Kim Seng Wind Symphony

KSWS In Concert XVI

2011-12-11T22:35:00.000-08:00

Kim Seng Wind Symphony In Concert XVI
NAFA Lee Foundation Theatre
18 December 2011 SUN @ 5pm
$10 per ticket (FREE Seating)
Conducted by Mr. Mohd Salleh Bin Md Nooh

Concert Repertoires
1) “ISLAND SUN” FOLK TUNE OF OKINAWA
Music by Nagano Takeyuki
作曲中山竹通
2) ASUKA ~ 飛鳥
Music by Tetsunosuke Kushida
作曲櫛田胅之扶
3) ROBIN HOOD - SOUNDTRACK HIGHLIGHTS
Music by Michael Kamen
Arranged by Jay Bocook
4) SERENADE ~ セレナーテ(小夜曲)
Music by Satoshi Yagisawa
作曲八木澤教司
5) IMAGES OF A CITY - AN OVERTURE
Music by Franco Cesarini Op. 42

INTERVAL

6) AMERICAN GRAPHITY
Arranged by Naohiro Iwai
7) NIPPON MINYO (1) - JAPANESE FOLK SONG
Arranged by Naohiro Iwai
8) LOCH LOMOND - FOR CONCERT BAND
Music by Frank Ticheli
9)BLAST FROM THE PAST
Good Lovin’ – Happy Together – Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye
Land Of A Thousand Dances – Stand By Me – Louie, Louie
Arranged by Michael Sweeney

New look at KSWS Website

2011-12-07T09:40:00.000-08:00

Hi all KSWSians,

KSWS official website (http://www.ksws.org/) has a new look now!

Many thanks to our member, Ms. Toh Jing Si for her effort to re-vamp the KSWS website.

Please kindly go & have a look.

Please feel free to leave your comment & suggestion if any.

It takes ONE to make the move & makes KSWS a better place for all musicians.

Regards,

Lawrence Chong

President of KSWS

ONE BAND ONE SOUND

ANNOUNCEMENTS.

2011-07-06T04:53:00.000-07:00

Hi all KSWSians,

I hope everyone is fine and doing well.
The followings are some announcements and changes which are going to take effect immediately in the band from now:

1) KSWS has been experiencing very bad practice attendance from its own members since we have moved the practice to Friday evening due to our conductor's requirement. Since Mr. Charlie has confirmed to be studying overseas for 2 years,band practices will move back to every Saturday from 6pm to 9:30pm starting from this coming Saturday (09/07/2011 SAT). Mr. Salleh will be taking over the baton & the post of Head Librarian from now on.

2) Annual concert has been scheduled on at 5pm at NAFA Lee Foundation Theatre. Please kindly ensure and confirm your attendance for this concert as we need to look into the concert strength from now on ASAP. We are still lacking of Clarinetists, Trumpeters & Percussionists. I sincerely urge members whom are still in the music scene to help in this area to make the concert a possible one for the band. If you have friends who are interested to join us for the concert, please do bring them down.

3) I have seek help for Mr. Rahman to assist the band to revive the percussion section permanently. He has agreed to give the band a helping hand and so far, he has been keeping to his words seriously to strengthen the percussion section even though the band attendance is not ideal. On behalf of KSWS, I will like to thank him for his great effort & voluntary help to assist the band in one way or another. I hope we can have more people like Mr. Rahman himself whom is willing to volunteer his time to help the band purely for a passion in music making.

4) Ms. Yim Xiumei has stepped down from the band committee with effect from June 2011 due to her heavy commitments in her new job. Her position will not be replaced for now & Lawrence will be covering her post from now on.

5) Below is the KSWS members list. Please kindly go through it. If your name has omitted or added spelt wrongly, please kindly update & correct with Lawrence. Thanks

Anyway, see you guys on this coming Saturday (09/07/2011) from 6pm to 9:30pm
Ciao & keep smiling!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Piccolo/Flute
Charlie Tan Tuan Hao
David Tan
Elisse Lee Li Sze
Eng Shi Yee

Clarinet
Goh Hui Liong
Tan Yuen Yuan
Tan Wei Lian

Alto Saxophone
George Leong Shin Khuen

Tenor Saxophone
Nor Ibrahim Bin Mohd Nor

F.Horn
Alan Ong Pang Chi
Mohd Azmi Bin Sukaimi
Toh Jing Si

Trumpet
Andrew Lee Mun Yew
Karen Leong Kai Ling
Mohd Salleh Bin Md Nooh

Trombone
Amy Lee Meng Fong
Yeo Wee Aik
Jonna Garnell
Sylvester Lau (Guest Player)

Euphonium
Lok Jie Jun

Tuba
Lawrence Chong Seng Mong
Bernard Chia Wen Tsen

Percussion
Abdul Rahman Bin Mustaffa (Guest Coach)

Warmly Welcome Our New Family Members Onboard - Mar 2011 Batch

2011-03-04T20:05:00.000-08:00

Dear KSWSians,

Please warmly welcome the following members to our KSWS family

Flute Section - Mr. David Tao
- He was a guest player in KSWS
- His official membership will take effect from 04 Mar 2011

Trumpet Section - Mr. Mohd Salleh Bin Md Nooh
- Found KSWS through KSWS members
- His official membership will take effect from 04 March 2011

We would like to extend our warmest welcome to them as one of our KSWS family members.

2011-02-25T04:33:00.000-08:00

Upcoming concerts from other bands:

=Audio Image=

“2011: A Band Odyssey”
Sunday, 27 February 2011
3pm
Siglap South Community Centre Auditorium
Admission is FREE, open to public.

Program:
BACH ……Chaconne from Partita no.2 in D minor
DOSS, Thomas ……Genesis
SWEARINGEN, James ……Seagate Overture
BARNES, James ……Yorkshire Ballad
SHELDON, Robert ……Flight of the Piasa
SHIMIZU, Daisuke ……Tanglewood Overture
APPERMONT, Bert ……Noah’s Ark
LEHAR, Franz ……Die Lustige Witwe (The Merry Widow)

Synopsis:
AudioImage Wind Ensemble, under conductor Clarence Tan, pays tribute to the annual SYF (Singapore Youth Festival) Band Competition as we perform select pieces from the competition over the years. This promises to be a nostalgic trip down memory lane for old-timers, as well as an eye-opener for younger band members. We also feature guest conductor Choy Wei Peng.

KSWS In Concert XV

2010-12-12T16:32:00.000-08:00

Kim Seng Wind Symphony In Concert XV
Raffles Hotel Jubilee Hall
19 December 2010 SUN @ 5pm
$10 per tickets (FREE Seating)
Conducted By Mr. Tan Tuan Hao

Concert Repertoires
1) FANFARE OF WAKAKUSA HILL
Itaru Sakai
2) IBERIAN ESCAPADES
Eobert Sheldon
3) CAJUN FOLK SONGS
Frank Ticheli
4) POPS IN THE SPOTS
Roland Kernen
5) FOLK SONG SUITE
Ralph Vaughan Williams
6) MACHWEO
Menno Bosgra

INTERVAL

7) Quintesen Brass Quintet
i) LITTLE DRUMMER BOY (PAT-A-PAN)
Bud Udell
ii) WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS
John Rutter
iii) JUST A CLOSER WALK
Don Gillis
8) LET IT SHINE
James L. Hosay
9) CHRISTMAS CALYPSO
Stephen Bulla
10) OVERTURE TO A WINTER FESTIVAL
James Curnow

KSWS Recruitment Notice 2010

2010-10-13T04:58:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

KSWS is recruiting for new musicians to join the family. If you are a music lover whom wish to continue your music passion in making band music, you are always welcome to join our practices on every Saturday evening. If you are a school graduate or someone whom have lost touch in your playing & wish to pick up your instrument again, you are also welcome too.

We are looking for independance, commited & self-motivated musicians to join the band. You must at least know the basic fundamental of music & have some band playing experience in the past.

If you think you fit the criteria, you can always contact Ms. Yim Xiumei or myself by email to enquire for more information of the band or to make arrangement to join in the band practices.

Please kindly indicate the following in your email:
1) Your name & contact nos.
2) What instrument you are playing
3) A short introduction of yourself

We will then reply to you accordingly.
Thanks for your interest.

With Best Regards,
Lawrence Chong
President of KSWS

Warmly Welcome Our New Family Members Onboard - Feb & March 2010 Batch

2010-03-29T17:25:00.000-07:00

Dear KSWSians,

Please warmly welcome the following members to our KSWS family

Saxophone Section - Mr. George Leong Shin Khuen
- He is a former KSWS member till 05 March 2006
- He is back again for good
- His official renewal membership will take effect from 27 Feb 2010

Trombone Section - Ms. Joanne Garnell
- Found KSWS through internet
- Her official membership will take effect from 27 Feb 2010

Trumpet Section - Mr. E. (Bill) Kevenaar
- Found KSWS through internet
- His official membership will take effect from 06 March 2010

We would like to extend our warmest welcome to them as one of our KSWS family members.

Kim Seng Wind Symphony appears on the local Newspaper of Kagoshima dated on 26/11/2009 Friday

2009-11-26T23:00:00.001-08:00

KSWS has appeared on the local newspaper of Kagoshima after the Arts & Culture Program.

The translation is done by Kiyomi-San as below.

EXCHANGE WITH THE BAND FROM SINGAPORE (KANOYA Girls High School)

On 24th NOV, KSWS from Singapore visited KANOYA Girls High School and deepend exchanges between the band and students through tea ceremony and flower arrangement.
KSWS is an amateur wind orchestra from Singapore which consists of people with different ages and occupations.

They have been invited by Kagoshima prefecture to participate the exchange programs ("The Symphonic festival" at KANON Hall in Kajiki-cho etc.), and enjoyed sightseeing before going back to Singapore on 26th.

At KANOYA Girls High School, they showcased Japanese ENKA medleys and Singapore folk songs and joint performance with the school's choir. After their wonderful performance, they experienced tea ceremony and Japanese flower arrangement.
They were guided by students in KIMONO from department of Life and Environmental Science to sit on the floor Japanese style and enjoyed MACCHA (Japanese green tea) with sweets. They seemed to like it.

Mr. Lawrence, president of the band, said " we are greatly impressed by the tea ceremony because we don't have this style of ceremony in Singapore. I believe we can build even better relationship together by continuation of our intercommunion."

