Friday, December 26, 2008

7th December- 18th December

~Chamber Orchestra- This week consisted of practise with the choir and also the primary orchestra in preparation for Candles by Candlelights. On the actual day of Carol's by candlelight itself we had to wear black and white and come earlier to set up and prepare. We also had a secret santa exchange that i organised, and it was very fulfilling to perform what we've practised for so long. Unfortunately the setting was open air, so the sound balance was really off and nothing could really be heard except for the amplified or miked instruments. I look forward to new pieces next term.

~Old folks home- THis will probably be our last week visiting the home. Basically, we went through the same routine again, but the really interesting thing about today was that we got to see a guy who was fed with a tube directly to the stomach. Uncle CK's friend also came to visit today and they were showing him their notebook, which was really cool. We've also planned to make a card for Ms. Tang. I've really learnt a lot from helping out at this place.

~Theory and piano- lessons were cancelled as we had a different agenda.

~Reading buddies- the class was having a party so we weren't needed

~mentoring- Finally, i managed to meet up with Nikki. We were able to talk pretty well and she's very sociable. I helped her with her science experiment and we also talked about her grades and her family as well as school in general. I was gonna help her with her math too, but we ran out of time and she seemed pretty pleased about the present i gave her. I would definitely like to continue mentoring next term, but hopefully we can change it to another and execute our meetings more successfully.

~ Shoe boxing- We had to stay back on Friday and Thursday to complete all the wrapping and sort out all the clothes. I think its fair to say that all of us had a lot of fun, and it was very chaotic in a nice way. Peter was the group leader and he was basically sitting around and trying to organise anything without getting much done, but he was very encouraging and it was very fun to poke fun at him whilst working. We went to visit the children on monday (and had to miss old folks home in the process) to distribute the presents, and they were extremely extremely pleased with our presents, i feel glad that we were able to do something for them. I think peter misunderstand their finance status because he told us they had absolutely nothing when in fact they were quite well off. It was unfortunate that some of the children were absent, but hopefully we'll be able to meet them when we have the new year dinner. We also plan to invite them over to school to use the facilities and also help them in swimming and other activities.

December 1st - December 6th

~Chamber orchestra- More rehearsals in preparation for carols by candlelight and so on.


~Musical- The performance was this week on thursday, friday and saturday (4th, 5th, 6th) and we had a full day rehearsal on both monday and wednesday. Initially, Mr. Moss the director was really angry and upset because he felt that the actors weren't doing their part, but by Wednesday he was feeling better about things. Ms. Leong said that we were okay though, so what he was saying didn't really apply to us. I was wondering if its just a drama thing, where they always say its the worst performance ever so that you'll do better, like a kind of derogatory motivation. The performances themselves were received really really well, and it felt extremely satisfactory to perform. THe cast party at the end was very touching and everyone was a bit teary (not to mention the good food). It's been a really long process of putting the play together, but it was worth it. I think all of us bonded as a result of the pantomine- as in not just the musicians, but everyone involved.

~Old Folks home- as mentioned, we couldn't make it becuase of musical practise. I think Cheryl or Lidia called Ms. Tang.

~Tutoring- All sessions are postphoned until the holidays.


~Reading buddies- I was the only one to go this week (without Rebecca and Shaeny) and i was read with 3 kids. I'm quite surprised at how almost none of them have any reservations reading to a semi-stranger, except maybe one or two of them. i find that i enjoy reading with Jan Marco the most, because even though he doesn't really read very fluently, he shows an intelligent response to the book and good understanding, which is very encouraging.

~Mentoring- I couldn't meet up on Friday because of the pantomine so we've postphoned it to next week.

~Theory- Again no class. Wilson was performing at the jazz fest this week.

~Piano- This was the week before the piano concert and so i really really practised and Saori agreed that i should do all four pieces for the concert. The concert was on a Sunday and it was quite nerve-wrecking, but i'm glad i did it. Surprisingly i got the excellent performance award and also the audience's favourite award. I was rather shocked, but it was pleasant to achieve that.

~Solfege- I couldn't go this week because of the matinee of the pantomine