Hope.Cheerful.Joy

16 May Rhythm of The Flaming Soul Concert

2010-04-24T20:17:00.002+08:00

Me, Zhi Huang, Wen Cheun, Wen Loong, Ming Jie and Bee Peng will be the performing guest of the above mentioned concert.

We'll play B Rossette, we arranged it into wind version^^
This would be the first time we expose to external audiences as an ensemble, please support banyak banyak.

星落秋風五丈原

2010-04-21T23:03:00.000+08:00

Music Appreciation (MA)

2010-04-21T22:27:00.004+08:00

Feb 2009

= Music

- what is music

- history of music

Mac 2009

= Music Genre

- classical

- pop

- R&B

Mac 2009

= Musical Ensemble

- what is ensemble

- history ensemble

*May 2009

= Instruments

- Group by section

- video / Knowledge / Sound of instruments

Aug 2009

= Music Artists

- Jackson 5

- Micheal Jackson

Oct 2009

= West Side Story

Nov 2009

= 星落秋风五丈原

Dec 2009

= Ballad & Dance

Mar 2010

= Music Composer

- John Philip Sousa

Mar 2010

= Music Composer

- Hans Zimmer

Mar 2010

= A cappella

Apr 2010

= Music Composer

-James Horner

Apr 2010

= Music Genre

-rag time

*not on the game

thx all YB members...

hope all members will enjoy this game at this sun (25 Apr2010)

FYYB Game & BBQ Event

2009-07-06T21:42:00.003+08:00

After45678909565 years, we are doing our fun event again.

Date: 11th July(Saturday)
Time: 5.30pm(Senior), 7pm(Jr. & Sr.)
Venue: Senior at PGKK(5.30pm) for game before move to Mr.Ong's house for BBQ
Junior at Mr.Ong's house(7.00pm)
Fee: RM10(for food, please pay to Xin Ying by this Saturday)

Wear slipper and comfortable cooling outfit(BBQ very hot), no need to wear sport shoes cause the game does not need to run.
Bring tupperware over to place your food, not gonna provide so many paper plate.We must save the earth

Thank You.

Piano Recital

2009-06-20T23:45:00.000+08:00

Just a little update on the piano recital I mentioned earlier

Date: 28th June
Venue: Komtar Auditorium A
Time: 2.30-4pm
Entrance is free, ticket less..just walk in

Thank You!

All Leaders' Meet 10.1.09

2009-06-16T19:19:00.000+08:00

Youth Band Performing At All Leaders' Meet 10 January 2009
thx Mr Khoo for d video

Find more videos like this on SGI Buddhism

Penang Fei Yang Ensemble Competition 2009

2009-06-08T23:38:00.004+08:00

Preliminary Round

Date : 14^th June 2009

Time : 8 am

Venue : Penang Kaikan

8.00 am – 8.30 am ~ D & G

8.30 am – 9.00 am ~ Warm Up

9.00 am – 9.05 am ~ Emcee Welcoming Speech and Introduce Judges

9.05 am – 9.40 am ~ Solo Category Competition

9.40 am – 9.45 am ~ Interval

9.45 am – 10.50 am ~ Group Category Competition

10.50 am – 11.00 am ~ Interval and Marks Calculation

11.00 am – 11.10 am ~ Result Announcement

Solo Catogory

No.	Name
1	Yeap Shi Jia
2	Yeap Shi Hong
3	Lee Kah Wei
4	Ow Teik Siang
5	Ewe Bee Peng
6	Yong Phaik Yi
7	Teh Jiu Zhen
8	Yong Phaik Voon

Group Catogory

No.	Name
1	Trumpet Duet ~ Lim Xin Ying & Eunice Tan
2	Trombone Duet ~ Tan Lee Wen & Lai Ming Yang
3	Saxophone Duet ~ Winnie Giam & Lai Ming Jie
4	Euphonium Duet ~ Ng Kar Yen & Beh Huai Sheng
5	Percussion ~ Chuah Guat Eng, Saw Hoay Ping, Kok Jing Wen, Tan Yan Ching, Teh Yuan Dong & Ooi Sean Khan
6	Clarinet Duet ~ Tan Wen Chuen & Ooi Yang Han
7	Clarinet Trio ~ Low Zhi Huang, Tan Wen Loong & Ong Jor Dan
8	Horn Duet ~ Lee Chia Chee & Cherry Ong

Extra Announcement:

~All contestants are to prepare their own costume as marks will be given for Persentation

~ PPs please inform your Junior that they are invited to the competition

Victorious March Band

2009-06-06T18:27:00.009+08:00

This is lau ee Angie & lau chek Nigel reporting from NZ.

Hi guys!!How are you all doing??
We got heaps of things to tell you!!
But for this time, we just want to share with you guys about the band we are 'hanging' with in New Zealand, Victorious March Band!!

1st of all, let me introduce you to the band. back in 2001, 3 members with limited music knowledge suggested to SGINZ that they wanted to form a band as part of the cultural movement. To their dissapointment, majority of the leaders rejected the idea. The leaders brought this matter up to Sensei and surprisingly Sensei gave the approval personally & named the band Victorious March Band.

Currently, VMB is the only band in SGINZ & the only cultural group. There was an incident that really touched my heart after listening to it. In year 2004, it was the Oceania(NZ, Aust, Fiji etc) Youth Conference and VMB wanted very much to perform. There were other singing or dancing groups. VMB was requested to play at the entrance to welcome the members. of course they were delighted. when Seiko san (PIC) checked the schedule, there were no allocation for VMB to perform on stage. she was very angry as they have been practicing hard and yet they are negleted. all they wanted to do was to play music for Sensei, for kosen rufu. she chanted & fought for their right and finally the NZ comm changed the whole itenary just a few days before the conference. These were their fighting spirit.

About the performance, it was a joint concert with the Manukau City band(something like PESS band). They consist of youth to old aged players. they were very professional.
When we joined VMB 3 months ago, they were just starting to learn the 5 songs which is not that easy. We were so worried that we couldn't learn in time. Although their music skill is not that good but we felt the joy & spirit during practice. They were so pure and determined to ensure their success of the concert, for Sensei & kosen rufu. The concert was a huge success with a FULL HOUSE audience. VMB received lots of good feedback from members and Soka friends who attended that evening. Even Masao (VMB conductor) was surprised to hear the band played so well after just 3 months of practice.

Just before the concert, the band made a resolution booklet for Sensei. And recently after the concert, Sensei replied our message with;

"I have read all your resolutions. please continue to work hard!"

*Angie mentioned about PFY in her resolution* now Sensei is watching us too .....