23/11/2009 - Kagoshima Exchange Day Two - Festival Performance

2009-11-23T23:00:00.000-08:00

0630hrs (JPN) - Morning Call + Wash Up + Breakfast + Free Time

Breakfast at Hotel

0730hrs (JPN) - Assemble at Hotel Lobby + Loading of Equipment
0800hrs (JPN) - Leaving Hotel

The band went for a walk in the Viewing Park of Kagoshima early in the morning

Scenary of Kagoshima City & Mt. Sakurajima

0900hrs (JPN) - Arrival at Performance Venue - Kanon Hall + Unloading of Equipment + Setting up on stage for rehearsal
0930hrs (JPN) - KSWS Rehearsal Starts

Some backstage scenes

1100hrs (JPN) - Joint Rehearsal Starts (85 strong selected musicians for the finale)

1130hrs (JPN) - All Rehearsals End

More photos from KSWS

1300hrs (JPN) - Festival Event Starts

Music Festival Concert Booklet 2009 (KSWS is on item 7)

1420hrs (JPN) - Tunning Rehearsal for KSWS
1500hrs (JPN) - KSWS Performance Starts

Presentation

1530hrs (JPN) - KSWS Performance Ends + Standby for Joint Finale Performance
1620hrs (JPN) - Tunning Rehearsal for KSWS
1650hrs (JPN) - Joint Finale Performance Starts

1710hrs (JPN) - Joint Finale Performance Ends + Loading of Equipment

Farewell photo with other Japanese band members

1730hrs (JPN) - Leaving Kanon Hall
1830hrs (JPN) - Arriving at Hotel + Unloading of Equipment
1900hrs (JPN) - Assemble at Hotel Lobby & Getting ready for dinner + Debrief & Briefing of next day event

22/11/2009 - Kagoshima Exchange Day One - Welcome Party

2009-11-22T23:00:00.000-08:00

0055hrs (SIN) - Departure from SIN to PVG (Pudong International Airport Terminal 1)
0610hrs (SIN/PVG) - Arrival at PVG (Pudong International Airport) in Shanghai

Arrival at Shanghai Airport - Transit Waiting Area

Free Massage & Free Food during our 5hrs of waiting at Shanghai Airport

1000hrs (SIN/PVG) - Report & Gather back at the appointed meeting point

Waiting to board the plane to Fukuoka

1050hrs (SIN/PVG) - Departure from PVG to FUK (Itazuke Airport Terminal 1) - Air Flight Details - China Eastern Airlines (MU)517 - Departing @ 1050hrs
1320hrs (JPN) - Arrival at FUK (Itazuke Airport Terminal 1) Fukuoka

Arrival at Fukuoka & Coach Journey from Fukuoka to Kagoshima & Our Toilet Break

1730hrs/1800hrs (JPN) - Estimated Arrival Time at Daiichi Hotel in Kagohima
1915hrs (JPN) - Get Change & Assemble at Hotel Lobby
1930hrs (JPN) - Starting of Welcome Party - Venue at 2nd Floor "Kirishima" Function Room

Kagoshima Welcome Party for KSWS

2100hrs (JPN) - End of Welcome Party

21/11/2009 - Day Before Flying Off - Getting Ready to Board The Plane

2009-11-21T22:00:00.000-08:00

2200hrs (SIN): Reporting to Changi Airport Terminal 3 (Air Flight Details - China Eastern Airlines - (MU)544 - Departing @ 0055hrs)

MP Dr. Lily Neo's Message to Kagoshima Prefecture Government 2009

2009-11-19T07:28:00.000-08:00

I would like to express our deepest appreciation to the Kagoshima Prefecture Government for the warm invitation to participate in the Kagoshima Prefecture Arts & Cultural Exchange Program. I believe that this is an excellent opportunity not only for music and performing arts but also for bridging stronger and greater cultural ties between Singapore & Japan.

As the Member of Parliament for Kim Seng Constituency of the Jalan Besar GRC, I am indeed proud to be associated with the Kim Seng Wind Symphony. Performing a vital social bonding role, the members of the band have come from very diverse backgrounds all bound together by the love of music. I found it very rewarding to have supported them all these years and I am happy to continue supporting them as they progress on.

The band started off initially with only a few people sharing a common passion for music. It has persevered over the years and has now grown to be a truly symphonic band with a rich performing history. This band has done well to keep abreast of musical development in Singapore. Its rich repertoire that stretches from orchestra transcription to jazz as well as pop is highly commendable.

Once again, I would like to say thank to the Kagoshima Prefecture Government for the warm invitation to participate in the Kagoshima Prefecture Arts & Cultural Exchange Program.

Thank you very much.

Dr. Lily Neo
MP for Jalan Besar GRC

Kagoshima Dai-ichi Hotel

2009-11-18T08:15:00.000-08:00

Kagoshima Dai-ichi Hotel is the place where the band is going to stay for the entire event. Here are some of the pictures of the Hotel for your viewing.

Bidding Farewell to our Loyal Members of KSWS

2009-11-06T18:06:00.000-08:00

Mr. Kenichi Sakai will be returning to Japan permanently on 08th November 2009 (SUN) due to his career requirement. He has been a loyal KSWS members since 08th June 2002 (SAT).

Mrs. Kiyomi Sakai has already returned to Japan permanently on 02nd November 2009 (MON) due to Mr. Kenichi's career requirement. She has been a loyal KSWS members since 07th December 2002 (SAT).

Their friendship & bonding with the Kim Seng Wind Symphony is never ending & forever. The band will always remember them in our heart & will also like to thank them for all their hard work & effort which they have contributed to the band for all these years. The band will like to acknowledge their permanent membership even though they have returned to Japan.

The band hope that they are able to be back to join us for our Annual Band Concert if they are available. All the best to both of them & friend forever!!!

With Best Regards,
Lawrence Chong
President of Kim Seng Wind Symphony
ONE BAND ONE SOUND

Below is a message from Kiyomi-San. Please read. Thanks.
(No editing was make to keep her original message to everyone.)

"Hi all,

I am writing to inform you that Ken & I are leaving Singapore to go back to Japan this week...It has been 8 years for Ken, and 7 and half years for me in Singapore...We could spend great and wonderful time with you all and got a lot of unfortgetable memories..It all thanks to you!!ARIGATO~~~~!!!

We wll never forget your goodwill and kindness..Please remember to contact us when you have a chance to travel to Japan..(during the kagoshima trip too, of course...)Our new address is below...

Good luck to all of you and take care...Let's keep in touch!!

Kenichi & Kiyomi SAKAI
postal code : 221-00212-231-2-403
Koyasudori Kanagawa-ku Yokohama-city, Kanagawa, JAPAN
H/P : 090-3926-9126 (Kiyomi)
kiyomink@live.jp

ps)
mao-chan, could you please help me to forward this e-mail to all ksws members?
thank you very much!!

Regards,
Kiyomi"

Our Farewell Dinner on 31/10/2009 Saturday

Kagoshima Band 2009

2009-11-04T06:13:00.000-08:00

These are the members who will be representing Singapore, PAHQ & Kim Seng CC in this "Arts & Culture Exchange Event in Kagoshima (Japan) from 22 Nov 2009 to 26 Nov 2009.

The name list is as below.

Conductor
1) Tan Tuan Hao

Flute
2) Elisse Lee Li Sze
3) Eng Shi Yee

Clarinet
4) Goh Hui Liong
5) Lam Yee Yenn

Bassoon
6) Yim Xiu Mei

Alto Saxophone
7) Audrey Seah Li Yan
8) George Leong Shin Khuen

Tenor Saxophone
9) Nor Ibrahim Bin Mohd Nor

French Horn
10) Mohammad Azmi Bin Sukaimi
11) Toh Jing Si

Trumpet
12) Andre Chia Wei Rong
13) Karen Leong Kai Ling
14) Johnathan Tan Shiliang

Trombone
15) Amy Lee Meng Fong
16) Yeo Wee Aik

Euphonium
17) Aldwyn Tan Chor Guan

Tuba
18) Lawrence Chong Seng Mong

Percussion
19) Ang Aai Lynn
20) Leow Pei Yu

This group of people will be remembered in the History of Kim Seng Wind Symphony from now. They are the 1st 20 selected members who has created an oversea history with the band for the past 17 years of music making.

The band will like to thanks them for their Co-operation, Support, Appreciation, Sacrifice, Determination, Endurance & Understanding during the entire preparation process & all the ups & downs which we have gone through together. Last but not least, thank you very much for all your commitment which you have contributed to make this trip a successful one for all.

We will do Singapore proud in Kagoshima & I hope everyone will enjoy your music on stage as well as the exchange programmes with the Kagoshima natives. So enjoy & bring back a good memory for both Japan & Singap0re.

With Best Regards,
Lawrence Chong
President of Kim Seng Wind Symphony
ONE BAND ONE SOUND

Happy Birthday to the Boys

2009-11-03T21:41:00.000-08:00

KSWS hereby wishes the following members a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

08th November (SAT) - Tee Sze Hou (Percussion Section)

09th November (SUN) - Kenneth Wong Jun Jie (Trombone Section)

09th November (SUN) - Jerold Wong Jun Hoong (Trumpet Section)

10th November (MON) - Dustin Jee Kam Chin (Oboe Section)

We hope that all of you would have an ejoyable and blissful birthday.

Best wishes!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL OUR OCT BABIES!!!

2009-10-05T23:52:00.000-07:00

The following members of ksws are celebrating their birthdays this month!
We wish them an enjoyable birthday and the best for their future endeavors!

08th October (THU) - Ian Lam Yee Yenn (Clarinet Section)
16th October (FRI) - Lok Jie Jun (Euphonium Section)
20th October (TUE) - Tan Yong An (Euphonium Section)
30th October (FRI) - Tan Yue Yuan (Clarinet Section)

furusato (ふるさと) = 故郷 (Hometown)

2009-10-02T22:52:00.000-07:00

Just received information from Kagoshima Organiser informing me that the band is going to have a combined performance with the Kanoya Girls' High School Choir during the exchange programme on the 3rd day (24/11/2009 TUE).

We will be combining 2 pieces with them. "A Lot Of Words" & this simple & nice piece with them - "furusato (ふるさと)". Enjoy.

Welcome A New Member

2009-09-26T01:18:00.001-07:00

Greetings to all KSWS members and Friends,

We have a new addition to our big family this year.
We are pleased to welcome Miss Eng Shi Yee to join the KSWS Family.
Shi Yee's membership will commence from 26th Septmeber 2009.

Here is a little introduction of Shi Yee:
-A Flutist
-A Malaysian
-Currently, a Trainee Safety Officer

You can contact via shiyee_eng@yahoo.co.uk

Please warmly welcome her to the KSWS Family.

A Happy Birthday to September Babies in KSWS!!!

2009-09-05T10:59:00.000-07:00

KSWS wishes the following members a Happy Birthday on their special day!!

05th September (SAT) - Wendy Liew Leh Ting (Flute Section)
05th September (SAT) - Yim Xiu Mei (Bassoon Section)
16th September (WED) - Karen Leong Kai Ling (Trumpet Section)

Hope they have a wonderful time on their upcoming Birthday!! Have a lot of fun & all best wishes to you!!

We also will like to wish KIM SENG WIND SYMPHONY "A Happy 17th Birthday" on 27/09/2009(SUN). A Happy 17th Anniversary to KSWS. This is the day when all KSWS band members keep her going strong & steady till today. Finally KSWS is rewarded an oversea trip to represent Singapore (Our Country) to Japan after all these 17 years of hard work & setback which she has been through. This will mark a very unforgettable history for her. So let's keep the band going strong & steady always!!! ONE BAND ONE SOUND!!! All The way!!!

