Change of the New Batch

As we had mentioned last time, AGM was held on 14th of July, Saturday. The committee of 2011/2012 had prepare their documents and had ready to pass to the next batch of committee. Here is the new Committee list of 2012/2013 ans some pictures that are captured.

President : Kimi Nyam
Vice President : Kok Ming Wei
Secretary : Sheryl Tan
Treasurer : Choon King Fung
Woodwind Section Leader : Lee Shi Hui
Asst. Woodwind Section Leader : Yaw Ming Wei
Brass Section Leader : Farhan Aaidy
Asst. Brass Section Leader : Siow Li Yaw
Percussion Section Leader : Michelle Phang
Asst. Percussion Section Leader : Au Yong Wei Qing
Drum Major : Farhan Aaidy
Drill Master : Kok Ming Wei
Music Master : Lee Shi Hui
Asst. Music Master : Brian Wong
Asst Secretary : Poon May Nee
Asst Treasurer : Koh Yuan Zheng
Afternoon In Charge : Siow Li Yaw
Asst. Afternoon In Charge : Lim Gen Tean
Afternoon Brass Section Leader : Lok Jin Wen
Afternoon Woodwind Section Leader : Lee Zi Xin
Afternoon Percussion Section Leader : Chok Sean
Student Conductor : Lim Gen Tean

Agenda of AGM

Afternoon Committee

Committee of 2011/2012

Speech from President of 2011/2012 Wong Phooi Yee

Speech from secretary of 2011/2012 Law Ley Mun

Speech from Head of Teacher Advisor, Pn Hardeep.

Speech from President of 2012/2013, Kimi Nyam

Committee of 2012/2013

Whole Band

Whole Band with Sinfonietta and Colour Guard

Out With The Old And In With The New

Just a few days ago, we had our EGM (which translates to: Emergency General Meeting). As per usual, warning letters were given out and the rules were tweaked. That, and the date for AGM (also known as: Annual General Meeting) was officially announced.

It will be held this Saturday, on the 14th of  July from 9.30 a.m to 12.30 p.m.

Naturally, AGM is mandatory for ALL BAND MEMBERS, including colour guards and Sinfoniettas. All ex-members, be it band, colour guards, or Sinfonietta are very welcomed to join us. As everyone knows, this is when the old committee steps down and a new one steps up. So good luck to all candidates and all the best for the future of band!

And We're Back

Back to Sepang again that is. As mentioned before we would be going to Sepang International Circuit in Kuala Lumpur to perform for the Shell Eco-Marathon as we did the year before.

Members gathered at the band room last Friday as early as 5.20 a.m. to shift the percussion instruments to the lorry and prepare to take off. Once we reached Sepang, we had one rehearsal and it was show time. We marched from one end of the straight track to the other and disbanded with a single stroke of the drum. We opened our static performance with a Malaysian tune, Malaysia Ku Gemilang. Following that was Mambo No. 5 and the ever familiar Perro Caliente. To close our performance, we played a recognizable tune, Abba Gold.

After the performance, we had a rest and some food. The hospitable staff at Sepang then split the band up into several groups and took us on a tour, letting us get to meet the teams and know their cars. Once the tour was over, we thanked the lovely people and returned to Catholic before early noon was over.

Pictures from Sports Day

Pictures as promised:

Preparation in band room:

 Out in the field:

Quite a number of lovely ex-members paid us a visit:

Credit for pictures go to their respective owners.

A Day of Sports

Just the past Saturday, the school had its annual Sports Day. As usual, the band was involved. Unlike other years, we did not lead the procession. Instead, the event opened with us playing Negaraku already stationed in front of the flag pole. Not moving from our spot, we then played Perro and Tinggi for the other uniform bodies and houses. Afterwards, we proceeded to the band room. We returned to the field during the intermission at approximately 10 a.m. for a static performance. We performed two songs: Little Shop of Horrors and Gelato Con Caffe.

Pictures to come soon. Stay tuned!

