng. The tour offered us a lot of information about the colonial history of Singapore and allowed us to have a look at the really good scenery of downtown Singapore. Last but not least, I really liked the Singaporean food like Hainanese chicken rice and laksa.
Henry Hun, 3E
Through the music exchange trip to Singapore, I become more independent. Exchanging with the local schools let me have the chance to meet new friends and learn about a different education system. The exhibition and museums broadened my horizons. This Singapore trip was amazing and was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Aaron Tsang, 3E