Memorial to Sonny Long's Death on 28th August 2009 (FRI)

2009-08-29T22:21:00.000-07:00

Time has passed. It has been 2 years that Mr. Sonny Long has departed from us. We always remember him deep in our heart & he is always a royal member of Kim Seng Wind Symphony.

The next coming Sunday (06.09.2009 - his actual birthday), we will be visiting his grave (Mandai Crematorium) to pay him our respect again. If you are interested, please kindly meet us at Ang Mo Kio MRT Control Station at 11am sharp. Thanks.

Elisse, Xiumei, Ah Boon, my family & myslef will be there. Please kindly sms / call me direct if you are coming. Thanks.

With Best Regards,
Lawrence Chong
President of KSWS

Beautiful Sunday - Kim Seng Wind Symphony - Postcard from Singapore @ Esplanade Concert Hall

2009-08-03T08:18:00.001-07:00

Beautiful Sunday Performance
Date: 16th August 2009 (SUN)
Time: 3pm - 4pm (1hr)
Venue: Esplanade Concert Hall
FREE ADMISSION & FREE SEATING
Conducted by Mr. Tan Tuan Hao

Performance Repertoires

1) FOR THE PEOPLE, FOR THE NATION
Arr. Johnson Lee
2) SEMOGIA BAHAGIA
Zubir Said
Arr. Josef Marin
3) WILL YOU
Jimmy Ye
Arr. Johnson Lee
4) POSTCARD FROM SINGAPORE
Philip Sparke
5) HOME （家）
Dick Lee
Arr. Junichi Tanaka
6) ONE UNITED PEOPLE
Arr. Johnson Lee
7) XI SHUI CHANG LIU （细水长流）
Liang Wen Fu
Arr. Junichi Tanaka

A Happy Birthday to the July & August Babies in KSWS !!!

2009-07-26T03:18:00.001-07:00

KSWS wishes the following members a Happy Birthday on their special day!!

20th July (MON) - Yuki Udatsu (Trumpet Section)
20th July (MON) - Elisse Lee Li Sze (Flute Section)
30th July (THU) - Amy Lee Meng Fong (Trombone Section)

08th August (SAT) - Ho Law Fatt (French Horn Section)
21th August (FRI) - Toh Jing Si (French Horn Section)
23rd August (SUN) - Alicia Chong En Kee (Trainee)
27th August (THU) - Nor Ibrahim Bin Mohd Nor (Saxophone Section)
28th August (FRI) - Mohd Farid Brampy (Trumpet Section)

Hope they have a wonderful time on their upcoming Birthday!!
Have a lot of fun & all best wishes to you!!

KSWS In Concert XIV

2009-07-18T00:40:00.001-07:00

Kim Seng Wind Symphony In Concert XIV
NAFA Lee Foundation Theatre @ Campus 3
28 June 2009 SUN @ 5pm
$10 per tickets (FREE Seating)
Conducted By Mr. Tan Tuan Hao

Concert Repertoires
1) ROAD OF GOKUSEN
Michiru Oshima
arr. Hiroaki Sato
2) WATARU SEKEN WA ONIBAKARI
Kentaro Hamaeda
arr. Satomi Kojima
3) ZENBU DAKISHIMETE - AO NO JIDAI
Takuro Yoshida & CANNA
arr. Naohiro Iwai
4) JONNY'S HIT PARADE
arr. Satomi Kojima
5) AMBITIOUS JAPAN
Kyohei Tsutsuni
arr. Sawako Yamazato
6) PONYO ON THE CLIFF BY THE SEA
Jo Hisaishi
arr. Satomi Kojima

INTERVAL

7) A LEROY ANDERSON PORTRAIT
arr. James Barnes
8) T.V. TIME MACHINE
arr. Ken Dye
9) MEMORIES OF HENRY MANCINI
arr. Toshio Mashima
10) CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE
Freddie Mercury
arr. Thijs Oud

From Breakthroughs To Musicianship

2009-06-12T18:45:00.000-07:00

Musical breakthroughs usually take us by surprise. They have a curious way of happening when we're tired, discouraged, sick, or distracted. The common thread in all these situations is the element of "no resistance."

Unfortunately, we can't schedule or predict breakthroughs. Even virtuosos don't reply on them. What that occasional breakthrough does for us is to demonstrate the nature of musicianship, how our technique and our spirit can merge, giving life to sound. It's a chance to know that our emotional energy can pour into the music rather than into self-consciousness & that our movements can be natural and spontaneous rather than controlled and mechanical.

As in any arts, one purpose of our involvement in music - at whatever level - is to find this balance between our playing apparatus and our passions. If we're preoccupied by technical concerns, we may find our work dry. "Sometimes," said one oboe player, "the more I practice, the less I care. That's when I know I've lost the heart of the music and I need to rethink my approach." In seeking a balance between technique and spirit, 3 concepts are especially helpful: making contact with music, making peace with our mistakes, & making honest musical decision.

1) Making Contact with Music
Musicianship - this balance of feeling and technique - is not an "advanced" subject. It is not something you have to wait for until you have mastered everything else. Every time you make contact with music, every time you make a link between the technical act of making music & the personal act of enjoying music, using music, or responding to music , you are building your musicianship. It's easy to be so involved with "getting it right" that we forget that music is a normal human activity. It's perfectly natural to whistle while you work, dance cheek to cheek, sing in the shower, and make a joyful noise.

Some of your best training in musicianship happens when you are not playing. Every movement that enters your awareness refines your understanding of rhythm; everything you see with awareness refines your understanding of shape and form. Sometimes the most valuable thing we can do for our musical development is to spend time doing something else - dance, creative writing, photography, drawing, or painting.

If you have been concentrating on technique and other individual skills of music making, you can feel confident that the moment will come when you engage your feelings, too. You may have to invite that moment. You may, for example, decide to stop paying attention to how you move your muscles when you make a crescendo (growing louder) or an accelerando (growing faster). Instead, you'll begin to feel the real important of that crescendo or the meaning of that accelerando. It isn't the kind of "important" or "meaning" that you express in words. You feel the sense of the music, and you trust your body to express it. That's the connection between feeling and technique. It's the difference between, on the one hand, running to catch a bus and, on the other hand, thinking about how to move your muscles if you wanted to run to catch a bus. When your attention is focused on a genuine motive, your actions follow naturally. As Eric Stumacher says,"When we feel an aesthetic impulse, our bodies find a way to get it done."

2) Making Peace with Mistakes
In seeking our own personal balance between technique & emotion, it's helpful to remember that something can be beautiful and also be imperfect. Perfection is closed system to which nothing more can be added. Imperfection is a kind of openness that continues to seek & grow.

Mistakes in music are a bit like minor stumbles when we're walking. If we stumble a bit in real life, we just stay on our feet and carry on. But when we stumble musically, we sometimes act like cartoon characters. We fall on our face in the dust and lie there cursing and seeing stars. Don't over-dramatize musical stumbles. Use our practice to correct mistakes, but when you play, just play. The music wants to keep going; it doesn't care if you make a mistake. One of the skills of really good musicianship is the ability to cover mistakes - to go right on as if nothing happened, without even missing a beat. If we are feeling the music and trusting our technique, a mistake cannot stop us because the music will carry us on.

3) Making Musical Decisions: Interpretation
As you study & learn a piece of music, you are entitled to make it your own, to interpret the music in your own way. You don't have to play it the way you hear it on a record or the way suggested by an editor or even the way your teacher tells you to. Every good piece of music, like every good play or poem, welcomes the performer's contributions.

Interpretation begins and ends, of course, with the music - the melody line, the rhythmic design, the lyrics, the style, the printed score if we have one. Like an actor interpreting a script, we first follow the directions we are given. We seek to be true to the composer's intentions as far as we can know them & to the music as it stands. Much interpretation is nothing more than a clear statement of what already exists in the music. It is not something laid on from the outside but rather something insisted on by the music itself.

Your interpretation may differ from someone else's. If you live with a piece of music for very long, you will likely change your own interpretation through times as your musical skills mature. But as long as you are guided by the music, by good taste, & by honesty, your interpretations are valid. The how of musical interpretation is a question that can occupy a lifetime.

Here are a few general guidelines:

i) Let your tone quality be expressive.
The act of listening to, experimenting with, & developing your tone quality are all very important. It is in the act of interpretation that this work bears fruit. Tonal intensity is of special importance in expressive playing. Be careful not to let soft passages get flimsy.

ii) Let your dynamic range & your tempo be expressive.
Dynamic range refers here to sound levels, from loud to soft. For interpretive purposes, it may be more helpful to use the words BIG & SMALL, thinking in terms of shape rather than effort. It's best to be careful whenever music tends to an extreme. For example, there is an upper limit to how fast a listener can perceive the notes in a fast passage. Played too fast, a passage becomes a blur. Played a bit more slowly, the passage sparkles. It's important to be in control of extremes of dynamics & tempo so that your big sound is rich, your soft sound is delicate, your fast tempos glisten, & your slow temps press on.

Changes in dynamics & tempo within a piece of music are often gradual, subtle changes. When we play by ear, we tend to handle such changes with more finesse than we sometimes do when we read. When we see something written down - a crescendo on the page, for example, or a ritard - we need to feel a meaningful change in the musical line, & to do this, it helps to think the present level first. For example, if you're playing softly and you see a crescendo coming up, think "small" & then grow. If you think "loud" you are likely to move too fast & so lose the musical character. Your body, remember, responds with exquisite precision to your musical ideas.

Resist thinking of accents, dynamics, & tempo as something to be stirred in after the piece is "done", like poppy seeds on top of bread. The interpretive content of music is the leavening in the loaf - it is what will make it rise - & it needs to be stirred in at the beginning.

iii) Let your phrasing be expressive.
Musicians spends whole lifetimes studying & refining their phrasing. We can only touch lightly on this rich subject here, & we'll do that by comparing musical phrasing to language. A phrase in music is much like a sentence in speech or prose. If we neglect phrasing, in the musical sense, when we talk, our speech is flat, lifeless, a kind of robot-like imitation of human speech. If we neglect phrasing when we make music, our music is flat, lifeless, a kind of robot-like imitation of music.

For all musicians, skillful phrasing means careful attention to the relative important of each note in a phrase. Our speech is full of musical-phrase-like qualities, patterns of stressed & unstressed syllables, of rising & falling intensities. Our musical phrasing can often be enhanced by making up words to a musical phrase, by improvising a movement that seems to express the phrase, by conducting the phrase, or by finding an image that seem to fit it.

