I realised from last week I have been staying back every day. Even though afternoon choir practices are on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, there are afternoon sectionals for selected people on the other days (well maybe except Saturday whereby we don't really have much time). Choir is tiring me out. Now I am not complaining, because I believe what I am doing (staying back to help each of the SLs out a bit) is beneficial and is helping the choir achieve better results for SYF. But the thing is, are the members appreciating what I am doing?
Maybe the members may feel that they are slaves being tortured by their SLs or me since they have to stay back for some days while others are at home resting or something. But ironically, I feel that SLs and I are being treated as slaves instead. We are forced to teach them the right techniques - not that they seem willing to improve themselves anyway - and if we fail to do so they will just blame it on us. Yes, if the choir gets Gold with Honours, the honour is on the whole choir, but if the choir gets anything lesser, the Committee is to be blamed. How fair! Yes of course I am not denying that the Committee isn't mainly in the wrong, but the choir is at fault too. Look at how "focused" they are during practice.
As much as I wish the choir to get Gold with Honours, I realised that this wish is diminishing exponentially as each day passes and it's just beyond my reach. I can't help it. And as much as I don't like the choir to suddenly wake up only on SYF and surprise everyone, I have no choice but to hope for it to happen. I don't treat this as a laughing matter - probably some members do and are overconfident that this will happen. Let's put this in a negative way: what if VSchoir suddenly wakes up, yes what if it happens, but because vocal techniques were not inculcated in the members before the competition, the results drop?
From last year I had always thought it was very easy to get GWH + Top choir. But thing is nothing is being done about it. Probably because SLs don't teach well, maybe because members don't listen, or maybe something that I have never thought of: I am not doing a good job as a Student Conductor. The point is, nothing is coming out.
One thing is that I don't understand why the choir just CAN'T GET IT until they are pressurised?
I seriously have no confidence into getting a top choir award which I have promised VSchoir. Probably not even a GWH too. I am very sorry if I were to break the promise I had made. Every choir practice I will have to pretend to be optimistic and tell myself that the choir still has hope into getting good results for SYF. But I know deep down in my heart I have given up already.
Johnnie came back on Tuesday to help the Sopranos and Altos. I don't know what he did to the Altos, but he made the Sopranos stay back to until 6.45pm and did Credo with them. He wanted a vertical tone, but because his vertical also has a bit of "dark" tone in it, the whole Sopranos sort of became dark too. I felt it was wrong lah, and maybe Johnnie is correct in the first place that the Sopranos should be dark, so I didn't say anything while he was doing the Sopranos, but later after they left I told him that, and after which he apologised.
I told Mr Kwei about this and he said that the Sopranos should be bright, but vertical of course, and said that we shouldn't let other people come and help, so that they don't reverse what Mr Kwei did.
In any case, thanks Johnnie for coming back and help us anyway.
I think after handover, I am not going to come back to visit VSchoir already. Reasons being:
1) When seniors come back, they tend to pressure the choir.
2) They also tend to invade the choir's privacy.
3) They tend to disturb the choir too, or wasting their time (eg: selling of tickets, talking to the choir which some contradict with what we have been telling them).
4) They disrupt the schedule of the practice.
5) We have our own way of doing things, and more often than not, they tend to disrupt it.
and if VSchoir doesn't get Top choir:
6) Too ashamed to go back. After all, the juniors also won't want me to go back.
Anyway, after 3 years in VSchoir I realised I have picked up quite a lot. I know how to go about correcting all 4 sections on mistakes ragarding techniques, tone and pitching (even though I can't sing in all 4 sections). I also know how to make combines more interesting (although sometimes I am either lazy or tired). I know about the musicality of songs even before Mr Kwei tells us, at least 90% of what I think coincide with what Mr Kwei wants. But somehow, I wish that perhaps I can share my wealth of choir experience about singing with someone who is willing to learn, so that these won't go to waste.
5 more days to SYF.
