Saturday, March 13, 2004
I go down to NUS today for the open house. Actually my purpose is to attend the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory talk.
I alight at Clementi MRT station, because it was nearer to the location of the talk. I was late, so I hurry to the taxi stand than to wait for a bus. I thought it would be quite empty; probably no one would consider alighting at Clementi; most people got off the train at Buona Vista.
Wrong. There is a horrendously long queue that stretched nearly to the escalator leading to the overhead bridge of the station.
I ponder the possibility of booking a cab, but I notice that the cabs are coming in frequently. Smart taxi drivers; there’s lots of business for them here. So I rejoin the queue.
The NUS roads are clogged and crazy with traffic. Cars, buses, taxis… no wonder they requested the Traffic Police to be present. I have to alight a distance from the Multi-Purpose Sports Hall, where the talk is located.
I am late already… the talk has started. I run… I run like crazy… non-stop until I reach the room where the talk is held…
And what a waste. Dr Ho Chee Kong, the speaker, merely reiterated whatever was on the website, i.e. the admission requirements, the facilities, the attractions of studying with YST…
But the reward: a video of the recent performance of the Bruch Double Piano Concerto. I fall in love with that piece immediately. So strong. So melodious. So passionate. I just melted.
The talk over, I presume there is a guided tour of the campus. Turns out there is none; only from next year, Dr Ho says.
I run into some people I know. Rodney Bay is there. He still calls him by my nickname. Yuanling is there with Yvonne. Yixiang as well, Kenny also. I also catch sign of Wenbin, whom I do not know personally, but apparently he’s quite known within the music schools.
Tour or no tour, I wish to see the interim building myself. I head out and take the free shuttle. Sue Ann and Jingzhong spot me from across the road, and come to join me. So do Leisha and her NUS friend, who is great help in giving us directions. Sue Ann persuades me to revive the musical again. I explain that I would like to give it a rest. I think the cast is really adamant that we put up the show. But I’m really too tired.
The YST interim building is a pleasant and cheerful-looking two-storey building set in a nicely-landscaped area, close to the main road that passes through the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. It seems to hide the drab grey School of Design and Environment behind it. It’s a nice walk up to the Conservatory building, on a red-bricked road. There seems to be no access; the main reception is protected by a security system that requires a card of some sort to gain entry. Continuing up the red-bricked road I come to a huge cafeteria. I order lunch (I skipped breakfast as I was late), and sit down to plan out my portfolio.
I forget to mention that I made a stop at the YST booth in the exhibition hall to inquire about admission procedures. The portfolio was very important, as everyone says. For the audition component, I would either be asked to play one of my piano compositions, or a short piece on sight, to demonstrate my keyboard proficiency. I consider this aspect while planning my portfolio. I decide that I would include a solo piano composition of which I would play for the auditors at the interview. I plan to submit “Xin Chao” and “Toccata” as they were my A-level compositions and would be strong enough, having helped me obtain my distinction for music. Furthermore, they offered variety: “Xin Chao” is a percussion ensemble composition, while the “Toccata” is composed for string quartet. The main goal of my portfolio is to demonstrate my ability to write for a great variety of genres, and a great variety in musical language. For instance, “Xin Chao” has an Asiatic flavour to it – something along the lines of the Indonesian gamelan. “Toccata” is tonal, but modern, almost like Shostakovich or Khachaturian. I would probably write an Impressionistic piano solo to replace “Impressions of the Jasmine Flower”, because it is an arrangement and arrangements are not allowed to be included in the portfolio. The musical was out; it was not serious music. But it would be mentioned in the catalogue at the front of the portfolio. For the last two I decided upon a Chinese Orchestra ensemble work and one for symphony orchestra, probably a rewrite of “Breakwater Sunrise”. I will produce a strong portfolio that can stand on its own.
But right now I have to go into the army first. YST does not have a policy of “reserving” places, as the other NUS courses do, so I can only apply when I am about to be discharged from NS.
