Hello HCSE '11!

This is Wilfred here. I'm the senior who was present for your rehearsal last Saturday and who a lot of you don't actually recognise. Even if that is so, I am writing this on behalf of my batch (and probably a long line of seniors) to communicate what we have not been able to tell you personally.

Last week, while on my way to Republic Polytechnic, something struck me. I always thought that the SYF 2 years ago would be the last SYF for my batch and I. But I realise now that there will always be at least another SYF that you are concerned about and “taking part in”, even if you didn’t get retained. The point is this: With all the exciting things happening in your JC life now, it is easy to overlook how HCSE has left its mark on each of us and how all of us slowly but surely identify ourselves as being “from strings”.

After SYF and A Levels have passed, and you suddenly find that you have graduated from HCI with many different paths ahead of you, you will definitely meet many new people and go for different interviews for university and whatnot. Whatever the scenario, I find that the question you probably will get quite frequently (besides “Hi! I’m … what’s your name?), is “What was your CCA?” To which I like to answer, “I’m from strings!” and then wait for the puzzled look that most often comes up while he/she decides between asking what exactly I do with strings in my CCA and acting like he/she knows what I’m talking about. After clarifying that I’m from the String Ensemble and I play the viola (“which is like a bigger version of the violin, played like the violin but lower in tone and most actually find sounds nicer”), some people might then ask you, “So what was so special about your CCA?”

So what do you think is so special about strings?

For me, it has nothing to do with how we have consistently achieved great results at SYF since our humble beginnings. It is not even about the concerts we manage to put up or the events we organise. What is special is the collective passion that I can feel and that I will remember. It’s about the people on your left and your right who has improved with you, spent countless hours practicing and slacking with you, and who will dare to dream and do impossible things with you. These are the people who made strings special and who you will remember even when your memories start to blur.

When Thursday comes, everything will past by in a blur. Despite the effort put in, there’s only a mere 10 minutes on stage and we will be judged by everything that happens and does not happen in that block of time. But before you enter the hall, just think about the ensemble and who or what you guys will be playing for. Understand that and everything should fall into place.

Honestly, I think that the ensemble sounded good especially when you were being sensitive in your playing, listened to the other sections and adjusted your dynamics accordingly. All of you have come a long way and it is time to be confident in yourself and the entire ensemble! Your seniors will be rooting for you as always. Jiayou!

Wilfred Ngia