Of all musicians, singers tend to have the best natural phrasing since their musical line is usually supported by words & since their tone comes entirely from within them, with no mechanical object to intervene. Among instrumentalists, wind, percussion, & bowed string players come closest to singers in natural opportunities to phrase - wind players because they co-ordinate their breath with the musical line, & the percussion & bowed strings because their tone production is so closely tied to large gestures. Phrasing is the biggest challenge on keyboards & fretted (plucked or strummed) strings. For instrumentalists, the experience of singing in a vocal group under a proficient conductor is usually a liberal education in phrasing.

iv) Let the rhythm guide your expression.
Like time itself, musical rhythm is multilayer-ed. Just as in a clock & calendar time we have years, seasons, moon cycles, months, days, minutes, & seconds, so in music we have pieces, movements, sections, phrases, bars, beats, subdivisions, & frequencies. Each of these rhythmic entities provides clues for interpretation. A good place to begin is to feel the quality of the rhythmic pulse. Does the sound you're after want to sink down into the beat, as in a dirge or slow ballad, or does it want to spring up & away from the beat, as in a jig or scherzo?

v) Let your interpretation come from the inside out.
If technique has been developed with care, interpretation can be accomplished in the mind & in the heart. We don't have to tell our fingers or our breath to make an accent or play a smooth legato. If the technique for doing it is in hand, we need only think an accent or legato, & our body will follow.

A Happy Birthday to the June Babies in KSWS!!!

2009-06-12T18:18:00.000-07:00

KSWS wishes the following members a Happy Birthday on their special day!!

02nd June (TUE) - Jason Lua Czee Siong (Clarinet Section)
05th June (FRI) - Ho Law Wei (Tuba Section)
09th June (TUE) - Audrey Seah (Saxophone Section)
25th June (THU) - Andrew Lee Mun Yew (Trumpet Section)

Hope they have a wonderful time on their upcoming Birthday!!Have a lot of fun & all best wishes to you!!

A Happy Birthday to the MAY Babies!!! Have a lot of fun!!!

2009-05-10T09:20:00.000-07:00

KSWS wishes the following members a Happy Birthday on their special day!!

01st May (FRI) - Alvin Lee Chee Lup (Saxophone Section)
13th May (WED) - Bernard Chia Wen Tsen (Tuba Section)
14th May (THU) - Lawrence Chong Seng Mong (Tuba Section)
14th May (THU) - Lim Ding Liang (Clarinet Section)
30th May (SAT) - Makoto Watanabe (French Horn Section)

Hope they have a wonderful time on their upcoming Birthday!!Have a lot of fun & all best wishes to you!!

A Happy Birthday to the April's Babies!!! Enjoy!!!

2009-04-17T20:03:00.000-07:00

KSWS wishes the following members a Happy Birthday on their special day!!

04th April (SAT) - Yeo Wee Aik (Trombone Section)
18th April (SAT) - Tan Wei Lian (Clarinet Section)

Hope they have a wonderful time on their upcoming Birthday!!Have a lot of fun & all best wishes to you!!

"Sound of Music" @ Train Station - Fantastic!!!

2009-04-08T07:29:00.000-07:00

All must watch this!!! This is fantastic!!! Music can be anything!!! Enjoy!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARCH BABIES!!!

2009-03-01T19:59:00.000-08:00

KSWS would to wish our following March babies a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

09 March 2009 (Mon) - Kenichi Sakai (Clarinet Section)

13 March 2009 (Friday) -Tan Tuan Hao Charlie (Flute Section)

20 March 2009 (Friday) - Ong Pang Chi Alan (French Horn Section)

29 March 2009 (Sunday) - Goh Hui Liong (Clarinet Section)

30 March 2009 (Mon) - Edmund Leong Fook Seng (Trombone Section)

Hope that all of you will enjoy every moments of your birthday. All the best to all endeavors that you are going to embarked on=) HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Location Map of KSWS

2009-02-06T06:48:00.001-08:00

February 2009 Birthday Girls !!!

2009-02-03T05:13:00.000-08:00

KSWS wishes the following members a Happy Birthday on their special day!!

03rd February (TUE) - Chin Shiying (Percussion Section)
17th February (TUE) - Kiyomi Sakai (Saxophone Section)

Hope they have a wonderful time on their upcoming Birthday!! Have a lot of fun & all best wishes to you.

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR

2009-01-21T21:21:00.000-08:00

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!
I wish everybody that this new year will bring happy families, good health, abundance growth and prosperity!
Those who are working, earn more money and find good jobs!!!
Those who are still schooling will get excellent results!!!!
Finally, I hope that the KSWS as a whole would make better music as one big family!!!

ENJOY THE "NIU" YEAR!!!

KSWS is having a BREAK!!

2008-12-13T21:23:00.001-08:00

Hi All KSWSians,

Please kindly take note of the following dates below:

20.12.2008 SAT - No Band Practice - Break for Christmas & New Year Day!!
27.12.2008 SAT - No Band Practice - Break for Christmas & New Year Day!!
03.01.2009 SAT - No Band Practice - Break for New Year Day!!
10.01.2009 SAT - Band Practice Resume
17.01.2009 SAT - Band Practice Resume
24.01.2009 SAT - No Band Practice - Break for Chinese New Year!!
31.01.2009 SAT - Band Practice Resume for a GOOD NEW start of Year 2009!!

Once we are back for practices on 31.01.2009 SAT, we will be concentrating to work hard for our upcoming Band Concert on 28.06.2009 SUN in NAFA Hall & our National Day performance in Esplanade on 09.08.2009 SUN.

We hope that every members & friends can have a good rest during these Holiday Seasons. Enjoyed your Christmas & New Year Day with a lot of fun & we hope to see everyone back with more energy & action in Year 2009!!!

KSWS Committee will like to wish all
"A Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year!!!"

Thanks for all your effort & hard work in year 2008!!!

December 2008 Birthday Boys!!!

2008-12-01T15:54:00.000-08:00

KSWS wishes the following members a Happy Birthday on their special day!!

16th December (TUE) - Mohd Azmi Bin Sukaimi (French Horn Section)
18th December (THU) - James Lai Kwan Soon (French Horn Section)

Hope they have a wonderful time on their upcoming Birthday!! Have a lot of fun & all best wishes to you.

KSWS In Concert XIII

2008-11-10T01:05:00.001-08:00

Kim Seng Wind Symphony In Concert XIII
NTUC Biz Centre Auditorium
(1 Marina Boulevard, Singapore 018989)
23 November 2008 (SUN) @ 5pm
Ticket @ $10 each (Free Seating)
Conducted By Mr. Tan Tuan Hao

*Please kindly contact us or email us for ticket enquiry. Thanks!

Concert Repertoires
1) FESTIVE OVERTURE
Dimitri Shostakovich
arr. Donald Hunsberger
2) A MUSIC PARK
Luc Gistel
3) CONZENSUS
Jan Van der Roost
4) AVENTURA
James Swearingen
5) DAIBUTSU TO SHIKA
Itaru Sakai

INTERVAL

6) MUSIC FROM THE INCREDIBLES
Michael Giacchino
arr. Jay Bocook
7) HIGHLIGHTS FROM HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE
Jo Hisaishi
arr. Eiji Suzuki
8) BATMAN
arr. Toshihiko Sahashi
9) MUSIC FROM PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN
Klaus Badlet
arr. John Wasson

"KSWS In Concert XIII" is in CultureShiok Website NOW!!!

2008-11-04T02:31:00.000-08:00

Please tell your friends about our concert.

Visit CultureShiok. Just a click away for more CultureShiok. Click here now!

http://www.cultureshiok.pa.gov.sg/Content/EventDtl.aspx?Event=11072654&Month=NOV08

November 2008 Birthday Boys!!!

2008-10-29T05:45:00.000-07:00

KSWS wishes the following members a Happy Birthday on their special day!!

08th November (SAT) - Tee Sze Hou (Percussion Section)
09th November (SUN) - Kenneth Wong Jun Jie (Trombone Section)
09th November (SUN) - Jerold Wong Jun Hoong (Trumpet Section)
10th November (MON) - Dustin Jee Kam Chin (Oboe Section)

Hope they have a wonderful time on their upcoming Birthday!! Have a lot of fun & all best wishes to you.

KSWS Concert 12 Poster Ranked No.3 in Poster Competition

2008-10-29T05:18:00.000-07:00

Something to share with the band. Bernard took KSWS Concert 12 poster & entered in the American Design Award Competition & our poster won a 3rd placing under the "Poster Design" Category.

Here is the website: http://www.americandesignawards.com/annual11.html
Go & have a look.

Congratulation to Bernard for winning a 3rd placing in his hard work & effort for the poster!! Keep it up the good work!! We want MORE!!!!!

Musical Technique

2008-10-04T23:04:00.000-07:00

We meet some musical patterns so often that it makes sense to learn them separately so that we don't have to scuffle with them every time they come up. This is one of the best reasons for practicing TECHNIQUE, the actual movements that you make with your body when you sing or play. When practicing technique we meet and experiment with our instrument or voice to forge strong bonds among mind, muscles, and the means of making sound.

As Kenneth Wollitz says, we "learn to play OURSELVES in the mode dictated by our instrument."

Technique is the one musical skill that EVERY musician requires.

Certain technical skills are common to all styles of music: these include scales, chromatic scales, chords and chord progressions, arpeggios, and "long tones" (long, sustained notes played to develop tone quality). Other technical skills are associated only with certain musical styles, such as Baroque embellishments or blues turnarounds. When learning these we acquire a special vocabulary for style of music that we like best - we learn the idioms, the cliches, the figures of speech that give the style its special flavour. There's also technique that is specific to each instrument - vibrato, register changes, flutter tonguing, double stopping, and chord barring, for example.

At the heart of technical development for most musicians are SCALES and TONE QUALITY. A knowledge of scales and their associated arpeggios and chord forms helps us approach music making with confidence. As scale playing becomes second nature, musical terrain seems less rugged and chaotic. We internalize what musicians sometimes call "key feeling." As our hands, lips, and ears assimilate the shape of various scales and their related key signatures, we develop a natural impulse to reach for either the right note or at least a logical note in any given passage.

The ability to control and vary our tone quality helps us approach music expressively. As our tone quality develops and matures, our music making can carry an ever-expanding scope of meaning and depth. Tone quality and intensity are close relatives. Good tonal technique means knowing the difference between VOLUME and INTENSITY. It means knowing how to make a big sound that is rich and full, and how to make a small sound that is also rich and full. That's intensity.

To acquire and maintain technique, many musicians like to use standard books of scale studies, technical exercises, and etudes. Most books of technical studies were written by 19th century performers who were considered great teachers. Most include a preface by the composer that is worth reading. Many etudes are actually lovely small pieces all by themselves, and if you play very many, you are likely to develop some favorites. The disadvantage of etudes is that some require more time and effort to learn than can really be justified in musical - or even technical! - returns. Very few musicians study "every etude in the book." An experienced player who has "done" the standard etude collections for your instrument can likely itemize the names and numbers of the really useful ones.

If you practice technique, it's worth experimenting to find the right time of day and the right time in your playing sessions to do it. Technique requires patience and forgiving attitude toward yourself, the ability to go slowly and to do only a little at a time.