Althought the message was short, it was a moment where we felt closest to Sensei than ever before. We will continue to strive and help them grow as long as we are here.
VMB in action
the most touching part of the concert!50-60 players playing 'Haha' together featuring two singers from SGINZ. a soka friend saxophonist frm VMB did a short solo that was so beautiful. Thanks for your time! =D

Piano Recital

2009-05-28T20:18:00.003+08:00

Been thinking for a while whether to tell this out or not.
By the way, I will have my first ever piano recital on 28th of June.
Those interested(or want to support me><) can attend.
Although it has nothing to do with our band but could expose to piano music at least.I am sure there'll be very very good pianist performing on that night,not me.
Not sure bout the time but the venue will be at Komtar Auditorium.
Details will post up soon when I got a confirmation from my sir.

Thank You.

2009-05-18T18:26:00.002+08:00

The videos...

Daily Guidance

2009-04-27T10:49:00.000+08:00

Let’s cheerfully advance with the united spirit of ‘many in body, one in mind’.Let’s leave a joyful and exhilarating record of ‘brave and vigorous exertion’.Let’s energetically and enthusiastically foster capable fellow Bodhisattvas of the Earth.

Material for Aural Lesson 1

2009-04-25T20:42:00.007+08:00

Below is the link to download all the midi files and answer that i used for the aural lesson on 5th of April. This is a RAR file.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/oy5ud0

Britains Got Talent - Susan Boyle

2009-04-24T15:23:00.001+08:00

Watch this, you will be surprise!
I am touched when i listen to her.
enjoy :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9z0h1NNk1Ik

Daily Guidance

2009-04-24T15:21:00.000+08:00

Victory hinges on earnestness and commitment.Earnestness means to carry out one’s responsibilities no matter what the situation or circumstances.Commitment means to give oneself fully to achieving victory, no matter what others might say.

Chicken-a-la-Carte

2009-04-24T15:09:00.001+08:00

View this video clips and say thanks for what we having now :p

http://www.cultureunplugged.com/play/1081/Chicken-a-la-Carte

Words of Wisdom ~ Daisaku Ikeda

2009-04-16T13:40:00.002+08:00

Fighting spirit spreads like fire from one person to another. A leader's daring spirit will kindle flames of enthusiasm and inspire an entire organization.
When one takes full responsibility, one's true greatness will manifest. That is when one's true strength wells forth.

People who cease to grow can't inspire others. Leadership begins with challenging oneself.

The heart of one person moves another's.
If one's own heart is closed, then the doors of other people's hearts will also shut tight. On the other hand, someone who makes all those around him or her into allies, bathing them in the sunlight of spring, will be treasured by all.

Daily guidance ~ 14/4/09

2009-04-14T13:37:00.001+08:00

FYYB's Forum

2009-03-31T11:15:00.003+08:00

Yes, we have a forum now.Since our band is expanding, this blog can't interact with every members.
Therefore I made a forum, so if you have videos or scores or anything you want to discuss with everyone please proceed to the forum.
Let's say you wanna start a topic bout videos then just go into first forum - click on new topic - then write your stuff and upload your videos.Understand?
Before that you have to register and activate your account first though.

This blog will remain to be used for reports from each departments and article bout sensei and faith or pictures.

Explore yourself in the forum first, don't simply mess up with it.
I'll ban you if you let me do extra job rearranging the topics, haha.Kidding~!

The address...

www.fyyb.forumdes.com

About Blog Updates

2009-03-25T23:05:00.002+08:00

Just read the review of previous meeting saying this blog didn't update.
To solve this problem, I need everyone's help.OK? :)
I'll send out invitation to all PP and SC of each department.
Then you guys can update things you in charge of your own department.
Example: Theory department to update Senior and Junior result, some theory information for Ma to update their MA stuff.

So if you think I don't have your email, please kindly leave it in the comment.
PP and SC only

I'll change the song in this blog,meanwhile let me find the songs first.
Any suggestions of songs, please kindly write in comment.If you have the source, that would be appreciated.

Give me some time to change the blog's template too, I still can't find any concept and I need time to design.Thanks for your cooperation huh><

Words of wisdom from our beloved Sensei

2009-03-24T11:18:00.002+08:00

We have both a weak self and a strong self; the two are completely different. If we allow our weak side to dominate, we will surely be defeated.

When your determination changes, everything will begin to move in the direction you desire. The moment you resolve to be victorious, every nerve and fiber in your being will immediately orient itself toward your success. On the other hand, if you think, "This is never going to work out," then at that instant every cell in your being will be deflated and give up the fight. Then everything really will move in the direction of failure.

Ultimately, our battle is with ourselves. Whether in our activities in society, or whether in historical, political or economic developments, everything essentially boils down to a struggle between positive and negative forces.

As long as we are human, we are bound to make mistakes. We all fall prey to flawed beliefs and views. What distinguishes a forward-looking person from an intransigent one, a virtuous person from a dishonest one, however, is whether one can candidly admit to one's mistakes and take bold steps to redress them.

Cheerfulness is born of a fighting spirit.

~ From Daisaku Ikeda

Dear all Angels,
Lets fight with our motto from moment to moment,
~HOPE ~ Cheerful ~ Joy~

Angels of Peace 和平天使

2009-03-24T10:48:00.005+08:00

~ a poem specially dedicated to Angels of Peace, by Daisaku Ikeda

Angels of Peace, you bearers of culture!
Ah, the fervent breath
Of my friends on fife and drum
You fashion a single ever-fresh flower
Dressing up our dreary world.

和平天使，文化的选手
啊,呼吸着温暖的气息
吹奏鼓笛的朋友
唯有你们才能在这乱世中
开出一轮永不凋谢的花朵

Marching to the flanks or forward or pin-wheeling
At the drum major's bidding,
The elegance of close-order drill
Creates a divinely fluid dance flowing from the fervour
That charges your minds, charges your bodies.

靠着一根指挥棒
指挥出横的纵的又变成圆的
有着分散整然的优雅
心灵与肉体充满了的紧张
创造出自由自在的天之舞

Along the chilly paths of discipline
In our chaotic and jaded age,
Your radiant circle (a ring of life linked with precious life)
Emits the sparkling good sense of youth
And the well-wrought song of triumph.

啊混沌憔悴的时代里
以尊贵的生命与生命结成热能之环
在寒风的修练路程中
高唱
青春辉耀智慧巧妙艺术的凯歌

Daughters of the nameless masses,
Pioneers in smashing the walls between people
As you melt the seosoned ice of ideology,
You are the unofficial envoys
True and trustworthy angels of peace.