Maybe the members may feel that they are slaves being tortured by their SLs or me since they have to stay back for some days while others are at home resting or something. But ironically, I feel that SLs and I are being treated as slaves instead. We are forced to teach them the right techniques - not that they seem willing to improve themselves anyway - and if we fail to do so they will just blame it on us. Yes, if the choir gets Gold with Honours, the honour is on the whole choir, but if the choir gets anything lesser, the Committee is to be blamed. How fair! Yes of course I am not denying that the Committee isn't mainly in the wrong, but the choir is at fault too. Look at how "focused" they are during practice.
As much as I wish the choir to get Gold with Honours, I realised that this wish is diminishing exponentially as each day passes and it's just beyond my reach. I can't help it. And as much as I don't like the choir to suddenly wake up only on SYF and surprise everyone, I have no choice but to hope for it to happen. I don't treat this as a laughing matter - probably some members do and are overconfident that this will happen. Let's put this in a negative way: what if VSchoir suddenly wakes up, yes what if it happens, but because vocal techniques were not inculcated in the members before the competition, the results drop?
From last year I had always thought it was very easy to get GWH + Top choir. But thing is nothing is being done about it. Probably because SLs don't teach well, maybe because members don't listen, or maybe something that I have never thought of: I am not doing a good job as a Student Conductor. The point is, nothing is coming out.
One thing is that I don't understand why the choir just CAN'T GET IT until they are pressurised?
I seriously have no confidence into getting a top choir award which I have promised VSchoir. Probably not even a GWH too. I am very sorry if I were to break the promise I had made. Every choir practice I will have to pretend to be optimistic and tell myself that the choir still has hope into getting good results for SYF. But I know deep down in my heart I have given up already.
Johnnie came back on Tuesday to help the Sopranos and Altos. I don't know what he did to the Altos, but he made the Sopranos stay back to until 6.45pm and did Credo with them. He wanted a vertical tone, but because his vertical also has a bit of "dark" tone in it, the whole Sopranos sort of became dark too. I felt it was wrong lah, and maybe Johnnie is correct in the first place that the Sopranos should be dark, so I didn't say anything while he was doing the Sopranos, but later after they left I told him that, and after which he apologised.
I told Mr Kwei about this and he said that the Sopranos should be bright, but vertical of course, and said that we shouldn't let other people come and help, so that they don't reverse what Mr Kwei did.
In any case, thanks Johnnie for coming back and help us anyway.
I think after handover, I am not going to come back to visit VSchoir already. Reasons being:
1) When seniors come back, they tend to pressure the choir.
2) They also tend to invade the choir's privacy.
3) They tend to disturb the choir too, or wasting their time (eg: selling of tickets, talking to the choir which some contradict with what we have been telling them).
4) They disrupt the schedule of the practice.
5) We have our own way of doing things, and more often than not, they tend to disrupt it.
and if VSchoir doesn't get Top choir:
6) Too ashamed to go back. After all, the juniors also won't want me to go back.
Anyway, after 3 years in VSchoir I realised I have picked up quite a lot. I know how to go about correcting all 4 sections on mistakes ragarding techniques, tone and pitching (even though I can't sing in all 4 sections). I also know how to make combines more interesting (although sometimes I am either lazy or tired). I know about the musicality of songs even before Mr Kwei tells us, at least 90% of what I think coincide with what Mr Kwei wants. But somehow, I wish that perhaps I can share my wealth of choir experience about singing with someone who is willing to learn, so that these won't go to waste.
5 more days to SYF.
Labels: Choir
1 Comments:
Hi my name is Bernard, and i sing in SYC ensemble singers. I am a full time student in NUS. Just happened to chance upon your blog and I applaud you for your effort and hard work as a SC to inspire VSchoir towards higher choral achievements. I conduct my own choir in a catholic church and can understand the difficulties of inspiring choristers to sing better, teach them the right vocal techniques and musical expression to make a song come alive. Its even harder in a volunteer setting whereby most of the members have no former choral experience and we have to share with them the very basics of choral singing. To further improve myself as a conductor, I am heading to westminster choir college in princeton USA next month to attend choral conducting course and the westminster conducting institute.
If you do not mind, we can even exchange and share pointers about rehearsal and vocal techniques.. my email gohbern@gmail.com hope to hear from you.
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