Technical points that are specific to particular instruments and particular styles are too numerous to detail here, but these 7 general principles apply to everyone:

1. Practice technique with awareness.
Before you begin an exercise or an etude, ask yourself WHY you are playing it this time. It could be to learn the fingering, to check intonation, to experiment with hand positions, to improve control dynamics, to develop even notes. There are dozens of possible reasons, but if there is no reason, then there is no point in doing it.

2. Working in patterns and contexts.
Apply the principle of chunking. It is never worth stopping technical practice, or practice of any kind, to fix a single note. Every note lives in a musical context. Always practice musically meaningful groups of notes, including a preparation and a follow-through.

3. Avoid mindless repetition.
If you need to repeat a passage many times, introduce some variety so that you stay alert and involved. Small variations are sufficient - a bit softer this time, a bit slower the next, now smooth and connected, now short and detached, now listen to the center of the tone, now close your eyes.

4. Play with a very steady rhythm, even if it's slow.
Playing technical material in secure rhythm exposes weak spots very quickly. Some parts of scales, for example, are easier to play than others. If you habitually rush the easy parts and "given in" to difficulties, you will either fumble the same passage when you meet in a piece of music, or you will alternately rush and drag the tempo where it makes no musical sense to do so.

5. Emphasize efficiency and effortless rather than speed.
Apply the principle of release. The purpose of some technical practice is to get our speed up - to play runs, trills, and riffs at a musical tempo. Going for speed itself, though, usually gives less reliable results than going for efficiency. If speed is your goal, analyze the sequence of movements you're making. Find out where effort is really required and where effortlessness will do.

For example, holding a finger down on a violin or a flute requires less effort than lifting a finger up. Excess effort fed into "down" can turn into fatigue and diminished control, leaving the muscles poorly prepared for "up". In his book , David Pino offers advice that's valuable to all musicians:

"Very rarely, if ever, is the problem an inherent lack of speed. You MAY lack speed, but if you do, that lack comes from poor control and coordination. It is a mistake to SAY that you lack speed because that lack is only a symptom of some other and more basic lack. The real problem is usually in the areas of airflow, relaxation, rhythmic steadiness, or in the simple coordination of the fingers with the tongue.... Work for control, coordination, relaxation, but not for speed!"

6. Be fearless.
Vague, flimsy, unfocused playing will not disclose the problems that need attention, nor will it allow your strengths to shine.

7. Be musical.
Technique is drawn out of a musical context and must finally return there. It makes sense, then, to take up technique musically and not mechanically.

There is no arguing that techniques is plain hard work most of the time. It's like a steamroller - slow and steady, smoothing out everything it travels over. If we approach our work with curiosity and patience, and if we let go of our resistance and our judgments, then acquisition of technique will slowly but reliably strengthen all our musical abilities.

It is when we are PLAYING, not practicing, that technical work pays off and can be forgotten - not abandoned, but rather consigned to the subconscious to serve us from there, like a benevolent genie. Our technique becomes as secure, finally,as brushing our teeth. We no longer have to think how it's done. But just as we all get routine brushing and flossing reminders from our dentist, so even simplest technique can be brought to surface, re-examined, renewed, and deepened at any time. "Good technique" is a wonderful thing to have, but "wrong" or "bad" technique will not ruin you or keep you out of the midst of music. Don't put off music making or the acquisition of other skills because you fear your technique is insufficient. It is more important to PLAY MUSIC.

Rehearsing For A Performance

2008-10-04T20:00:00.000-07:00

Rehearsing for a performance is practicing with a very special goal. As in any other practice, it is useless to go over and over your music, especially the troublesome bits, with no attempt to address problems. Especially if a part is giving someone a problem, nothing will be accomplished by repetition except to drive in more deeply the troubles that already exist.

An individual's rehearsal work and a group's work are similar in many ways except that the group's time is more closely bound. An individual can rehearse at will, but a group must work round every one's schedule and may be hard-pressed to find time beyond the normal rehearsals. A group usually depends not on adding extra practice time but on starting early enough to get the work done. Each group will discover the right number of rehearsals needed for a concert or performance. Too few means a sloppy, insecure, demoralizing performance, but too many makes for boredom, resentment, and a loss of enthusiasm.

To keep up morale and use time efficiently, ensembles may need to schedule sectionals so that small groups of players or vocalists can go over their work. It's common for orchestra to split up into strings, woodwinds, and brass for at least one rehearsal. A sectional can be led by an experienced player so that several sectionals can go on simultaneously without requiring the conductor or leader to be present. A lot can be accomplished in a good sectional in a very short time. It's valuable enough to deserve the first twenty minutes or so at the very beginning of a rehearsal. It's not usually a good idea to hold a sectional at the end of a rehearsal when attention is beginning to wane.

An unconducted ensemble or an individual working alone might consider using a coach at some point during performance rehearsals. A coach is ideally a very good teacher with a clear knowledge of the kind of music you're getting ready. It is not someone who instructs in basic technique but rather someone who will help you build dimension into your playing, to bring it off the stage and into the audience.

One good time to bring in a coach is fairly early in your preparation, after you've learned your parts and are ready to break the music down for detailed work. You can get some ideas about developing and doing your best work, getting over the hurdles with room to spare, and using your instrumental skills to best advantage. The other good time for a coach is when you are ready to put the pieces back together. The least productive time for coaching is at the very end, just days or hours before the show. At that point it can feel a bit too late to everyone, especially if the coach has very many basic suggestions to make.

You will naturally think about the acoustics of the performance space, but if you have a choice, think about the acoustics of your rehearsal space as well. Consider challenging yourself and rehearsing in a "dry" environment, one that lacks resonance, that is what musicians call "dead". A resonant space gives richness to your overall sound, but it also conceals your mistakes and makes you sound much better than you actually are. It can be downright dangerous to rehearse in a live hall and perform in a dead one.

October 2008 Birthday Gals & Boys!!!

2008-10-04T18:47:00.000-07:00

KSWS wishes the following members a Happy Birthday on their special day!!

08th October (WED) - Ian Lam Yee Yenn (Clarinet Section)
16th October (THU) - Lok Jie Jun (Euphonium Section)
20th October (MON) - Tan Yong An (Euphonium Section)
30th October (THU) - Tan Yue Yuan (Clarinet Section)

Hope they have a wonderful time on their upcoming Birthday!! Have a lot of fun & all best wishes to you.

Lok Jie Jun's Birthday Celebration

Bid Farewell to Mr. Noormazreen Maswan (Saxophone Section) & Ms. Lee Xian Li (Saxophone Section)

2008-10-04T18:15:00.000-07:00

Hi KSWSians,

Let's say thanks to Mr. Noormazreen Maswan (Member Since 1997) & Ms. Lee Xian Li (Member since 2004) as they have decided to withdraw their membership from KSWS due to their busy personal commitment & career. They will still be supporting the band & they like to wish the band all the best in her music making for many good years to come.

KSWS will also like to thanks them for their contribution & effort in their years of service. The band also like to wish them all well for their career & life. Thank you very much & friends forever.

With Best Regards,
Lawrence Chong
President of KSWS

September 2008 Birthday Gals & Boys!!! A Happy 16th Birthday to KSWS!!!

2008-09-01T23:37:00.000-07:00

KSWS wishes the following members a Happy Birthday on their special day!!

05th September (FRI) - Wendy Liew Leh Ting (Piccolo/Flute Section
05th September (FRI) - Yim Xiumei (Bassoon Section)
16th September (TUE) - Karen Leong Kai Ling (Trumpet Section)

Hope they have a wonderful time on their upcoming Birthday!! Have a lot of fun & all best wishes to you.

A Happy 16th Birthday to Kim Seng Wind Symphony on 27th September (SAT)!!!

Bid Farewell to Mr. Fernando Cura Dela Cruz (Trumpet Section)

2008-09-01T22:12:00.000-07:00

Hi all KSWSians,

I am sad to announce that Mr. Fernando Cura Dela Cruz from the trumpet section has decided to leave the band for his heavy commitment in his church management & he will not be able to commit to the band practices in future. The band will like to thank him for his time & effort which he has contributed in the band since 15.03.2008. His resignation will take effect on 30.08.2008 onward. Let wish him all the best in his love with GOD & family. The band will always welcome him back as a friend/guest player in the future whenever his time allows.

With Best Regards,
Lawence Chong
President of KSWS

KSWS Website has been 90% updated today!!

2008-08-12T22:57:00.000-07:00

Hi all KSWSians,

I have updated 90% of the KSWS website today. The rest I need to have a discussion with JingSi for some computer languages & some uploaded issues.

Please feel free to go into the website again. (http://ksws.org/main.htm) Please go in and check if everything is ok & feedback to me or JingSi for further action. Thanks!

Please kindly do not try to use any functions yet on the website because some of the links are missing. Thanks!

Regards,
Lawrence
President of KSWS

August 2008 Birthday Girls & Boys!!! KSWS also like to wish Singapore a Happy 43rd Birthday!!!

2008-07-30T21:01:00.000-07:00

KSWS wishes the following members a Happy Birthday on their special day!!

08th August (FRI) - Ho Law Fatt (F.Horn Section)
21st August (THU) - Toh Jing Si (F.Horn Section)
27th August (WED) - Nor Ibrahim Bin Mohd Nor (Saxophone Section)
30th August (SAT) - Daniel Li Da Hao (Clarinet Section)

Hope they have a wonderful time on their upcoming Birthday!! Have a lot of fun & all best wishes to you.

KSWS also like to wish SINGAPORE a Happy 43rd Birthday on 9th August (SAT) !!!

July 2008 Birthday Girls!!

2008-07-01T09:04:00.000-07:00

KSWS wishes the following members a Happy Birthday on their special day!!

20th July (SUN) - Yuki Udatsu (Trumpet Section)
20th July (SUN) - Elisse Lee Li Sze (Flute Section)
30th July (WED) - Amy Lee Meng Fong (Trombone Section)

Hope they have a wonderful time on their upcoming Birthday!! Have a lot of fun & all best wishes to you!!

Elisse's Birthday Celebration

Warmly Welcome Our New Family Member Onboard - 08 June 2008 Batch

2008-06-19T10:38:00.000-07:00

Dear KSWSians,

Please warmly welcome the following member to our KSWS family.

Trumpet section Mr. Jerold Wong Jun Hoong
- Currently a Nanyang Polytechnic Student
- Born in 1989
- Found KSWS through Ms. Lok Jie Jun
- You can all add him to your mailing address at junhoong_wong@hotmail.com
- His official membership will take effect from 08 June 2008

We would like to extend our warmest welcome to Mr. Jerold Wong into our KSWS family.

Some interesting tips for Flute Playing

2008-06-05T18:59:00.000-07:00

Here is some interesting tips for our flute section. Someone has posted this on the internet & sound very innovative. I think there is no harm to give it a try. Have fun!!