一边溶化如坚冰般的僵硬思想
一边率先开启国境闭塞的门扉
来自无名百姓家庭的少女们
你们是无冕的外交使节
诚实不虚的和平天使

Strangers to political craft,
Strangers to diplomatic stratagems,
Without speaking a word, you spread our philosophy of peace,
You extend the frontiers of friendship
Touching the people where they are.

不懂政治手段
不谙外交策略
於民众生命的层次交流中扩大友好战列的你们
默默深入
流布和平的哲学

Using neither bullets nor bayonets,
But only simple fifes and drums,
You play the basic rhythm of the Mystic Universe;
None can help responding from deep within.
Certainly you shall spur the world to peace!

手无枪剑弹药
只凭朴实的鼓笛
奏出灵妙的宇宙天然音律
人们何能克制内心深处的共鸣
世界终将出现和平的曙光

Yes, we find in you a florid oasis
Greening our spiritual desert:
Your light-hearted "Do Re Mi",
Your lyrical and lucid "Moonlight above the Castle Ruins",
Your "Symphony of Joy".

啊轻快的乐声飞扬
诗意清新的荒城之月
还有欢欣的交响乐
滋润着精神的沙漠
乐声悠扬的绿洲出现

I shall never forget
Tears gleaming in the eyes of those angels
Who see from afar the bulwarks of world solidarity
Beyond the soaring horizon.
I cheer the tunes in every glistening pearly tear.

飞翔的地平线一望无垠
远眺连绵的世界据点
小天使眼中泪光闪闪
叫我一生如何忘怀
珍珠之音报以喝采

As you evade the flames of war,
Clearing the din of progress
And announcing to all the New Truth,
You light now one, now another
Light of life among us.

穿过战乱的火焰
越过文明的噪音
向天地人类宣扬新的真理
一盏接一盏在此
不断点燃生命之灯

The lights you've lit merge into patterns
Spreading everywhere over the gloom,
Over the ugliness of these latter days;
Your light soon will generate the passion
To fire all our tomorrows.

盏盏灯火绵延不息
於黑夜丑恶的末世大地
纵横交错
终将照亮未来整体
成为灼热光源

CONFERMENT OF HONORARY DOCTORATE TO SGI PRESIDENT DAISAKU IKEDA BY OUM

2009-02-26T18:06:00.002+08:00

Part 2

2009-02-10T00:36:00.004+08:00

photographers of the day: Tan Yan Ching & Ewe Bee Peng *clap hands*
camera sponsor: angie ong ... hehe

ask u to work or ask u 2 drink beer(mineral water in it)?
looking at the demounder strict supervision in order to produce the best quality before and ...
after

CNY stall

2009-02-08T17:50:00.006+08:00

shi jia ... wat r u thinking? so deep hor ....
while waiting for the water to boil ...
the CEO & GM of tau fu fah production
end product
is this a shampoo ad? so sexy look
kam sia all aunties uncles who helped out
all become expert in few minutes! bravo!
thx Mendy for helping us ...
punishing ah chek for being late! wahahahaha .....
guys, if u hav any pix for guai leng gou prep, plz email me ya. thx

KKYB Anniversary

2009-02-03T00:03:00.004+08:00

our 2 ice breakers, HS & MJ!
hoay ping chewing something?
walau eh! what is hoay ping trying to say?
kah wei trying his best to lead the group. *claps*
this moderator 'am chio' wat?
wwaaa ... seriously listening ...
xin ying & princess blur blur face
aiyoo .... manyak cute loh!
y ah chek & muscle man so happy ah? can show off their chest muscles to the camerawoman izzit?
aiseh ... yang han solo lah!
er jie giving speech

10-1-09 Performance

2009-02-02T23:47:00.006+08:00

sorry for the delay!

Joshua bell & Stradivarius

2009-01-27T19:16:00.005+08:00

I was watching a documentary on the first day of chinese new year and i found this... would be interesting to share here among u musician =)

The documentary was on Joshua Bell (www.joshuabell.com), a famous and talented violinist who have a perfect pitch. He won a numerous awards which includes the prestigious Grammy award and the famous Oscar award.

About his story, it was long... and of coz i wont so be free to copy and paste it here.. find out yourself in the website above if ur interested to know more, especially violinist =D

but one of the part interesting on the documentary was when he mentioned about his experience playing inside the underground sub-way station. Actually it was an experiment tho he was told by a journalist. guess what? will a great violinist ever earn $ there? what's the respond? find out urself la...

What i found really interesting here was his violin, a hand made violin from Antonio Stradivari on 1713!!!
omg... the violin which born before the great Mozart!! and it is still here in good condition after 296 years.. truly amazing...
the stradivarius violin is famous for the quality of their sound, which has defied attempts to explain or reproduce.

FYI: one of the stradivarius violin (1707), known as the Hammer was sold on 16 May 2006 worth a world record of US$3,544,000 !! ridiculous? but is true...

Here it is, the Hammer

U would wonder why it is so costly rite?
here's the explanation: the violin was made on 1707, fall in the range between (1700-1720) which known as the 'Golden Period'. With its superb outline and the use of the finest materials, these works are the ones most coveted by collectors and musicians for both their beauty and superior tonal qualities.

So which mean any violin made between those period would be really really costly... now u know why Mr Bell use up all of his saving to own a stradivarius... =)

This is known as the elegance of art
to the one who truly comprehend - a treasure; to the one who think the other way round - a debris.

SGM in the news (The Star)

2009-01-11T21:25:00.002+08:00

http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2009/1/6/central/2783062&sec=central

Spreading the word through education
By PRIYA MENON

PEACE and happiness for ourselves and others. This is what the Soka Gakkai Malaysia (SGM) strives to spread in the hearts of Malaysians.
Based on the Buddhist teachings of Nichiren Daishonin, a philosophy that promotes humanism, compassion and respect for the sanctity of life, this non-governmental organisation (NGO) was founded in 1984.
All set: Liu (left) and Choo looking through the magazine before it is released.
For them, there are three important aspects to spread – peace, culture and education.
“We use education to spread the message. We teach humanistic education based on values,” deputy president Liu Cheng Choong said.
The organisation has a kindergarten in Cheras which was opened in 1994 and now hosts 520 students of all races.
“Although we are a Buddhist organisation, we are trying to teach our children culture which cuts across race and religion so our kindergarten is open to the public,” Liu said.
SGM organises cultural performances, exhibitions, seminars on various other religions as well as the annual cultural festivals.
“We even bring in imams from China for seminars in Malaysia so that they can teach locals the teachings of Islam as well,” general director Choo Kong Fei added.
Starting young: The association focuses on the youth so they can bring about changes in the future.
At the 1998 Commonwealth Games, 5,000 of their members took part in the human graphics performance.
“All the events are organised and handled by our members, especially the youths. Even our centres are run by volunteers.
“So, the person who opens the gates at the centre may be a president of an organisation or a lawyer,” Choo added.
SGM has 16 cultural centres and 12 regional centres in Malaysia with 40,000 members nationwide.
Choo said they trained their members to do things for others.
“There is no status among the members and we want to start young that is why we are training our youths during the many exhibitions we have,” Liu said.
He proudly related stories of how their volunteers cleaned the toilets used by their members who performed at the Commonwealth Games.
They also have a monthly publication, called Cosmic in Mandarin and English, that informs their members of the various activities they have organised.
Among their latest endeavours is a signature campaign called Transforming the Human Spirit for the abolition for nuclear weapons.
Another one is the Seeds for Change, an effort to save the environment that was held at various local universities nationwide.
“Youths are always our main target because some day they will be able to make a change,” Liu said.
Wisma Kebudayaan SGM is located at 243, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur.

