Day 1: Band students departed Brisbane International landing in Singapore 8 hours later on 6 July. Students went to Marina Bay Sands and up 56 floors to view the city at night and watch the rehearsal of the parade and fireworks display in preparation for their National Day.
Day 2: Students spent the morning at Raffles School of Music being immersed in the three main cultures of Singapore – Chinese, Malay and Indian. They learnt about food, dance, decorations used in celebrations and traditional clothes and some of their language. They then spent the afternoon at Gardens by the Bay walking through the Cloud Forest and Flower display domes. The night was concluded by Rhapsody of Lights.
Day 3: Students spent the morning at Plaza Singapoura experiencing the large shopping centres. Shopping centres go six levels above ground and then three or four levels below ground. Students were encouraged to try different Asian cuisines. There were some very weird combinations of food! We also had our first interaction with Seng Kang Secondary School with an official welcome from the principal, get-to-know-you games in their sections and sectional rehearsals. The day was finished with a typical monsoon down pour.
Day 4: Today was a huge day of rehearsals at the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre. Students rehearsed with the Seng Kang Secondary School practising music for tomorrow night’s performance.
Day 5: Today is the reason for travelling to Singapore. Once again we had rehearsals in the morning in preparation for tonight’s performance. In the afternoon we walked out to the merlion, the symbol of Singapore. Students performed exceptionally well at the Euphonious! 2019 concert. The students were so proud of themselves and it was lovely to sit around the breakfast table the next morning talking about how well they played and the excitement they felt from playing in such a beautiful auditorium.
Day 6: As a reward for the students’ hard work with rehearsals and a brilliant concert, we had a day at Universal Studios on Sentosa Island and The Luge at night.
Day 7: Our final day in Singapore. We started our day visiting Fort Canning and learning some war history of the area. We then headed to Changi Airport for an early check-in so that we could explore Jewel Changi. This part of the airport offers people hours of entertainment from a cinema, a mega mall, the tallest indoor waterfall – 40 meters tall (or the rain vortex as it’s known), orchid gardens, unusual slides for kids and those young at heart to play on, hedge and mirror mazes and a giant trampoline obstacle course.
It has been a wonderful trip of playing music, creating new friendships and experiencing new cultures. The music students have come home with many wonderful memories and stories.
Ebony Hilton