Improve of your Tone Production
Things you will need: An empty Coke bottle of 2 litre

Step 1: Use an empty Coke bottle & blow easily producing a steady sound while keeping the corners of your lips firm and the cheeks flat. (Use a small empty bottle if your breath support is weak for beginners.)

Step 2: Control the direction of a steady stream of air finding the correct angle that produces a sound. Do this exercise till you manage to have a good steady air stream & a correct angle that produces a sound. Then transfers this exercise to the flute.

Step 3: Take your flute mouthpiece section off the body of the flute.

Step 4: Place the mouthpipe opening on your closed lips so that the hole equally touches your top and bottom lips.

Step 5: Roll the mouthpiece down and away, keeping contact with your lower lip.

Step 6: Do the candle-blowing exercise so that a steady pitch is produced.

Step 7: Insert the mouthpiece section back into the instrument& bring the flute into "playing position."

Step 8: Depress and hold down the three top keys with the left hand plus the thumb key & blow producing a second line G on the treble clef.

Step 9: Use a deep breath & maintain this sound for three seconds.

Tips & Warnings
1) The side of your left index finger (at the knuckle joint) will touch the flute and provide support for the instrument where it touches your lower lip.

2) Avoid putting pressure on the instrument with your hands that might crush the natural shape of your lips.

3) Avoid blowing with high speed air.

4) If you get dizzy, stop blowing.

5) Always protect your instrument from others wishing to use or experiment with it.

Bid Farewell to Mr. Teo See Siang (Trumpet Section)

2008-06-05T17:38:00.000-07:00

Hi all KSWSians,

I am sad to announce that Mr. Teo See Siang from the trumpet section has decided to leave the band for his new job & he has foresee that his hectic & oversea outstation schedule will not allow him to commit to the band practices in future.

The band will like to thank him for his time & effort which he has contributed in the band since 2003. His resignation will take effect on 05.06.2008 onward.

Let wish him all the best in his new career establishment. The band will always welcome him back as a friend/guest player in the future whenever his time allows.

With Best Regards,
Lawence Chong
President of KSWS

Warmly Welcome Our New Family Member Onboard - 04 June 2008 Batch

2008-06-05T09:43:00.000-07:00

Dear KSWSians,

Please warmly welcome the following member to our KSWS family

Trumpet section Ms. Yuki Udatsu
- Working as a Customer Service Officer
- Born in 1977
- Found KSWS through Mr. Yeo Wee Aik at Yamaha Music Shop
- You can all add her to your mailing address at yuki_udatsu@yahoo.co.jp
- Her official membership will take effect from 04 June 2008

We would like to extend our warmest welcome to Yuki-Chan into our KSWS family.

KSWS Group Outings or Get together!!!

2008-06-01T17:52:00.000-07:00

Here are some KSWS group outings which we have done besides our weekly practices. Somtimes we meet up for "Makan" or go window shopping or just for the sake of sticking together. It was fun!! Full of crampy & dirty jokes. KSWSians join us if you are interested!!! Show the fun side of yourself besides your seriousness in music making. Just be yourself & have a lot of FUN!!!

Below are some of the happening thing which we have captured so far!!!!

Birthday Celebrations!!!

Outings!!!

We NOT only make music. We also make Friends & have a lot of fun!!

June 2008 Birthday Boys & Girls!!!

2008-06-01T16:28:00.000-07:00

KSWS wishes the following members a Happy Birthday on their special day!!

02nd June (MON) - Jason Lua Czee Siong (Clarinet Section)
05th June (THU) - Ho Law Wei (Tuba Section)
09th June (MON) - Audrey Seah (Saxphone Section)
24th June (TUE) - Noormazreen Maswan (Saxophone Section)
25th June (WED) - Andrew Lee Mun Yew (Trumpet Section)
28th June (SAT) - Lee Xian Li (Saxophone Section)

Hope they have a wonderful time on their upcoming Birthday!! Have a lot of fun & all best wishes to you!!

Warmly welcome our new family member onboard - 12 May 2008 Batch

2008-05-11T21:39:00.000-07:00

Dear KSWSians,

Please warmly welcome the following member to our KSWS family

Clarinet section Mr Daniel Li Da Hao
- Studying in NTU, Yr 4, Materials Engineering student
- Born in 1984
- Found KSWS through close friends
- You can all add him to your mailing address @ clarinettist1@gmail.com
- His official membership will take effect from 12 May 2008

We would like to extend our warmest welcome to Daniel into our KSWS family.

ANNOUNCEMENT!

2008-05-01T02:45:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,
Regarding the instrument repair,
The repair man will be sending the flutes back to us in early May.

We have agreed that he'll be taking the instruments needing repair back to his workshop when he drops by to return the repaired flutes.

SLs,
If there are still faulty/leaking instruments that you haven't informed me of,
Please tell me ASAP okay?

Thanks! =)

Jiejun

MAY 2008 Birthday Boys!!!

2008-04-23T18:35:00.000-07:00

KSWS wishes the following members a Happy Birthday on their special day!!

01st May (THU) - Alvin Lee Chee Lup (Saxophone Section)

13th May (TUE) - Bernard Chia Wen Tsen (Tuba Section)

14th May (WED) - Lawrence Chong Seng Mong (Tuba Section)

14th May (WED) - Lim Ding Liang (Clarinet Section)

30th May (FRI) - Makoto Watanabe (F.Horn Section)

Hope they have a wonderful time on their upcoming Birthday!!Have a lot of fun & all best wishes to you!!

Warmly welcome our new family member onboard - 12.04.2008 Batch

2008-04-12T12:08:00.001-07:00

Hi All KSWSians,

Please warmly welcome the following new members to our KSWS family.

1) F.Horn Section Ms. Toh Jing Si
- Working as an IT Trainer presently
- Borned in 1985
- Found KSWS through Mr. James Lai
- You can add her to your mailing list at j04n_toh@hotmail.com
- Her official membership has taken effect from 12.04.2008.

Let's put our hands together to welcome our new band member to our big family.

Qing Ming Jie (清明节) - Memorial to Sonny Long's Death

2008-04-02T18:36:00.000-07:00

This Friday 04th April 2008 (FRI) is Qing Ming Jie (清明节). Let's keep one minute of silence to show our respect to one of our dearest KSWS members, Sonny Long's death. We will always remember him in our heart & his great contributions to KSWS in the past.

In behalf of the KSWS & my many years of friendship, I will be showing my respect to him at the Mandai Crematorium this coming Saturday (05.05.2008) afternoon. If you are interested to join me, please meet me at Ang Mo Kio MRT control station at 3pm sharp. Thanks!

From Lawrence Chong
President of KSWS

P/S: Thanks to Kelvin Ng (Ah Boon), Hui Leong, JieJun, Elisse, Sze Hou & Xiumei for joining me & my family to show our respect to Sonny Long. I really appreciated your time & effort even thought it was raining that day. Thank you very much!

April 2008 Birthday Boys!!

2008-04-02T18:18:00.000-07:00

KSWS wishes the following members a Happy Birthday on their special day!!

04th April (FRI) - Yeo Wee Aik (Trombone Section)
18th April (THU) - Tan Wei Lian (Clarinet Section)

Hope they have a wonderful time on their upcoming Birthday!!Have a lot of fun & all best wishes to you!!

2008-03-28T00:18:00.000-07:00

Hey people, these are the photos taken on my side during the chalet.
Not many photos though....
For those who attended, we had loads of fun, didn't we?
The BBQ, Escape, the UNO games, PSP, movies, o2jamming, mahjong....

Xiu Mei and Lawrence had said so much, think I'll just let the pics elaborate more in detail.
Cheers to KSWS!!
=)

Friday Night

Weiyi eating our CHICKEN SKIN from the KFC meal.

Gross....

Saturday

I woke up fully at 8AM in the morning, and this is what I saw:

The nice morning view from the chalet apartment.
Can you see the sea?

Everyone woke up by afternoon,
Started playing UNO! and Heart Attack!

Look the the killer 'Draw 2' cards!!

Lawrence's funny expression. xD

BBQ!

The BBQ at night!
The pretty fire started by Law Wei.

Food, Glorious food!

Watching Naruto at the chalet apartment after BBQ.

Makoto's laptop, mainly for playing o2jam.
=P

Sunday
These kids played PSP-Mahjong-UNO-Tai-tee
till 9AM in the morning! I woke up at 10+AM and
caught them sleeping. =)

Escape Theme Park!

Everyone taking a break after a round or two of the attractions
in the theme park.

Queuing up for the Daytona.
Can you spot Amy and the others in the line?

Daytona:

Amy coming back, followed by Lawrence. =)

Its almost night time, but we continued repeatedly

going on the inverter, Viking ship and rainbow.
=)
Look at the pretty sky!

We left at 8+PM, had dinner at Downtown East.
Everyone was sooo tired...
Some can't help falling asleep upon sitting down.

We headed back to the chalet to pack our stuff,
Found this poor forgotten bottle of green tea in the FREEZER.

Damn cool la! The colour has already changed!
If you looked at the bottom of the bottle,
You'll notice that the colour of the ice there is
a darker brown! = o

The chalet was damn fun!
Those outside who still think that KSWS are still an 'uncle band',
Tell me the chalet sure ~~boring~~ de....

I PROVE YOU WRONG!

Everyone of us are young de kk!
Muahahaha.
Other then just a place for music enthusiasts coming together,
Learning from each other and making music,
We also meet great people and make friends here!

Upcoming performances & events chioooong ahhhh~~~

More Updates on the annual KSWS chalet

2008-03-26T20:59:00.000-07:00

Finally, the KSWS chalet is over... And there is loads to update on...Hope that all that have been present had enjoyed the chalet... This is an annual chalet whereby you see the KSWSians put down their hair, put on casual clothings and have FUN, FUN AND MORE FUN! Here are some photos that i want to pen down to reminisce the enjoyable times with you guys=)

The nice scenery from our chalet window...

It over looks the sea from Pasir Ris Park.. Woo~~~

So what are our games stations? Card games, Mahjong or the PSP? lol? Much of a gamer yah?

Tired... Zzzz... Dun we look like a family... Jerold n Mak in the room... While we slept in the living room! Whee~~~

Our BBQ night....

Some preparations... Let c the fire grow!

Cooking... Chef in progress! Happy, Hungry Crowd!!!=)

The subtle side... Share our food with kitty kitty!

The Escape Theme Park Day.... Happy... Wooo~~~~ Although people did puke and get giddy at the end we enjoyed... Look at the happy us on different games!!!!

The RAINBOW RIDE!

The Vikings... The deadly ride!!!

Q-ing up ... Fun n excited!!! Yeah!!!

Old VS Young??? Lolx...

In action... Wheezzz~~~

The Inverter... 360 degree turn... Are we the warriors?

Q-ing up again!!! When is it our turnn... Sobzzz

Finally on the machine... Nervous and excited!!