2008 Last practice

2008-12-29T00:05:00.005+08:00

2008 is going to leave us soon!
are you happy with with what you have done this year? accomplished something?regret doing nothing? do share your experiences here ... regardless of whether its small or big! just a sharing ... you wouldn't know, it might inspire others :)

are you ready to fight in 2009?step no.1, is everyone's heart armed with full gratitude & confidence for 10/1/09 performance?some of FY members might leave us in 2009 for good, let us wish them best of luck & may they win in their life no matter where they are. let's advance together with Sensei & Gakkai towards a victorious year! always support each other no matter what. together we shall grow in the castle of hope.

remember: a dream without action & prayer will ALWAYS be a DREAM!

these group of kids is in our hands to nurture them into fine person in time to come. please treasure them like your own sis & bro!

pix 4 collection

2008-12-06T01:20:00.003+08:00

Daily guidance from SGM website

2008-11-20T10:29:00.001+08:00

As if giving a daily report to our mentor, we may say to ourselves,"Today, i surmounted all obstacles and succeeded once again."Always maintaining this attitude, let us strive together. Always youthful and forward-looking, let us charge to the forefront.

>> visit www.sgm.org.my now!!!

Penang/Kulim free WiFi service

2008-11-20T01:09:00.000+08:00

Regarding Penang/Kulim free WiFi service initiated by Penang state government is now up and running….

Please visit http://www.mybroadband.gov.my to register a new account for free, then you can use the internet service at those designated places in Penang for free.

The lists of places that provide free WI-FI service are stated on www.mybroadband.gov.my as well.

New Daimoku & Gongyo Chart

2008-10-19T13:57:00.003+08:00

Oct		Name
s	5	Teik Siang
w	8	Zhi Huang
s	12	Martial Art
w	15	Teng Chew
s	19	Shi Hong
w	22	Shi Jia
s	26	Martial Art
w	29	Phaik Yi

Nov		Name
s	2	Bee peng
w	5	Cherry
s	9	Martial Art
w	12	Chia Chee
s	16	Guat Eng
w	19	Hoay Ping
s	23	Martial Art
w	26	Zhi Huang
s	30	Teik Siang

Dec		Name
w	3	Teng Chew
s	7	Shi Hong
w	10	Shi Jia
s	14	Martial Art
w	17	Phaik Yi
s	21	Lee Wen
w	24	Bee Peng
s	28	Martial Art
w	31	Cherry

Hi band,

Please refer when is your turn to lead D&G for our practice. For those who curious why there is Martial Art up there, let me explain here again...
Those who turn up practice last last week might already heard Shi Jia explaination...
We'll combine with Martial Art for D&G twice a month, the 2nd and the 4th week of every month. As we together are the Cultural Group of SGM, together we spread the culture of peace, and is a good start too if we can start off our practice with D&G together.
So all please be punctual every time to kickoff our every practice with success.
Thanks all.

Why does Nichiren Daishonin use words on the Gohonzon? Why not pictures? And why words from more than one language?

2008-10-16T20:40:00.002+08:00

Answer by Kazuo Fujii

No one can answer on behalf of Nichiren Daishonin. However, we can draw some conclusions about this based on his life and his writings. Nichiren Daishonin was a very rational man. He had a rational mind. He was also a religious revolutionary.

Firstly, Nichiren Daishonin taught that the Buddha nature is inherent in everyone and that everyone should be able to practise freely, wherever they are. Since the Gohonzon is a paper scroll, we can enshrine it in our own homes. This is very practical. It cuts right through the need to go to a specific place, such as a temple, in order to practise correctly.

Secondly, the Buddha nature and the universe are multi-dimensional. The range and diversity of these dimensions is too vast to be expresssed in the limited scope of a statue or a painting. Although statues and paintings might seem to express the personality of a Buddha, they in fact express the imagination and understanding of the artist who creates them. So, attempting to represent the Buddha nature through a statue or a painting could limit our understanding, perhaps leading us to think all Buddhas are fat, or all Buddhas are Asian.

As to why different languages are represented on the Gohonzon, this indicates the universality of Nichiren Daishonin's teaching, as well as his compassion. It is also as indication of the great insight and imagination expressed by Shakyamuni in the Lotus Sutra, which was rendered into Sanskrit and then Chinese, as it was transmitted from one country to another through the ages.

The Gohonzon includes two symbols written in Siddham which represents Sanskrit: Aizen (skt.Ragaraja) , and Fudo (skt.Achala) . These express two fundamental Buddhist principles: the transforming of deluded impulses (earthly desire) into enlightenment, and the transformation of the sufferings of birth and death into enlightenment. The symbolic representation of Sanskrit, which is an Aryan language, is representive of all Indo-European languages, and thus emphasizes the universality of the Gohonzon.

The other symbols on the Gohonzon are written in Chinese characters. These convey more than just words, they denote concepts which capture and express the workings of the unverse. It isn't necessary to know what each of them means. It's great if you do but that is not the purpose of the Gohonzon. Faith is what is important.

Nichiren Daishonin's vast compassion was the source of his wisdom in determining to inscribe the Gohonzon. He explains that everyone who chants Nam-myoho-renge- kyo to the Gohonzon can reveal inherent Buddhahood. This is because the Gohonzon is an expression of the universe from the perspective of the Buddha nature. By chanting Nam-myoho-renge- kyo, we fuse with the Gohonzon and enter into that Buddha nature.

The Gohonzon indicates that each person is the universe, not a limited version but the entire universe, so our imagination and realization can expand limitlessly when we practise to it.