Bringing You Up To Speed

Just wanted to give you a little update about the recent developments in band. As many know, the coming Saturday (23rd of June) is Catholic High School's Sports Day and as with every other year, band will take part in the march. That aside, we will also be performing a couple of songs during the intermission, namely Little Shop of Horrors and Gelato Con Caffe. The members are currently practicing many hours to prepare for this Saturday. Besides Sports Day, we also have another marching performance to attend to before the year is up: the Shell Eco-marathon. In this event, students from across Asia come together at the Sepang International Circuit in Kuala Lumpur to compete in stretching the limits of energy efficiency. This year would be the second consecutive time that Catholic High School Band has performed for this event.

We Had Smores

Or at least most of us had during this year's band camp. As mentioned before, we were not permitted to stay over in school but we did get a visit from Peirce Wind Symphony from Singapore. The first day was the usual stuff; gather, clean up, shifting instruments, practices, marching, and such.

The second day however was when we meet up with Peirce. This was not the first time Catholic has interacted with Peirce. The last time our bands met was in Singapore in the year 2009. In fact, if you would like to, you could visit them at their blog. After lunch, the whole band made plans on how to greet our fellow musicians. It was decided that lots of energetic screaming and clapping would do the trick. When it was announced that they were close to the school, we waited for them with bated breath. When they finally appeared, we screamed our welcome, cheering and applauding their arrival. The usual formalities were exchanged and we took pictures with them. We had a little ice-breaking session in which Catholic and Peirce split up according to instrumental sections. After that was the interaction in which we performed for them before they took the stage. The next big event was of course special night. Aside from the usual sight of the ex-members making merry, Peirce appeared to be enjoying themselves too. Like Catholic, Peirce barbecued with their respective groups. When Peirce left, Catholic Band members lined either side of the road to bid them good bye for the day.

One of the highlights of the third day was the instrumental and section sectionals in which we learned more about Peirce and vice versa. We played Queen's Park Melody as well as Gold Rush. After we had lunch was the games session. Once we were through with the games, we were told that the session (which mostly consisted of 3 hours or so of solid running and exertion of energy) was tough and challenging but also enjoyable. We had a rest before dinner. After that, the two bands gathered at the auditorium and took pictures as well as mingled. We also had gifts exchange. We gifted them with the key chains and badges we had for our concert "An Evening of Music" this year while they gave us key chains and personally made cards. Despite exceeding the time, Catholic High School was still enthusiastic when we sent them off, shouting, waving, clapping and calling out names as they left us.

With Peirce continuing their journey to Penang, they did not return on the fourth day. We went back to a more mundane schedule after that, beginning our day with parade practice after breakfast. This was followed by instrumental sectionals until lunch which was followed by clean up. After our final gather at the Tapak Perhimpunan, it was time to say our farewells to this year's Band Camp.

Pictures, of course, will be uploaded as soon as possible. Have a nice day!

Band Camp 2012

And we're at that time of the year again! Camp isn't too far off and everyone's thinking about it now. This year, like the previous year, we will not be staying over in school. And like the few times we were lucky enough to have special guests over, this year we will be having an exchange with a Singaporean band.

So, the committee list for this year is as follows:

Chairperson         : Jezz Tan
Vice Chairperson: Farhan Aadiy
Secretary              : Kimi Nyam
Treasurer             : Natalie Lim

Programme &      : Sheryl Tan       *
Accomodation         Wong Shi Min **
Department              Lim Khai Jin

Food Department: Chan Kah Yan   *
                                 Michelle Phang **
                                 Lee Shi Hui

Quarter Master:  Sofeanna Long  *
Department           Wong See Yan  **
                                 Grace Ng

*   Heads of department
** Assistants of department

Good luck to all and here's to gaining interesting memories during this camp!

A Reverie of Memories

The AEOM concert pictures as promised:

The band room

The hall

The performance

The after party



The Concert

On the 28th of April, we successfully held our An Evening of Music 2012 themed 'Celebration'. The tickets for the Evening Show were sold out and the response we got was overwhelming. This concert was special indeed, with the joining of our full renewed organisation showing up - complete with the Sinfonietta and Colour Guards! We would like to express our heartfelt appreciation to everyone who has contributed one way or another for the concert, and of course everyone who were present! Thank you for making the concert such a great success! We would like to grasp this opportunity too to thank our dear conductor Sir Eric,  the amazing percussion soloist, Miss JoJo Ho, the CHS teachers, staff, students and clubs who have helped us, and not forgetting our ex-members! It has indeed been a pleasure to bring this concert to everyone.

