Probably the best thing that has ever happened to me was joining choir. I learnt a lot. I've sudden;y got the chance to know so many people who are passionate about music. The practises were gruelling yet sometimes after the long practices, we'd still find some secluded spot at JEC where there was resonance and start singing there. It was there that I learnt about the quality of a voice and hoarmony. While writing this, images of faces singing fill my mind; memories which have not surfaced in my mind till now.
I don't know if I have something for performing. It certainly was one of the biggest performance (at Raffles Hotel no less) that I have been a part of. Till now, it occurred to me that I probably should have gotten some photos of the time that I was performing with all those cool people.
Anyway, one memory which stands out is one of which my senior Ziyang, who was older than me by a year, helped me put on my tie just before the concert. It's hard to describe the feeling but it was sort of like someone older and someone that I respected taking notice of me. I don't exactly know how to describe the feeling. He was such an inspiration musically and as a person. He was shorter than most and that usually drew him a lot of flak but his personality managed to make everything esle insignificant. I was honoured when he asked me to teach him a bit of piano. If I'm not wrong, he's an organ student and even after my years in RV, I'd notice his musical achievements on the examination result slip in Cristofori. I'm proud of him for being my senior too. Also at that point of time I remembered him trying to play our singing parts on the keyboard during sectionals but they sort of chided him to step aside and let me play because I was more ableto do it.
They were the people who gave me motivation to push my sight reading skills to the limit, even to the extent of drawing out a keyboard on a blank piece of paper to practise during my MRT ride home. I guess I was at my peak back then as compared to now. Of late I look at grade 3 scores and I'm stunned. Disgusting shite.
Besides the seniors, there were the juniors who were much more experienced that me because they joined 6 months before I did. I suppose that was the first time I got respect from people younger than me and I got along very well with them.
I remembered that there was once it was the day before the audition for the chamber choir and Sher and Derek tried their best to coach me. It was a pretty last minute effort and considering the fact that I was still a newbie at all the singing stuff, I got pretty nervous singing in front of both of them. It took a lot of coaxing and patience on their side before I opened my mouth to sing and by the end of the entire session, I only learnt a bit of singing using the diaphragm.
I don't suppose I'm very good at singing now but I've improved a lot since then. Joining the choir made me try singing out loud at homne and gave me the chance to discover what I've got in terms of singing. Of course, some of the skills came handy when doing presentations in the future as well as when I was MC for SSS's official opening.
I think it's about time to close this topic which took like 3-4 sittings to write. If I get inspired I'd probably write more, but for now, this is pretty much the end.
I've raked up more memories than I cared to remember.
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