From Gregorian Chant to Opera's Origins

2008-10-10T19:37:00.007+08:00

The singers and composers of the papal choir--recruited at first from northern Europe, but in the sixteenth century chiefly from Spain and Italy--appeared at daily services in the Vatican Palace and on greater occasions in the Sistine Chapel. They performed both the traditional chants of the Middle Ages, using splendid chant manuscripts, a few of which are exhibited here, and modern, polyphonic music of great richness and difficulty. In the course of the sixteenth century, the authorities became dissatisfied with the traditional melodies, which seemed to obscure the words of the liturgical texts (humanists and Reformers had long complained about this). Palestrina and others were commissioned to revise the Gregorian chants, and the new versions, printed by the Medici Press in Rome, provided the music that popes heard every day for centuries. Meanwhile music flourished in other Roman institutions as well, like the choir of Saint Peter's, which Julius II reconstituted in 1513, and where Palestrina served as maestro di cappella. The manuscripts shown here present only a few samples of the extraordinary musical life sponsored by the Renaissance papacy and the remarkable musical libraries of the papal singers. Together with the image of the papal choir in the Sistine Chapel on display in this section [Ris. Strag. 7], they give a vivid idea of the ways public performance and high art could enhance the majesty of the papacy.

An early engraving of the Sistine Chapel shows the full pomp of a papal religious ceremony, with the pope, the entire papal curia, and the singers in their box (lower right) gathered around a lectern. Every important participant is identified by a number corresponding to a legend at the bottom of the page. The pope on his throne at the left is no. 4, and the papal singers in their "cantoria" are no. 51.

The earliest complete extant constitution outlines the singers' duties, privileges, and code of behavior and offers detailed rules for their daily personal and professional life. The beautiful illuminated full-page opening miniature portrays the reigning pope Paul III presenting the constitution to the master of the papal chapel, with the singers of the chapel kneeling behind him.

Stefano Landi (ca. 1586-1639) was a member of the papal chapel in Rome and also worked for the powerful Barberini family. In 1632 his opera "Sant'Alessio," with a libretto by Giulio Rospigliosi (1600-69), later Pope Clement IX, was premiered in the Barberini palace in Rome; the score was published two years later. Although most early operas drew their plots from pagan mythology, this work is based on Christian hagiography--the life of the fifth-century Saint Alexis--yet also contains comic characters and elaborate scenic effects. The woodcut illustration displayed here shows one of those scenes, depicting nothing less than Hell itself.

Treatises on Music [image this time cant find it SORRY!!] >.<

In Greek
Mid-sixteenth century

This collection of the most important ancient Greek treatises on music, includes works by Aristoxenus, Ptolemy, Plutarch, Cleonides, and many others. It has been elegantly copied in the original language and was owned by Cardinal Marcello Cervini, whose coat of arms can be seen at the bottom of the page on display--the beginning of a treatise by Aristoxenus. In 1555 Cervini was elected pope as Marcellus II, and his name was attatched to the title of Palestrina's famous "Missa Papae Marcelli."

Early sixteenth century

The composer Carpentras was master of the papal chapel during the reign of Pope Leo X and wrote, among other things, polyphonic settings of the Lamentations of Jeremiah--part of the liturgy of Holy Week. Returning to Rome for a visit after Leo's death, he heard performances or saw copies of his Lamentations that were so different from what he had originally composed that he decided to present the reigning pope Clement VII (1522-1534) with a decorated parchment manuscript, on display here, containing the "correct" and "authentic" version of his music.

This work of Costanzo Festa (ca. 1480-1545), an Italian who served as a singer in the papal choir from 1517 until his death in 1545, is the earliest collection of polyphonic hymns and Magnificats by a single composer in the Sistine fondo. The opening of his hymn Conditor alme siderum is shown here, with the arms of the reigning pope Paul III on the elaborately decorated "Q" in the upper left. The coat of arms at the bottom of the right-hand page--lions holding a wreath with a fleur-de- lis--may be the composer's personal coat of arms.

The constitution of the papal singers required that individual singers be fined varying amounts if they came late or missed any of the daily services. Beginning in 1535 these fines were recorded in books known as the Diarii Sistini. Occasionally these documents tell us other things, such as in the entry on this folio (translated below). Many people in the late sixteenth century were very concerned that the congregation could not understand the sacred words of a Mass sung in polyphony. Here the papal singers try out some Masses--unfortunately not named--that addressed this problem:

At the request of the Most Reverend Cardinal Vitellossi we were assembled in his residence to sing some Masses and to test whether the words could be understood, as their Eminences desire; and those who were absent were fined:

      Federicus      baiocchi 15
      Petrus         baiocchi 15
      Petrus Paulus  baiocchi 15
      Mathias        baiocchi 15
      Soto           baiocchi 15

i will stop here fro now~ i will post with pictures i really hope it will b more interesting so please read it.

alterbating chant to gergorian chant

2008-10-10T19:08:00.012+08:00

This manuscript is one of three in the Sistina collection copied probably in Brussels or Mechlin (Malines) at the court of Margaret of Austria, regent of the Netherlands, and sent to Rome as a gift for Pope Leo X (1513-21). The pope's coat of arms is prominently displayed in the lower portion of the right hand initials. The volume contains Masses and Mass movements. The opening work is anonymous in the manuscript, but can be shown to have been written by Jacques Barbireau (ca.1420-1491), a composer who worked mostly in Antwerp.

This is an excerpt from a letter from the Bolognese theorist Giovanni Spataro to his friend Giovanni di Lago in Rome. It includes a musical example to illustrate the point that Spataro is making.

One of a series of sumptuous chant manuscripts produced during the reign of Pope Paul III (1534-49), this volume preserves music to be sung during ceremonies that took place on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. The manuscript is richly ornamented and a few folios are spectacularly decorated, such as the one shown here containing the opening chant of the liturgy of Good Friday, the antiphon "Astiterunt regem terrae." The miniature, by the papal miniaturist Vincenzo Raymondo, depicts Christ carrying the cross, while the coat of arms of Pope Paul III is at the bottom of the folio.

Vicetino (1511-1576) was a composer and theorist who believed that he had discovered a way to apply the ancient Greek "genera"- -types of scales--to the music of his day. These ideas are set forth in a treatise which claims to "reduce ancient music to modern practice." To test his theories Vicetino actually constructed an instrument called the arcicembalo (shown in the foldout illustration), a harpsichord with two keyboards capable of dividing the octave into 31 parts, thereby providing all the pitches needed to reproduce the ancient tone system.

This manuscript was copied towards the end of the fifteenth century and preserves a collection of polyphonic music to be sung during the office of vespers (hymns and Magnificats), as well as pieces performed during Mass (motets). The opening folio shows the Gregorian chant of the first verse of the hymn "Conditor alme siderum."

