saxophone<3

Saturday, September 02, 2006

Ah well. Since everyone in the section's getting emotional and thanking their sectionmates like the armageddon beckons, i might as well keep up the charade, shan't I?

Let's start with the seniors, since they're about to leave (but not without playing Spanish Fever first). It probably isn't going to be the last time I'm seeing them -- at any rate they'll still be in RJ by the time I head over to the school-next-door -- so I don't think there's a lot to moan and sob about. Still, I really want to thank them for making me a much better saxophonist (i think). Here's to Justin for some (violent) drilling, Abtzy for making sectionals so fun (and fat), and Jeremy for truly motivating me to play real music on the saxophone. I might poke fun at you guys (maybe not Justin... too violent), but i respect you for what you've done for the section.

Now for the juniors. You've fit well into the section, and got yourselves accustomed to band life. I can tell that you (most of you anyway) love the band, love playing music, and that's good to know. Still, I can't help feeling that you guys are playing... well... notes. That's probably a bit rich coming from me, considering how bad I am at the saxophone, but I really hope that you guys can start putting some emotion, some interpretation into the music that you play.

To Samuel, you're better than me when it comes to the technical. You can reach altissimo notes, play complicated run-ups, and play in timing for relatively complex rhythms. What you now have to do is feel the music, begin to imagine the music as not just a string of sounds but as an entirety to be appreciated. Right now I can't feel anything from your music, even though it's played exactly as the SL tells you to. Emoting your music is what you need to do now.

To Brian (or Bryan. Same difference.), I can't give you very much advice, because I do not play the bassoon. Still, I'd like to congratulate you for becoming more open, more willing to play music for the band. You've become more confident of yourself, and you show it through your music (and your socks). Keep that fire to improve in you, and we can expect great things of you.

To Joel, I can tell you're improving. Your tone is more solid now, and I can hear you. What you must do now is practise more. You need to come down for practice, get used to the songs, and not think you can smoke your way through concerts anymore. You have it in you to play tenor well -- all you need is more hard work.

To the Sec Ones, you have experience, but now you have to get used to playing as a band. Zhuo Hao, you're a superb soloist, but a band is different from a solo. Keep time, look at Mr. Oura, play with your section. Patrick, don't be defeatist and think you can't play a song before you start. No song is that tough (honestly -- band songs at secondary school level are hardly ever difficult), so just play your heart out. It's alright to make a mistake -- just remember to solve it. And hiding behind Samuel and Jeremy won't help -- you have to make the extra effort to learn the part.

So I've talked a lot of rubbish (in not so good english, i apologize), but I really mean it. I'll try what's in my ability to help Bertrand out in sectionals, so you can all improve. Someday, I really hope that our section can become like the section of 3 (or was it 4?) years ago -- Lester's batch -- where there was so much cohesion, so much music coming from that circle on the 3rd floor that even the clarinets would come up and marvel at our superiority.

Here's to Gold with Honours, no?

- Jumbiez saxophonist MUSIC`