We went flying~~~~

At the end... Everybody was satisfied and haapy...

New Friendship was also found!!! The Quatz... Who attempted all stations!

Jerold, Jing Si, Xiu Mei and Sze Hou

KSWS is not only a place where it offers a chance for budding musicians to produce beautiful music together, to associate with different genres of music, but also a hang out place together, like a big family, with tonnes of fun!!! Let's all look forward to the next event that is on the calender!!! 3 CHEERS TO KSWS!!!!

Warmly welcome our new family member onboard - 15.03.2008 Batch

2008-03-26T08:16:00.000-07:00

Hi All KSWSians,

Please warmly welcome the following new members to our KSWS family.

1) Trumpet Section
Mr. Fernando C. dela Cruz
- Working as a Aeronautical Engineer presently
- Borned in 1964
- Found KSWS through Mr. Edmund Leong
- You can add him to your mailing list at ferdiecd@stengg.com
- His official membership has taken effect from 15.03.2008.

Let's put our hands together to welcome our new band member to our big family.

Always remember you created the band & the band you have created belong to you!

KSWS Garthering 2008 - PA Holiday Flat at Pasir Ris - From 21 March to 25 March

2008-03-25T23:34:00.000-07:00

First of all we have to thank Mdm Goh for the support to this entire chalet thingy. Secondly, we have to thank Xiumei & Makoto for organising & making arrangement for this entire gathering. Thirdly, we have to thank everyone for making priority to attend the chalet. Thank you very much!

It was a successful & a fun gathering & it was good to see band members & guest players having a lot of fun with one another. Although the location is a bit far from the Downtown East & Coastal Sand Chalets & there was a additional charges for the Electrical Usage ($0.20 per unit), the fun was not affected at all.

We watched Horror shows together like one big family at the living room as if the ghosts were going to jump out of the TV anytime!! A lot of Uno games, Big 2, Mahjong, PSP games & cycling!! We even have the "Water Parade" card game!! The BBQ was a good one!! So many people & the food was sufficient for all!! Know what?? We have finished the BBQ food that night!! Amazing!! Good Job!! See below for some "MAGIC"!!!

The day after the BBQ night, a handful of us (Lawrence, Amy, Makoto, Xiumei, Jiejun, Law Wei, Law Fatt, Weiliang, Sze Hou, Shiying, Jerold & Jinshi) decided to attack the "Escape" Theme Park at the Downtown East!! The attack started on 1:30pm & ended at 8pm

Attack 1 time - "Haunted House"

Attack 1 time - "Family Coaster"

Attack 1 time - "Daytona Go-Kart"

Attack 2 times - "Flipper"

Attack 3 times to 4 times - "Inverter"

Attack 3 times to 4 times - "Rainbow"

Attack 4 times to 5 times - "Viking Pirate Ship"

After the "凶 = Xiong" attack, most of us were so tired & some even lost their appetite to eat. One of us vomited in the mid of the attack. One of us even encountered "accident" during the attack but don't worry there were NO injuries among us. You guess who are they?? Some even backed-out & given-up for some stations!! This was really a good test to our limit for the 12 of us!! But it was so fun!! I think we will do this again next time.

It feel so good to have a group of people who are always there & ready to do anything, anytime & anywhere TOGETHER!! This is what we want to see in KSWS, always ready to do anything, anytime & anywhere together as ONE!!!

P/S: Whoever who has taken any pictures for the Chalet, please share your pictures with us. You can pass the pictures to Xiumei / Jiejun /Lawrence so that we can put on the KSWS blog!! Thanks!! We should have another garthering again!! It so FUN!!

March 2008 Birthday Girls & Boys!!!

2008-03-04T18:33:00.000-08:00

KSWS wishes the following members a Happy Birthday on their special day!!

09th March (SUN) - Kenichi Sakai (Clarinet Section)
13th March (THU) - Charlie Tan Tuan Hao (Flute Section)
20th March (THU) - Alan Ong Pang Chi (F.Horn Section)
29th March (SAT) - Goh Hui Liong (Clarinet Section)
30th March (SUN) - Edmund Leong Fook Seng (Trombone Section)

Hope they have a wonderful time on their upcoming Birthday!!
Have a lot of fun & all best wishes to you!!

Charlie wants to express his deep appreciation to those who have taken all their effort in the "Birthday Cake" Mission!!! He is very touched & felt very sorry that he was not able to turn up for band practice that day. See!! He is enjoying every bit of the cake you, gals have baked!!!

Read & Learn : KINDNESS & LEADERSHIP

2008-02-11T23:03:00.000-08:00

These two articles were abstracted from Jack Trout, Marketing Guru, The Power of Simplicity. Just spend some time to read & learn something from it. I always believe everyone of us will have a chance to be a leader/boss some day somewhere when we get older.

So it always good to start it good & practice it in a right way. Here goes!

Kindness in Troubled Times
Kindness seems like a misnomer during this time of conflict and war.

American novelist Henry James noted, "Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind."

He is not too far wrong. However, there is a disdain for kindness in leadership. Kind leaders are perceived to be weak. But, kindness can have even greater impact especially when days are dark and dreary. To be kind is one of the highest expressions of human values.

Allow me to make some suggestions on how you as a leader can make this a personal value in leadership style and in your life.

Kindness comes from the heart.
For kindness to be sincere, it must come from the heart. It cannot be forced or coerced. Genuineness cannot be manufactured. Kindness, at its best, stems from a sincere heart, without any string attached. We do it because we do not expect any reward. Kindness stems from the paradigm that humans are important regardless of their status or race or religion - important enough for us to pause to think about others and exercise goodness to others.

Kindness is the offspring of gratitude.
The genesis of kindness is gratitude. For kindness to stem from our heart, we need to learn gratitude. Ungrateful leaders will find it difficult to be kind. They will always feel short-changed, left out, and neglected. On the contrary, grateful leaders realize that the world does not owe them a living. They are grateful for all the little blessings in life and that they are where they are because of the efforts or contributions by other people.

"You don't find success just inside yourself. You find success outside yourself. Success is due to other-persons in your life: boss, friend, family member." Jack Trout, Marketing Guru, The Power of Simplicity.

Great leaders don't take life or success for granted. They are grateful for a new day, appreciative of others and able to see the light in the midst of darkness. Therefore, they are reaching out, finding ways to share their resources with other people because they recognize that true contentment comes from the joy of developing others. Out of a grateful heart, they can shower kindness spontaneously.

It was Wendy Lustbader, a mental health counselor, who observes that the words 'genius' and 'generous' come from the Latin root 'genere' meaning 'to beget.' To have a genius for life is to possess the ability to generate warmth and well being in others.

Kindness must be affirmed.
Kindness begets kindness. I believe that many of us are kind. The problem is we have not been observant enough and/or have taken other people's kindness for granted. We should affirm and applaud kindness. We need to be observant and notice the kind deeds that others do for us and for each other.

In the office, when our subordinates take the extra effort to assist in a project or work late to complete a deadline, leaders should applaud these kind acts. Unfortunately, most of us have taken kindness for granted.

For the virtue of kindness to become an organization's culture, we must learn to spot people doing things right, going the extra mile, applauding effort and not just performance, and when there is a show of a good co-operative team spirit. Typical Singaporeans are not only demanding but also unkind. It is truism that when we do something well, nobody remembers. But when we do something wrong, nobody forgets. Let's reverse this trend and create a kinder society. Let's observe kind acts and be spontaneous and generous in affirming them.

Kindness is doing small things for others.
The practice of kindness consists of little acts - a word of thanks, a nod of approval, a tip at a restaurant, a smile for a weary worker, a greeting on the street, a hug for a friend. In my 20 years of marriage, I realize that it is not the big crises that would threaten to break up a marriage but rather it is the small irritations or conflicts a couple experience daily. I call these "termites in relationship."

If it is true that small things break up a marriage, conversely, it is also true that small things can enrich a marriage. In my mediation work with divorce couples in the family court, the most frequent cited factor for the breakdown in marriage is no TLC - no Tender Loving Care.

A do-nothing relationship will not do. In our fast-paced and achievement oriented corporate life, relationships are seldom nurtured but allowed to slide into neglect and indifference. We become presumptuous of one another.

One of the hallmarks of a great team in an organization is when team members are kind to each other.
When staffs are considerate to each other,
When a staff enquires about an exhausted colleague's health,
When we send an email to cheer a colleague after a difficult project,
When a leader's notices and encourages the team when they are losing steam,
All these small things count!

But, truly, we have lost the art of being kind. That is why we need to promote kindness as a virtue and a value because it may be the clue in salvaging our negative-laden corporate life.

Kindness has reverberating effects.
Largesse enlarges our lives. Frederick Buechner writes, "The life I touch for good or ill will touch another life, and that in turn another, until who knows where the trembling stops or in what far place my touch will be felt." Our acts of kindness have reverberations that are felt way beyond our imagination.

Hence, we must remember that small things count. It will make a great difference to our marriage, family, organization and society. Like charity, kindness begins at home. However, it can ill afford to stay within the confines of the home. It must spread to our neighbors, our schools and our corporate worlds.

No wonder Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel near the end of his life concludes, "When I was young, I used to admire intelligent people; as I grow older, I admire kind people."

Let's work towards being kind leaders!

"Kindness is the oil that takes the friction out of life" - Anonymous

"Do all the good you can
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can." John Wesley

"I expect to pass through life but once, If, therefore, there is any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow human being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I will not pass this way again." William Penn

"You cannot do a kindness to soon, for you will never know how soon it will be too late." Ralph Waldo Emerson

"No act of kindness, no matter how small, ever is wasted." Aesop

Leadership Fundamentals: Why they are critical?
Fundamentals matter. Ask any great athlete. The difference between a great athlete and an average performer is in the consistency of execution. It is this constant and unequivocal focus on the fundamentals that will make the difference. Athletes spend many hours practicing their routines. Be it golf, gymnastics, swimming, or basketball. To be competent involves constant practice.

Michael Jordan, the world's greatest basketball player, emphasized the need to keep working on the fundamentals, "The minute you get away from the fundamentals, the bottom can fall out. Fundamentals are the building blocks or principles that make everything work. I don't care what you're doing or what you're trying to accomplish; you can't skip the fundamentals if you want to be the best. You can get away with it through the early stages. But it's going to catch up with you eventually."

Practicing the fundamentals consistently makes the difference between excellence and mediocrity. This is also true in leadership of organization.

What are the fundamentals of leadership? In his book, Jack Trout argues for the need to keep leadership and organization strategy simple. Here are some leadership fundamentals that are critical for the effective and competent leader:

1. Inspire hope
In our ever-changing environment, and might I say, sometimes depressing environment, leaders must inspire hope for the team. A leader can inspire hope by giving a clear vision and by stretching challenge.

Howard Schultz, CEO-Founder of Starbucks, states unequivocally that one of the missions of Starbucks is to inspire hope. He recounts that in 1958, 90% of viewers believe in all the advertisements they see. But in 1999, only a mere 7% of viewers believe in the promise of the products. In other words, trust is at all time low and cynicism is endemic. Hence, it is critical that leaders engender trust and inspire hope.