This opera by Alessandro Melani (1639-1703) received its first performance in Rome on 17 February 1669. It is the first opera to be based on the story of Don Juan, initiating a series of operatic treatments that were to culminate in Mozart's Don Giovanni (1787). This is a contemporary copy of the score with the music accompanying one of the elaborate scenic effects of the opera--a shipwreck.

Make a different approach to classical music

2008-10-10T12:40:00.003+08:00

Not everyone can accept him or herself sitting in room and listen to classical music ><
Im sure some member from FY do not take any interest in classical music at all.
So hrmmm...before starting with ears, we can try starting with eyes.
As everyone knows Nodame Cantabile(who else don't know?) is a Japanese drama related to various classical music(mozart,beethoven,rachmaninoff,brahms,gershwin,mendelsshon,chopin, schubert,debbusy,saint-saens). It actually covers from barouque period to 20th century,ok, maybe not...starts from classical period to 20th century.
Nodame Cantabile available in comic, drama and animation.

Synopsis:
"Megumi Noda, or “Nodame” is a piano student at Momogaoka College of Music. An extremely talented pianist who wants to be a kindergarten teacher, she prefers playing by ear rather than reading the music score. She is messy and disorganized, takes baths several days apart and loves to eat, sometimes stealing her friend’s lunchbox when it is filled with delicacies.

Shinichi Chiaki, is Momogaoka’s top student. Born into a musical family, he is talented in piano and violin and has secret ambitions to become a conductor. An arrogant multi-lingual perfectionist who once lived abroad in the music capitals of the world as a young boy, he feels mired in Japan because of a childhood phobia.

They meet by accident. Nodame quickly falls in love, but it takes much longer for Chiaki to even begin to appreciate Nodame’s unusual qualities. Their relationship causes them both to develop and grow. Because of Nodame, Chiaki got the opportunity to lead a student orchestra and begins to have a broader appreciation of people's musical abilities. Because of Chiaki, Nodame faces her fears and enters a piano competition. Opportunities open up as both begin taking risks, stretching themselves far more than they ever thought possible."

Next...a korean classical music related drama called "Beethoven Virus"
They take the concept of Nodame Cantabile with less silliness but maintain the leng lui leng chai actor and actress.
I am not quite sure about the music use in this drama cause I just watch the first episode><
Anyway, I think they had rearrange Beethoven's Sonata No.8,Op.13 third movement into an upbeat techno-ish song called "Beethoven Virus".
Basically in this korea drama, they had rearrange most classical song adding new instruments that don't exist in Beethoven's time.

Synopsis:
"Kang Gun Woo is an orchestra conductor in his 40’s. He is an elite workaholic conductor who has a very bad reputation. He is known as someone who will do absolutely anything in order to create the very best music. However, due to his self-righteous and stubborn personality he thinks that only his thoughts are correct which makes him unable to form good relationships with those around him. He meets Du Ru Mi, a violinist, and a trumpet player who has the same name as him, and together they form a love triangle."

Give a good look at this two music related drama and you might start liking classical music.

Both drama can be download or watch online with English subtitles.

Beethoven Virus(English Subtitle)

Beethoven Virus(Chinese Subtitle)

Nodame Cantabile(Download Site)
*you might bitcomet to download nodame cantabile or else you can search and watch online or borrow from teik siang><, as for animation try to purchase it in Hong Kong.Sorry I don't have it.*

Nodame Cantabile(Comic)

Self Detoxification

2008-10-03T12:32:00.000+08:00

Before you go to bed at night, prepare this magic potion: Finely chop or
use the food blender to chop up two cloves of fresh garlic and let it
expose to the air for a few minutes while you wash up your blender or
chopping board.

The chopping releases the enzyme allinase in the garlic. Gather the
chopped garlic on a spoon and swallow it with water.

The garlic will travel your entire digestive tract while you sleep and
scavenge and neutralize all the toxins, carcinogens, harmful bacteria,
fungi, viruses, foreign chemical before they can harm your healthy cells.

Swallowing the chopped garlic will not give you garlic breath, as long as
you don't chew it. You brush your teeth and rinse your mouth before you go
to bed anyway.

In the morning, drink a big glass of water. Your first bowel movement will
have a strong garlic odor and you will know that the harmful stuff have
been eliminated from your body. Try it, especially if you have had a bad
eating day.

How to take care of horn

2008-10-01T17:46:00.002+08:00

Needed:-
~Key Oil
~Rotor Oil
~Bearing oil
~Wire Brush
~Slide/Cork Grease
~Brass Soap
~Polish
Maintaining valves
>Remove valve caps at one time
>Wipe away any old oil at one time
>Add bearing oil on top of the surface where you can see the spindle turning in its collar
>Replace valve caps also not to cross the very fine thread.
>Light finger tightening is all needed. (do not over tighten the cap!!)
>For the bottom bearing a drop of bearing oil is added to a small gap between the fixed collar and the rotating part of the valve.
> Turn the horn on its back and move the levers for a few seconds until the oil is well into the bearing.
>Check that the oiling under the valve caps does not check that the marks incised at 90 degrees line up when the valves turn.
>If the marks do not line up it will mean that the corks or rubber stops underneath have worn and that the valves will not be opening properly.

For slide...
>Remove slide from the instrument
>Wipe of any old grease from the slide using a tissue (add oil)
>Take a little grease on the end of your finger and gently wipe around the middle of the slide
>Do this every couple of weeks
>Ensure no grease is build up at the end of the slides.
>Gently pull the slides out from the instrument.

Cleaning Inside & outside horn
>Use a long wire brush and insert it into the tuning slide of the horn
>Gently push the long wire brush into the tuning slide until it comes out of the mouthpiece end ( from larger to smaller diameter)
>Then gently pull from the mouth-pipe end until the whole wire has come through the pipe (repeatedly)
>Use a polish (lacquer/silver to clean)
>Make sure hands are wash cleanly from sweat
>Polish only ONCE a month. Do not polish too many times

History of Horn

2008-10-01T17:20:00.002+08:00

Instruments made from animal horns have existed since ancient times - they were primarily used as signaling devices. The horn as a musical instrument has only existed for several hundred years.

One of the earliest "horn-like" instruments, the lur, dates back to sixth century B.C. Made of bronze; these horns were used on the battlefields by Scandinavian clans. It makes a loud, obnoxious sound, just perfect for striking terror into the enemy camp.

In Europe, horns gained popularity in the trendy sport of hunting. As this aristocratic sport spread, horn-makers experimented with different shapes and sizes to increase the range of notes possible. In 1636, French musical scholar Marin Mersenne wrote of four different kinds of horns in his Harmonie Universelle: Le grand cor (the big horn), the cor à plusiers tours, (the horn of several turns), le cor qui n'a qu'un seul tour (the horn which has only one turn), and le huchet (the horn with which one calls from afar). Horns such as the cor de chasse and trompe de chasse (pictured right) fall into this latter category.

