Jonathan =)
Currently a trombonist in band.
Very 1st crying on 17 June, Gemini
Currently studying in Zhenghua Secondary School
Previously in 2E3'09 | Current: 3E2
All right. Firstly, I would like to apologise before sharing about my band camp. I am very sorry for not updating my blog for about a week. This is because of my camp and band practice. Basically, my schedule is still as packed as before. Thus, please dun blame me for not posting.
Now, I will share the experience we had in our band camp.
Day 1 "The boring and saddening moment"
Day 1 is NOT an overnight camp. I reached school at about 8.12am approximately and saw almost all the sec 1s arrived. After our "fall-in march", we set up our instrument and wait for our instructor to play some songs. Well, to be frank, our instructor was lecturing and in the end walked out of the music room. So he didn't even taught us anything. He was too exasperated to hear feedbacks from us. Mr Er thought that he was being insulted greatly. After he left, our band majorette cried. I was kinda shocked because we would be having sectional practice the whole entire day!!!! After that, we had our "superb" lunch. Then, we had sectional practice (for 5 hours) because of our atrocious playing this morning. The whole day was kinda boring. And I was asking myself whether this was a camp? At about 4.30pm, all the band members who were from brasses (Trumpet, Trombone, Tuba, French Horn and Euphonium) went for blasting session at the school field meaning we had to play with our instrument very LOUD and with nice tone until the band majorette could hear us at the end of the field. It was overall fun only for blasting session. Then, we were dismissed at 6.50pm.
Day 2 "The 55% of Exhilaration, 25% of training & 20% of suffering"
Day 2 is FINALLY an overnight camp!!! We were so happy. This morning our instructor was pissed off by us because of our horrendous playing on two songs. He almost walked out of the music room again today but luckily, he changed his mind and gave us one more chance. We heaved a sigh of relief. After playing two songs, we had our good lunch. At least it was better than yesterday's. Then, we had sectional practice for 45 minutes. Time had passed very quickly and we were called up by our instructor to combine the whole band again. This time round we played "The inferno". Mr Er said that the trombone section was not loud and solid enough so we tried to blow louder.
In the mid-afternoon, we went for our games. They were quite fun. We played the following games:
- Water Bomb (Special version)
- Douche ball -- quite boring :[
After games, we went bathing!! :]
So long, we had our dinner, we would go for NIGHT practice. The main band and alumni would combine whereas the sec 1s would practice drama. Wah... let me tell you that the drama was so "wa piang". Some of my friends and I had been sitting a corner doing nothing for the entire 2.5 hours! So sianz...
It was 11pm. Our ex- majorette was asking questions about our instrutor for 30 minutes.
Lastly, it was sleeping time!! Zi Xi was snoring so loudly and I was giggling for a very short while. I can't sleep lohhs because my seniors beside me were talking non-stop and singing at the same time! Wah piang.. i was kinda annoyed by them. But after that, they dozed off. Finally, I could sleep.
Snore, Snore and Snore!!! Good Night!!
Day 3 "The reluctant moment"
We woke up at 6.30am and went to brush our teeth. Then we were required to fall-in at the parade square by 7.05am??? I forget liaos... After that, we had to do morning exercise at the bukit panjang area. The boys had to run 4.8km and the girls had to run 2.4km which means the boys run double. Zi Xi was running with the teachers while the rest run with the chairman of camp, "Alistair". I was running like hell!!! It's a great distance although I participated in the cross country before. Then, I realised that we were running greater than 4.8km!! That time, when I run the cross country it was not that bad. But this time round, we ran further that 5km!!! What the hell! The people behind me were stopping but I still tried to continue and not to stop. In front of me was "Johnathon" (sec 2E1) also from trombone section. He was very far away from me!! His advantage distance between he and I was roughly 200 meters I think. I was the second to finish the run... first time sia...
It was 8.00am and we were having our breakfast. Because of our sweat and the stink smell from our body, some of us took a bath before band practice starts at 9am.
In the mid-afternoon, we would be having our BBQ session!!! WOW!! it's utterly fun! The food were nice and I never had BBQ before. We BBQ until 8.15pm!!! Shocking right? I gone up to our bunks and packed our things as quickly as possible. Followed by our area cleaning.
Lastly,
HOME SWEET HOME!!!
Glossary:
Sectional Practice - each section (e.g. Trombone) go to somewhere to practice the songs that they are not sure with ; Section Self-practice.
Combine - The whole band had to proceed to the music room so that the instructor would check on our playing.
Alumni - Students who already graduated or those who had already stepped down.
Fall-in - This is usually used in marching or drilling. Everyone has to stand straight in se-nan-di-ri position.
