Welcome to NJC Angklung Ensemble's blog! :)

We are a group of carefree students who have gathered together,
regardless of bawahs, normals, atas, kulintang and percussions
to create music like none other with our conductor, Mr Dzul. :D
Teacher i/cs: Mr Tan Chor Yean, Ms Sun

Initially I had wanted to give each an individual copy of this, but because of excessive cost and a relatively broken pocket(oh dear! ): ), I decided to post it on the Angklung blog instead. (: I hope this encourages you (:

---

My dearest shakers,

I scold and reprimand not because I want to demoralise you guys but simply for the reason to bring out the best in you. I know the weather recently has been extremely unkind to us. The level of humidity is terrible! (sidetrack: The horrid weather is a bane to our lives, so we should really carry out conservation to prevent global warming from worsening). For the last few practices , everyone was restless, distracted and had beads of sweat accumulating at your temples which rolled down your sideburns to collect at your chins before dripping onto the floor. While you shook your angklung furiously, hit your rebana or kulingtan with your hands, you suddenly feel a sharp sting in your eye due to the salty water flowing down your foreheads and you miss that crucial queue from Mr Dzul as you blinked away the pain and all of a sudden you find yourself losing focus, tempo and rhythm.

I know it's hard, I know it's tiring but we've got to press on ensemble. We've got to press on. This is the period of time that Mr Dzul was talking about, where our greatest nemesis, lethargy and fatigue, poison our minds. Don't give in to that enemy! Fight back! I tell you to fight back! Remember what Mr Dzul told us, "It's all in the mind". Surely you have not forgotten what crucial teachings he has imparted to you.

Arnold Bennet once said this, "Your own mind is a sacred enclosure into which nothing harmful can enter except by your permission".

YOU are in control of whether you choose lethargy to overcome you or to enclose your mind from this nemesis. YOU are the ones who will decide for yourselves how you want to approach each and every practice. YOU are the ones in control of what you want to think.

I am only but a person my dear shakers. I can only try to influence and persuade you guys to PRESS ON with what I say during every practice but the ultimate decision lies with YOU.

My previous conductor in secondary school used to quote Philip Dormer Stanhope who said this,
"A weak mind is like a microscope, which magnifies trifling things, but cannot receive great ones,"to remind us that by amplifying your own weariness you are magnifying trifle things that shows the characteristic of a weak mind. If we focus on such trifle things, how more are we even prepared to receive greater things in lives? Let's not be weak-minded people, let's be an ensemble that has developed resilient and unyielding minds that see the big picture and receive the greater things that life gives freely to us.

Take this as a training to build up strong minds for future challenges you may face which include the seniors studying for the coming A'levels and the juniors preparing for PW OP and Promotionals and even in our future working life. These fundamental teachings are crucial for us to thrive in the ever-competitive world.

We are left with 4-5 practices before the actual SYF judging. Make every single practice worthwhile for yourselves. I want everyone to take home something, learn something and benefit from every single session to the SYF. If you go home from every practice learning nothing at all, then I say, you've wasted your time.

I've said it before and I'm going to say it again:

It's not just for the gold with honours, people.
We are aiming to create music that teaches values to people, that causes people to reflect, to make an impact on each individual who hear our music. Music that touches the heart, music that enlightens, music that creates beautiful imageries for the mind, music that holds therapeutic value for the downcast and sick, music that opens the heart and mind, music that holds so much emotion that can MOVE people.

We are competing with ourselves, competing with the intrinsic and complicated nature of music itself, in the process battling with our emotions and our mind.

Stop and look deep into your heart and soul and let ALL that emotion burst like effervesence within you, out to your audience and finally to the world.

SHOUT IT OUT! LET IT OUT!

Last but not least, I want to let all of you know what great faith and belief that I hold for every single person. I know every person is capable of achieving more, all of you are created for a greater purpose, to achieve greater things in life, for all of you hold such limitless talent that never fail to surprise me. When you finally release that hidden talent in you, I bet you would be taken aback as well.

Surprise and mould yourselves, my dearest shakers. Make SYF 2009 an AWESOME one that becomes an indelible memory for you and I, especially for the seniors. For the juniors, learn all that you can and pass the legacy down.

When we walk onto the stage, know that you are going to give more than your 100% so that when you exit the stage, you leave with no regrets. The greatest misery is to regret. Don't let it happen to you.

I want to leave for you guys a song (the song is above the post area under the slide show of our blog, sing along with the song! :D) :

Just stand up by various artists

Everything will be alright, yeah

The heart is stronger
Than you think
It's like it can go
Through anything
And even when you think
It can't, it finds a way
To still push on, though

Sometimes
You want to run away
Ain't got the patience
For the pain
And if you
Don't believe it, look into your heart
The beat goes on

I'm tellin' you that
Things get better
Through whatever

If you fall
Dust it off
Don't let up
Don't you know
You can go
Be your own miracle
You need to know

[Chorus: If the mind
Keeps thinking
You've had enough
But the heart
Keeps telling you
Don't give up

Who are we to be
Questioning
Wondering what is what
Don't give up
Through it all
Just stand up]

It's like
We all have better days
Problems getting all up
In your face

Just because
You go through it
Don't mean it got
To take control, no

You ain't gotta find
No hiding place
Because the heart
Can beat the hate

Don't wanna
Let your mind
Keep playin' you
And sayin' you
Can't go on

I'm tellin' you that
Things get better
Through whatever

If you fall
Dust if off
Don't let up
Don't you know
You can go
Be your own miracle
You need to know

[Chorus]

You don't gotta be
A prisoner
In your mind

If you fall
Dust it off

You can live your life

Yeah

Let your heart
Be your guide

Yeah, yeah, yeah

And you will know
That you're good
If you trust in the good

Everything
Will be alright, yeah
Light up the dark
If you follow your heart

And it will get better

Through whatever

[Chorus]

You got it in you
Find it within
You got in now
Find it within now
You got in you
Find it within
You got in now
Find it within now
You got in you
Find it within
Find it within you
Find it within

Through it all
Just stand up

I hope the song encourages you all. (: AND AND, take care of your health! Drink lots of water, get enough sleep and don't EMO! (: Love you all (: JIA YOU! GANBATTE! WE CAN DO IT! (:

CARPE DIEM (SEIZE THE DAY)!

posted by Jocelyn at 5:55 PM

Click GO once and Click CHAT once again :)

Mr Dzul

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