Shortly thereafter, the horn began to appear in the concert halls and theaters. Too raucous for inclusion with the fine oboes and violins in the orchestra pit though, at first the hunting horns were used only onstage in scenes depicting, naturally, the hunt. The horn at this point was not yet ready for serious artistic endeavors - only as "special effects," to give flashy theatrics to stage productions.

Meanwhile in Bohemia, Austria and Germany a more refined school of horn playing was developing under the auspices of Count Franz Anton von Sporck. The gentleman Count was, for all of his life, a hunting aficionado. He even founded The Order of St. Hubert (the patron saint of the hunt). Then while visiting France in the 1680's, Count von Sporck heard some cors de chasse at a hunt. Immediately after hearing the French hunting horns, von Sporck instructed that two men of his consort be taught to play the instrument. These two men, Wenzel Sweda and Peter Röllig became the source from which horn playing in all of Bohemia and Germany grew.

Crook and Hand Horns

Beginning with the cor de chasse (French for hunting horn), the horn began its evolution into a refined concert hall instrument. From early beginnings in stage settings depicting the hunt, Baroque composers began writing more complex and artistic music for this horn. Yet, the corno da caccia (Italian for hunting horn), was still a single, fixed length of tubing and its musical potential was limited to the natural harmonic series.

The most useful range for melodic writing was in the upper harmonics (the "clarino" range) where the natural harmonics are close together. It was still necessary however to switch horns if a composer wanted the hornist to change keys. The impracticality of this soon led intelligent horn makers in the early 1700s to the invention of the crook.

The crook was simply a section of coiled tubing that, when inserted into the horn would change the overall length of the instrument. Changing the length would also change the pitch (the longer the tube, the lower the pitch), allowing the same entire harmonic series, but now, in a different key. Instead of carrying many instruments in different keys, horn players would only have to carry one horn with a set of crooks of varying lengths. They could change the key of the instrument simply by inserting a new crook.

Disassembly / cleaning

2008-09-10T23:18:00.000+08:00

When you are finished playing the saxophone, it should be taken apart with the same care with which it was assembled.

Unhook the neck strap from the saxophone body.

Remove the neck from the body.

Feed the weighted end of a sax swab into the bell and turn the saxophone over so that the weight drops out the other end. Pull the swab through the instrument bore a couple of times.

Put the end plug back into the neck receiver and put the body back into the case.

Remove the reed, wipe off the excess moisture and place it in a reed case/holder.

Remove the mouthpiece from the neck and store it in the case with the ligature and cap on it.

Use the sax neck cleaner to clean out the neck.

Periodically, you may also want to do the following:

Use the soft cloth to polish the exterior of the saxophone, in particular the fingerprints left on the keys.

Use a mouthpiece brush and warm soapy water to wash out the buildup inside the mouthpiece (Figure 6).

Assembling Saxophone

2008-09-10T23:17:00.000+08:00

Place the strap around your neck.

Hold the neck in one hand and gently push on the mouthpiece in a twisting motion (Figure 2).

Place the reed against the mouthpiece with the flat side down and the tip (thin end) lining up with the tip of the mouthpiece. Secure it with the ligature. The standard position is where you can just see the tip of the mouth-piece above the tip of the reed (Figure 3).

Grasp the bell of the saxophone body and remove it from the case (NEVER grab the keys or rods). Remove the end plug and loosen the neck receiver screw.

Grasp the neck in your other hand and carefully place it into the neck receiver with a twisting motion. (Be careful not to squeeze the octave key on the neck or to jam the octave key loop into the octave key stem on the body. This could result in mechanical problems with the octave key.) The brace on the underside of the neck
should line up with the octave key stem on the body. Once it is lined up, tighten the screw on the neck receiver (Figure 4).

Finally, attach the neck strap hook onto the strap ring on the saxophone body. Adjust the strap so that the mouthpiece comfortably reaches your mouth.

Saxophone Technique

2008-09-10T23:15:00.000+08:00

Saxophones use wide varieties of sound or saxaphone technique. Some techniques like a "growl" can give a saxophone a rocky sound to it. Other techniques such as vibrato are commonly used with all music. Some saxophone techniques include:

growling
vibrato
laugh
circular breathing
flutter tongue
pitch bending

Growling is a very popular technique used in rock or aggressive sounding music. Growling kind of mimics a growl by singing a note into the sax while playing. Usually the note you sing in the sax is a little off pitch than the note you play. To actually get a growl sound out of a sax play a note and at the same time sing a note off pitch to the note you play until you get a "growl" sound.

Vibrato is used in both singing and instrumental music. It sounds like a note being bent upward (usually a half step up) and back down giving a good sounding note. To do vibrato on sax move your jaw slightly up and down while playing. Vibrato is played at a fairly fast speed. Average speed for vibrato would be an eighth note triplet.

A Laugh on sax is a technique used to mimic a human laugh. To do a laugh play a note and kind of laugh as you play but sing a note as you play as well.

Circular breathing is used to be able to play a note for a very long period of time(as long as you can keep the technique up). To circular breath puff your cheeks full of air and play normally. When you run out of air, blow with the air you have stored in your cheeks and breath in through your nose while using the air in your cheeks to catch breath. After That process puff your cheeks full of air again and repeat until you want the note to end. A saxophonist famous for circular breathing is Kenny G.

Flutter tongue flutters a note fast. To flutter tongue on sax trill your tongue while playing and get a good flutter sound out of the sax.

Pitch bending is also commonly used in instrumental music. Its used to "bend" a note up and down without changing fingerings. To use it just play a note with your jaw more open and slowly tighten your jaw to get the pitch to bend upward.

History of Saxophone

2008-09-10T23:11:00.002+08:00

The saxophone was developed in the 1840s by Adolphe Sax, a Belgian-born instrument-maker,flute player, and clarinetist working in Paris. While still working at his father's instrument shop in Brussels, Sax began developing an instrument which had the projection of a brass instrument with the mobility of a woodwind. Another priority was to create an instrument which, while similar to the clarinet, would overblow at the octave, unlike the clarinet, which rises in pitch by a twelfth when overblown; an instrument which overblew at the octave would have identical fingering for both registers.