Sucks man. ¶ 3/13/2004 10:28:00 pm
I alight at Clementi MRT station, because it was nearer to the location of the talk. I was late, so I hurry to the taxi stand than to wait for a bus. I thought it would be quite empty; probably no one would consider alighting at Clementi; most people got off the train at Buona Vista.
Wrong. There is a horrendously long queue that stretched nearly to the escalator leading to the overhead bridge of the station.
I ponder the possibility of booking a cab, but I notice that the cabs are coming in frequently. Smart taxi drivers; there’s lots of business for them here. So I rejoin the queue.
The NUS roads are clogged and crazy with traffic. Cars, buses, taxis… no wonder they requested the Traffic Police to be present. I have to alight a distance from the Multi-Purpose Sports Hall, where the talk is located.
I am late already… the talk has started. I run… I run like crazy… non-stop until I reach the room where the talk is held…
And what a waste. Dr Ho Chee Kong, the speaker, merely reiterated whatever was on the website, i.e. the admission requirements, the facilities, the attractions of studying with YST…
But the reward: a video of the recent performance of the Bruch Double Piano Concerto. I fall in love with that piece immediately. So strong. So melodious. So passionate. I just melted.
The talk over, I presume there is a guided tour of the campus. Turns out there is none; only from next year, Dr Ho says.
I run into some people I know. Rodney Bay is there. He still calls him by my nickname. Yuanling is there with Yvonne. Yixiang as well, Kenny also. I also catch sign of Wenbin, whom I do not know personally, but apparently he’s quite known within the music schools.
Tour or no tour, I wish to see the interim building myself. I head out and take the free shuttle. Sue Ann and Jingzhong spot me from across the road, and come to join me. So do Leisha and her NUS friend, who is great help in giving us directions. Sue Ann persuades me to revive the musical again. I explain that I would like to give it a rest. I think the cast is really adamant that we put up the show. But I’m really too tired.
The YST interim building is a pleasant and cheerful-looking two-storey building set in a nicely-landscaped area, close to the main road that passes through the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. It seems to hide the drab grey School of Design and Environment behind it. It’s a nice walk up to the Conservatory building, on a red-bricked road. There seems to be no access; the main reception is protected by a security system that requires a card of some sort to gain entry. Continuing up the red-bricked road I come to a huge cafeteria. I order lunch (I skipped breakfast as I was late), and sit down to plan out my portfolio.
I forget to mention that I made a stop at the YST booth in the exhibition hall to inquire about admission procedures. The portfolio was very important, as everyone says. For the audition component, I would either be asked to play one of my piano compositions, or a short piece on sight, to demonstrate my keyboard proficiency. I consider this aspect while planning my portfolio. I decide that I would include a solo piano composition of which I would play for the auditors at the interview. I plan to submit “Xin Chao” and “Toccata” as they were my A-level compositions and would be strong enough, having helped me obtain my distinction for music. Furthermore, they offered variety: “Xin Chao” is a percussion ensemble composition, while the “Toccata” is composed for string quartet. The main goal of my portfolio is to demonstrate my ability to write for a great variety of genres, and a great variety in musical language. For instance, “Xin Chao” has an Asiatic flavour to it – something along the lines of the Indonesian gamelan. “Toccata” is tonal, but modern, almost like Shostakovich or Khachaturian. I would probably write an Impressionistic piano solo to replace “Impressions of the Jasmine Flower”, because it is an arrangement and arrangements are not allowed to be included in the portfolio. The musical was out; it was not serious music. But it would be mentioned in the catalogue at the front of the portfolio. For the last two I decided upon a Chinese Orchestra ensemble work and one for symphony orchestra, probably a rewrite of “Breakwater Sunrise”. I will produce a strong portfolio that can stand on its own.
But right now I have to go into the army first. YST does not have a policy of “reserving” places, as the other NUS courses do, so I can only apply when I am about to be discharged from NS.
Sucks man. ¶ 3/13/2004 10:28:00 pm