2. Cultivate integrity
Integrity is one of the biggest challenges in the corporate world today, especially after the corporate fallout of Emron, Worldcom & Arthur Andersen. We are all fighting a fierce battle within ourselves. Sometimes, not only do we lack integrity, but we also lack the integrity to be honest about it. We deceive ourselves and pretend to others. We may appear successful and in control but deep inside, we feel like a failure and out-of-sync.

The first step towards integrity is to admit our lack of it and our struggle with it. It is a battle that we are constantly fighting. It is actually okay to struggle because to struggle is a sign that we are alive and wanting to overcome our problems.

Integrity comes from the same root word as "integral", which means wholeness, completeness or consistency. There must be a connection between attitude and behavior, saying and doing, external and internal. It is having everything in harmony.

To have integrity is be a certain kind of person. It is about knowing who we are and what we are. It is staying true to what we are even when that might cost us something. Integrity is about holding our lives together so that we are the same person inside and outside. A person of integrity is also one who keeps his promises and does what he says.

3. Strengthen relationships
This is often a neglected aspect of leadership. Building strong relationships with key stakeholders, like board members, management team, clients and staff is critical. The result of healthy relationships is honest communication, high morale and better team support.

4. Develop leadership competencies
In any job, there are two categories of competency: professional competence and leadership competence. Leaders must not only know their business but more importantly, they must develop the soft-skills in leadership. Although leaders achieve greatness with different competencies, there are some key leadership competencies that we can focus on.

In a Hay/McBer research, some of these leadership competencies that are critical for greatness include Developing Others, Strategic Orientation, Conceptual Thinking, Customer Service Orientation, and Team Leadership.

5. Focus on your organization's strengths
Re-examine again the core business and strengths of your company. What are your shining stars and cash cows? Diversification has to be treaded carefully. One great folly of leadership is that since we can succeed in something, we can succeed in everything. Great leaders learn to focus on what they have done and can do well and deselect what's not working and their core business.

6. Build a team of leaders
No leader can do everything by himself or herself. The need to find, retain, motivate and develop human potential is the great challenge of leadership.

Warren Bennis is right when he asserts, "In a world of increasing interdependence and ceaseless technological change, even the greatest of men or women simply can't get the job done alone."

Michael Jordan is right when he says, "You have to monitor your fundamentals constantly because the only thing that changes will be your attention to them. The fundamentals will never change."

We need to watch whether we have changed in our practice of the fundamentals. Sometimes, as leaders, we think that the fundamentals can be neglected. If we do, then we will not maintain the same level of competence in leading our organizations or teams. Fundamentals matter. They are critical to our success as effective leaders.

Wishing all a Happy Lunar New Year 2008 !!!

2008-02-11T22:01:00.000-08:00

On behalf of the band committee, I will like to wish all KSWSians & friends a Happy & Prosperous New Year ahead & also wishing everyone with good health & forever happiness in life. And not forgetting the band itself, I wish for good harmony & good relationship in the band always! So that everyone can have never ending laughter & fun in music making & frienship in KSWS!

Huat Ah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Beautiful Sunday - Kim Seng Wind Symphony - Blossoms In Spring @ Esplanade Concert Hall

2008-01-28T18:43:00.000-08:00

Kim Seng Wind Symphony (金声管乐团)
Blossoms In Spring (春暖花开的季节)
(Part of HuaYi - Chinese Festival Celebration Project)

Beautiful Sunday Performance
Date: 17th February 2008 (SUN)
Time: 3pm - 4pm (1hr)
Venue: Esplanade Concert Hall
FREE ADMISSION & FREE SEATING
Conducted by Mr. Tan Beng Wee

Performance Repertoire

1) JOYOUS CELEBRATION
Arranger: Y. F. Lin
2) CHINESE NEW YEAR STORY
Composer: Richard Png
3) A LOT OF WORDS (千言万语 - 邓丽君)
Composer: Tso Hong Yuan
Arranger: Kunihiro Sugiura
4) WHEN WILL YOU RETURN (何日君再来 - 邓丽君)
Composer: Liu Xue An
Arranger: Kunihiro Sugiura
5) I ONLY CARE FOR YOU (我只在乎你 - 邓丽君)
Composer: Takashi Miki
Arranger: Kunihiro Sugiura
6) (EVERYTHING I DO) I DO IT FOR YOU
Words and Music: Bryan Adams,
Robert J. Lange, Michael Kamen
Arranger: John Berry
7) RIGHT HERE WAITING
Composer: Richard Marx
8) ALADDIN
Composer: Alan Menken
Arranger: Paul Jennings
9) MEMORY
Composer: Andrew Lloyd Webber
Arranger: Frank D. Cofield
10) CHINESE NEW YEAR CELEBRATION
Composer: Alex Lin A. L.

February 2008 Birthday Girls & Boys!!!

2008-01-28T17:15:00.000-08:00

KSWS wishes the following members a Happy Birthday on their special day!!

3rd Feb (SUN) - Chin Shiying (Percussion Section)

16th Feb (SAT) - Teo See Siang (Trumpet Section)

17th Feb (SUN) - Kiyomi Sakai (Saxophone Section)

Hope they have a wonderful time on their upcoming Birthday!!

Have a lot of fun & all best wishes to you!!

We have a Pre-Mini-Birthday Celebration for Shiying's Birthday on 02.02.2008 SAT at our usual coffee-shop after our regular band practice. She was surprised & was really enjoying herself. Look at the cake!!!

Welcome Xiu Mei Onboard the Main Committee!!

2008-01-25T21:06:00.001-08:00

Finally the KSWS Main Committee is complete! Ms. Yim Xiu Mei has agreed to join the committee as the Head of Operations with effect from 26.01.2008 SAT. I really must appreciate her commitment in this role. This is not an easy role for anyone who can fit in. This role need time and effort to mingle with a lot of people around her! In fact this involves a lot of social skill for this important role in the committee.

So from now, Xiumei will be the person who will be assisting me most of the time in administration & running of Projects like Performances & Concerts. Ensure that everything is place & properly run according to plans. All Sections Leaders will report to her from now on for administration purpose in your individual section.

I will give her my full support & authority to recruit & terminate members with my knowledge & approval all the time. She will also be assisting me to ensure that the band motto - ONE BAND ONE SOUND is lifted up & the band direction is secured.

So please join me to welcome Ms. Yim Xiu Mei on-board to the KSWS main committee. I seek for your supports & co-operations to fulfil her role & responsibilities.

Lok Jie Jun has joined the Main Committee!! Welcome On-board!!

2008-01-22T08:54:00.000-08:00

Ms. Lok Jie Jun has agreed to join the Main Committee as the Head of Logistic with effect from 22.01.2008 TUE. Please kindly give her your full support & your full co-operation in the band!

She will be fully in-charge of all the band assets & property of the entire band. But presently, I will be helping her to familiarise with her job scope as a Head of Logistics so please kindly bear with her for the time being if she is not sure of anything.

In future, she will have all my support & authority to decide for the best in her logistics areas. She will have all rights to penalise any members or guest musicians for not following the house rules. So please kindly seek for your full co-operation with her.

I will like to welcome Ms. Lok Jie Jun in the Main Committee officially. From now, she will be a leader who help to lead & bring the band to a greatest height in the Committee. Please kindly welcome her on-board with me. Thanks!

Sonny's ashes location for people who have missed his funeral.

2008-01-22T08:04:00.000-08:00

I have called Sonny's Mum today to get Sonny's ashes location. I have missed his funeral due to my new born baby. I am thinking of organising a small group to pay him a visit. Don't know who is interested to join? Whoever is keen, please sms or call me. I have not decided the date yet but will let you know if you are keen.

Sonny's ashes location is as follows:
Mandai Crematorium
300 Mandai Road,
Blk D, 2nd Level,
Row 5, No. 0501

You can take a direct Bus 138 from the Ang Mo Kio Bus Interchange. It will stop directly in-front of the Crematorium.

If you are going yourself, please kindly note down this location. Thanks!

St. Andrew Alumni Band Concert
SA Alumni will be having a concert this coming Sunday (27.01.2008) at 5:30pm at VCH. They will be playing pieces to commemorate Sonny Long for his contribution in music making. If you are free, you can drop-by for the concert.

Amy & I will be there with Sonny's Mum & Auntie. Whoever is interested, I hope to see you at the concert hall. Thanks! I know Sonny will be there too.

Welcome Our New Family Members Onboard - 19 Jan 2008 Batch

2008-01-21T09:48:00.000-08:00

Hi All KSWSians,

Please warmly welcome the following new members to our KSWS family.

1) French Horn Section
Mr. Mohd Azmi Bin Sukaimi
- Working as a Chemical Assistant (Professional) presently
- Borned in 1984
- Found KSWS through Charlie Tan Tuan Hao
- You can add him to your mailing list at jedi_azmi@hotmail.com
- His official membership has taken effect from 19.01.2008.

2) Trumpet Section
Mr. Andrew Lee Mun Yew
- Student of Ngee Ann Poly presently
- Borned in 1987
- Found KSWS through Daryl Hor (Guest Player for KSWS Trombone Section)
- You can add him to your mailing list at leemy_andrew@hotmail.com
- His official membership has taken effect from 19.01.2008.

3) Trombone Section
Mr. Kenneth Wong Jun Jie
- Student of Ngee Ann Poly presently
- Borned in 1988
- Found KSWS through Daryl Hor (Guest Player for KSWS Trombone Section)
- You can add him to your mailing list at anti_hack@hotmail.com
- His official membership has taken effect from 19.01.2008.

Welcome to KSWS & your journey starts from here! Have a lot of fun & grow with the band together!

KSWS 15th Anniversary Concert (KSWS In Concert XII)

2008-01-14T23:09:00.000-08:00

Kim Seng Wind Symphony In Concert XII - 15th Anniversary Concert
NAFA Lee Foundation Theatre @ Campus 3
23 December 2007 SUN @ 5pm
$10 per tickets (FREE Seating)
Conducted By Mr. Tan Tuan Hao

Concert Programme
1) CHRISTMAS FLOUISH
James Curnow
2) KARACHI BOULEVARD
Willy Fransen
3) A THOUSAND WORDS
Tso Hong Yuan
arr. Kunihiro Yamashita
4) EVENING SONG OF THE FISHING BOAT
Yuen-Jing Yau
5) ENKA II
arr. Kunitoshi Yamashita

INTERVAL

6) MARRY POPPINS
Richard & Robert Sherman
arr. Ted Ricketts
7) MOULIN ROUGE
arr. Michael Brown
8) THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
Andrew Lloyd Webber
arr. Johan de Meij
9) FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
Jerry Rock
arr. Bob Lowden
10) A CHRISTMAS CAROL FANTASY
arr. Takeshi Hoshide