Photos will be uploaded soon!

An Evening of Celebrative Music

The renowned Catholic High School Band will once again be holding another one of her famous concerts, “An Evening of Music”. Acting as Resident Conductor and Tutor is professional trombonist Eric Lee, who has played in venues that include the Royal Concertgebouw, Konzerthaus Berlin and Sydney Opera House. Joining the band in this event is successful percussionist JoJo Ho from Hong Kong, the Catholic High School Choir and the recently formed Sinfonietta section.

Information
Date
28th of April (Saturday)

Venue
Brother Philippe Wu Hall, Catholic High School, Petaling Jaya

Time
Matinee – 2.00 p.m.
Evening – 7.30 p.m.

Price (per ticket)
Matinee – RM 15
Evening – RM 30

An Introduction to Catholic High School Band
Catholic High School Band is an active music organization. Like any other school band in Malaysia, its primary objective is to introduce students to the field of music as well as to nurture self-discipline and management skills.

Famed as she is to date, Catholic High School Band had her humble beginnings 30 years ago under the patronage of Bro Paul Sung, former principal of Catholic High School. That year – 1982 – the band started off as a marching band with only 30-odd members and Mr. Anthony Xavier as the first band tutor. Since then, the band started its long journey into the musical world.

For many years the band has worked hard and developed tremendously, with a steady increase in band members, musical instruments and better facilities, courtesy of the generous donations of the public, as well as the PTA of Catholic High School.

Catholic High School Band has been invited and requested to perform on numerous occasions for both the school and the community. In her early years, Catholic High School Band won “The Best of PJ” award. Under the guidance and tutelage of both Mr. Chin Yin Soong (1991) and Mr. Eric Lee (1992-today), themselves former band members of the award winning Catholic High School Band, the young and talented band’s music quality and standard has improved tremendously. In her early years, the band has performed at various state and national level events such as the National Day Parade, the Birthday Parade of the Sultan of Selangor, to name a few. In 1998, the Catholic High School Band was selected to perform in the opening and closing ceremonies of the 16th Commonwealth Games along with other well-known school bands. The band was once again selected to perform at the closing ceremony of the SEA Games 2001 with Victoria Institution Cadet Corps.

Yet, what would Catholic High School Band be without its ever-famous concert, the “An Evening of Music” (AEOM) series? The first AEOM was held in 1991. It was a joint concert with Raffles Institution Symphonic Band. On 13th of February, Catholic High School Band held yet another successful joint concert with Fo Ho Junior High School of Taipei, Taiwan. Later, AEOM 1993 was held to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Band. Consequently, a tradition was established and the Catholic High School Band marched on to 5 successful concerts in 1996, 1999, 2001, 2006 and 2009 respectively.

The Catholic High School Band avidly participates and has achieved much national success in major band competitions. From 1997 onwards, at the National Level Marching Band Competition, Catholic High School Band has comfortably secured a spot among the top 5.The band also obtained her first national victory in the year 2000, and was selected to perform in the 13th Magdalena Music Festival, Spain in 2001. On top of that, Catholic High School Band also won her subsequent national victory in the year 2005 – Selangor’s greatest pride ever. In recent years, Catholic High School Band has won a High Silver Award in the Singapore International Band Festival in 2010 and a Gold Award in the 3rd Winter Band Festival 2011 Hong Kong Disneyland. Catholic High School Band was the first Malaysian band to perform at the Disney Performing Arts at Hong Kong Disneyland Park. Catholic High School Band is now undoubtedly one of the best school bands in the country.

The CHS Band continues to strive towards greater heights and takes pride in all her performances and achievements. Her aim – to become a world class band with the highest musical standards would simply enchant the audience with yet another mesmerizing performance.

An Evening of Music
As the name suggest, An Evening of Music (AEOM) is an evening, or somewhat night, filled with mesmerizing and enchanting music, a mix of the members’ incredible musical techniques and stupendous musicality. Thus, AEOM is the name of the series of concerts held, and will be in the near future, by Catholic High School Band.

