Victoria School Chinese Orchestra

Victoria School Chinese Orchestra

=History=

Victoria School Chinese Orchestra was founded in 1974. The fact that a Chinese Orchestra was formed in an English school made it special at that time. The Chinese Orchestra had a humble beginning, starting out with only 20 members and limited instructors. The members had to teach themselves to play their instruments, which proved to be an uphill task for some who had no experience in music.

In the 1980s, VSCO saw much more participation, and its population grew tremendously. It started to take part in community events such as Mid-Autumn Festival concerts and Chinese New Year celebrations.

The 1990s witnessed greater change in the orchestra. This was due to the Singapore government’s efforts to promote participation in CCAs in schools. The school had allocated more funds to the orchestra, to cater to needs such as the purchase of better instruments and the hiring of renowned instructors from the Singapore Chinese Orchestra. The orchestra readily took part in school events like Chinese New Year celebrations, Teachers’ Day, National Day and Speech Day performances. VSCO even reached out to the community, participating in free concerts for Old Folks' Homes.

Achievements

Through the experience VSCO gained from the various events, along with the orchestra’s history of performance excellence, it managed to clinch the Gold Award in the biennial Singapore Youth Festival (SYF) Central Judging in 1997.

In 1999, VSCO bagged the Silver Award at that same competition.In 2001, VSCO achieved the Certificate of Participation.In the years 2003, 2005 and 2007, VSCO achieved the Gold Award in the SYF, making it one of only two all-boy Chinese Orchestras (the other coming from the current Hwa Chong Institution) to have achieved three consecutive Gold awards.

Current Status

Today’s VSCO is a different unit compared to its pioneering batch. It has about a hundred active members and a sizeable alumnus. There are currently four professional musicians from the Singapore Chinese Orchestra attached to VSCO as instructors. To make practice sessions more fruitful, there is also a fully air-conditioned practice/rehearsal room.

Moving on with the times, VSCO has also incorporated technology into its system, such as by equipping the rehearsal room with a stereo set, enabling model pieces to be played to the orchestra.

Practices are typically held only once a week for new members - normally a Thursday.

As members' musical skills progress, their practice sessions are gradually increased in number, maxed at three times a week - Monday, Thursday and Saturday.

;Practice Schedule

*Monday - cello-bass section is guided by instructor while other sections have self-practice.

*Thursday - other sections are guided by instructors while bass section has self-practice.

*Saturday - Combined practice day where the orchestra gets together to play under the conductor. New members of the orchestra are not required to turn up for practice on this day.

Additional practices may be required when important events, such as concerts and competitions, draw near.

Recent Concerts

In the most recent concert staged by VSCO in 2007, 雅声.琴韵, VSCO performed in the Singapore Conference Hall to a near full house. At the event, VSCO premiered a recent composition by local composer, Mr Law Wai Lun (罗维伦先生), entitled 康定情歌.

Conductor and Instructors

The current conductor for VSCO is Mr Goh Yew Guan, who has held the post for over a decade.

Our other instructors include:

*Cello-Bass: Mr Poh Yee Luh
*Plucked-strings: Mr Seetoh Poh Lam
*Bowed-strings: Mr Neo Yong Soon
*Woodwind: Mr Tony Ang Ting Leong

External links

* [http://vsco.vs.moe.edu.sg Official VSCO Website]
* [http://v-s-c-o.blogspot.com Official VSCO Blog]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Victoria School — This article is about the secondary school in Singapore. For other uses, see Victoria School (disambiguation). Victoria School 维多利亚学校 Sekolah Victoria விக்டோரியா பள்ளி Nil Sine Labore Nothing Without Labour Location …   Wikipedia

  • School Bands in Singapore — General Information A Co Curriculum Activity The school band is made up of student musicians who perform music together. In Singapore, the school band is a Co Curriculum Activity (CCA) that can typically be found in Primary Schools, Secondary… …   Wikipedia

  • Victoria Junior College — Infobox Singapore School latitude = 1.30656 longitude = 103.92061 name = Victoria Junior College 維多利亞初級學院 Maktab Rendah Victoria motto = Nil Sine Labore (Nothing Without Labour) established = 1984 type = Government session = Single session… …   Wikipedia

  • Victoria, British Columbia — For other uses, see Victoria (geographical disambiguation). This article is about the city of Victoria. For electoral districts with the name Victoria, or in the area of Greater Victoria, see Victoria (electoral districts). City of Victoria… …   Wikipedia

  • Dunman High School — Not to be confused with Dunman Secondary School. Coordinates: 1°17′56″N 103°52′58″E / 1.29889°N 103.88278°E / 1.29889; 103.88278 …   Wikipedia

  • Pasir Ris Secondary School — Infobox Singapore School name = Pasir Ris Secondary School 思励中学 (sī lì zhōng xǘe) Sekolah Menengah Pasir Ris motto = Pride And Responsibility established = Jan 2,1985 type = Government, Co Educational, Single Session principal = Ms Cheng Hwee… …   Wikipedia

  • Diocesan Boys' School — For the former Diocesan Boys School in Nainital, India, see Sherwood College. Diocesan Boys School Chinese: 拔萃男書院 Main Building of Diocesan Boys School Location …   Wikipedia

  • Pei Chun Public School — Infobox Singapore School name = Pei Chun Public School (PCPS) 公立培群学校 motto = 礼义廉耻 (Courtesy, Justice, Honesty, Honour) established = 1933 type = Government Aided, Primary, SAP session = Single session principal = Mr Chin Kim Woon city/town = Toa… …   Wikipedia

  • Nanyang Girls' High School — 南洋女子中学校 勤慎端朴 Diligence, Prudence, Respectability, Simplicity Location Bukit Timah, Information …   Wikipedia

  • Plano East Senior High School — Coordinates: 33°02′20″N 96°38′42″W / 33.0388°N 96.6450°W / 33.0388; 96.6450 …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”