The first AEOM began in 1991, a joint concert with Raffles Institution Symphonic Band. Later, AEOM 1993 was held to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Band. In 1996, the third AEOM, along with the school’s first ever choir in Civic Hall in conjunction with the school’s 40th Anniversary. Three years later, AEOM 1999 was held in order to bring the band to greater heights. Subsequently, AEOM 2001 was held to raise funds for the trip to Spain. Later, AEOM 2006 was held to commemorate the school’s 50th Anniversary. The recent concert, AEOM 2009 was held to raise funds for maintaining the band.

Aim of AEOM
1. To improve the musical standard of band
2. To educate the younger generation on the world of music
3. To share the beauty of music with the audience
4. To build a relationship and good rapport with the public
5. To excel in self-discipline and music talent


• Celebration!
The theme ‘Celebration’ has been chosen for various reasons. Throughout the years, the Catholic High School Band has triumphed against all odds, conquered the best, and is now even evolving into a new organization. The events worth celebrating are many. This includes many splendid performances by the band, and many achievements in many competitions. Something really worth celebrating is the recent achievement of a Gold Award in the 3rd Winter Band Festival 2011 Hong Kong Disneyland. Besides that, the band is slowly transforming from just a marching band into a more diverse organization, comprising a marching-cum-concert band, a Colour Guard section and a Sinfonietta section. This evolution is a great change, and is turning the band into a different and improved organization than what she used to be.

Achievements
A neat and detailed list of achievements of the Catholic High School Band can be easily found on the blog here.

To promote the concert to the rest of the student body at Catholic High School, the band had the launching of the concert on the 20th of February. The launching, as the concert’s theme of “Celebration” suggests, was celebrative, involving much cheer and confetti. After the principal, Mr. Ong Boon Phua, gave his speech, he stroke the gong three times and off the poppers and band went, performing a short excerpt from one of the songs to be played in the concert, “Journey to the Lion’s Castle”. Catholic High School Band will further promote her concert for the second time on the 2nd of April, in which the banner will be revealed. On the very same day, Catholic High School Band will also open a booth for ticket reservations as well as the selling of key chains, badges and the like to raise more funds.

To prepare for this concert, members will go through intensive practice to ensure that they bring you the very best of Catholic High School Band. Whenever a major event is close at hand, the band would enlist the help of professional musicians. To aid the band in this concert, the help of professionals have been called upon.

Over the years, Catholic High School Band has invited a few talented schools as well as prestigious soloists to join with us in this series of concerts. Most recently in 2009’s concert, the reputed trumpeter Lertkiat of Bangkok Brass Quintet, Thailand was invited to play at the concert. As for this year, Catholic High School Band is lucky to have the percussionist JoJo Ho from Hong Kong to perform with the band.

So if you happen to be a fan of music, be sure to catch this great opportunity to witness one of the most famed school bands in the nation perform.

For further information, please kindly contact the following entities:

Head Teacher Advisor

Puan Hardeep Kaur

019-2194541

Band President

Wong Phooi Yee

012-2101971

Band Secretary

Law Ley Mun

017-2320988

Welcoming a New Generation

On the Friday just past, we welcomed our new members to one of their first practices and their first whole band gather. In the morning, they were taught the basics, each of them joining their fellow section members for breathing exercises and such. After the recitals in the whole band gather, the top fours introduced themselves, their JTs and the rules regarding their section, starting from the Treasurer and ending with the President. Sir too, had a few words to say to the new members. After the whole band gather, all the three sections (woodwind, brass, percussion) stayed to welcome the new members to their respective sections.

Everyone was happy at the pleasing amount of new members who joined us this year. Although this has been said many times already, let us say it again: welcome to band, all new members!

Hari Gerko

So, we just had our Hari Gerko on the 13th (Friday). The number says unlucky, but our fortune for that day was rather well, with a large amount of students signing up for band.

Many of us scouted the school compound for new members while some stayed in band room to welcome and guide students who went up. We put up a total of two shows in the school hall, performing a popular jazz piece "Take the 'A' Train".

All in all, it was a good Hari Gerko and members were pleased with the number of new incoming members.