Prior to his work on the saxophone, Sax made several improvements to the bass clarinet by improving its keywork and acoustics and extending its lower range. Sax was also a maker of the then-popular ophicleide, a large conical brass instrument in the bass register with keys similar to a woodwind instrument. His experience with these two instruments allowed him to develop the skills and technologies needed to make the first saxophones. Adolph Sax created an instrument with a single reed mouthpiece like a clarinet, conical brass body like an ophicleide, and the acoustic properties of the flute.

Having constructed saxophones in several sizes in the early 1840s, Sax applied for, and received, a 15-year patent for the instrument on June 28, 1846. The patent encompassed 14 versions of the fundamental design, split into two categories of seven instruments each and ranging from sopranino to contrabass. In the group Sax envisaged for orchestral work, the instruments transposed at either F or C, while the "military band" group included instruments alternating between E♭ and B♭. The orchestral soprano saxophone was the only instrument to sound at concert pitch. All the instruments were given an initial written range from the B below the treble staff to the F three ledger lines above it, giving each saxophone a range of two and a half octaves.

Adolphe Sax, the inventor of the saxophoneSax's patent expired in 1866; thereafter numerous saxophonists and instrument manufacturers implemented their own improvements to the design and keywork. The first substantial modification was by a French manufacturer who extended the bell slightly and added an extra key to extend the range downwards by one semitone to B♭. It is suspected that Sax himself may have attempted this modification. This extension was adopted into almost all modern designs.

Sax's original keywork was very simplistic and made playing some legato passages and wide intervals extremely difficult to finger, so numerous developers added extra keys and alternate fingerings to make chromatic playing less difficult. While the early saxophone had two separate octave vents to assist in the playing of the upper registers just as modern instruments do, players of Sax's original design had to operate these via two separate octave keys operated by the left thumb. A substantial advancement in saxophone keywork was the development of a method by which both tone holes are operated by a single octave key by the left thumb which is now universal on all modern saxophones. One of the most radical, however temporary, revision of saxophone keywork was made in the 1950s by M. Houvenaghel of Paris, who completely redeveloped the mechanics of the system to allow a number of notes (C♯, B, A, G, F and E♭) to be flattened by a semitone simply by lowering the right middle finger. This enables a chromatic scale to be played over two octaves simply by playing the diatonic scale combined with alternately raising and lowering this one digit. However, this keywork never gained much popularity, and is no longer in use.

KL FeiYang concert

2008-09-09T11:05:00.004+08:00

Date: 20/9/08 saturday 7.45 admission

Theme: PRIME POINT 原点

Songs to be played:

Blues brothers

Rosalind

Symphony no5

Sousa'holiday(star and strip forever)

Asian selection 2

Sand castle

What a wonderful world

Fairy tale (童话)

Goodbye my love

Guidance by Ikeda Sensei

2008-09-04T09:42:00.003+08:00

The human spirit is the strongest force there is.
As long as our spirit remains unbroken, there is no defeat.
In life, spiritual defeat always precedes actual defeat.
Guard against laziness, cowardice, carelessness, impatience, resignation and despair which corrode the human spirit and sow the seeds of defeat.

Adopted from: A chat with Gohonzon

2008-08-30T13:17:00.002+08:00

This is one small part of this study material called 'A chat with Gohonzon'. I think its a great thing that everyone should embed in our heart.

Gohonzon: Seek not to find who you are, but to determine who you want to be. Stop looking for a purpose as why are you here. Create it. Life is not a process of discovery but a process of creation.

Guidance by Ikeda Sensei

2008-08-28T17:22:00.001+08:00

Do you give up the struggle to overcome your own limitations on the first attempt, or do you keep on with it, trying a second time, a third time, and continuing on in the challenge for the rest of your life? That is the only difference between the genius and the ordinary person.

Present effects are due to karmic causes from the past. However, future effects arise from the causes we make in the present. It is always the present that counts. It is what we do in the present moment that decides our future; our past causes do not govern our future as well. Nichiren Buddhism emphasizes that no matter what kind of karmic causes we have made in the past, through the causes we make in the present we can achieve a brilliant future.

Message from Josei Toda

2008-08-28T17:09:00.001+08:00

"You can either tell yourself, 'It's too hard, I don't think I'll be able to do it,' or 'Yes, I can do this. Let me at it!' Only a fine line separates the two. But I'll tell you one thing: if you work like crazy, you'll come to display capabilities that you never knew you had--potentials that you always possessed, but never tapped."

Some correct postures which should be used while using a computer to reduce stress and other ill effects

2008-08-27T10:17:00.007+08:00

Origins of Christian music

2008-08-15T15:41:00.002+08:00

It could be said therefore that we know less about music at the dawn of Christian era than we do about Greek music in the time of Aristoxenes. the first four centuries of our era are still hidden under a thick veil after that we can gradually discern the outlines of a liturgical music as to the sound of which we know nothing until the ninth century when a rudimentrary system of notation that was decipherable allowing for a certain margin of hypothesis first made its appearance .After this progress will be relatively rapid and above all will reveal a remarkable degree of continuity. According to the historians the year 1453 marked a definite severance between the stages of civilisation the middle ages and the Renaissance in reality however this severance was not more noticeable in music than in other spheres of human activities at least not at that time. If there was a break in continuity between two ways of thinking and feelings this happened well before the fall of Constantinople during that confused period which lasted until the end of the barbarian
invasions when Gerco-Roman civilisation collapsed and its successor was not yet strong enough to assert it self.
it is on emerging from this tunnel that modern music begin to develop. we can see the beginning of that evolution most clearly in sacred music for the following simple reasons:
it was not part of the duties of theoreticians who were mostly monks and still less of the Fathers of church to give us information about secular music moreover the first music to b written down was liturgical music which had an all=important part to play. furthermore the popular musicians strolling fiddlers and jugglers whose art was primarily one of improvisation had neither the knowledge required to commit their inspiration to paper nor probably any desire to make them available in this way to possible rivals
but it is clear that secular music existed and that it assumed many forms such as songs inspired by places or trades or magic war-like satirical or drinking songs and more all of which had various origins some dating back to Gerco-Roman antiquity and even earlier and generally inspired by historical events migration and invasions cultural advances and set backs and those vagaries of fashion which in the fourth century aroused the indignation of St. Basil: "there are towns where from morning to evening one can attend all sorts of public spectacles and one is obliged to admit that the more the people hear of lascivious and immoral songs the more they wish to hear" However several centuries will elapse before we have any written record of this secular music . but to return to sacred music in early Church it had primarily a utilitarian function it was found that an excellent method of assisting worshippers to pray together was to base the prayer on a very simple chant very much in nature of a recitation designed on simple rhythmic and melodic lines evangelisation having spread from western asia to the boundaries of country where the Herbrew psalmody had been adpoted many historians think that this psalmody must have served as a model indeed sufficiently characteristic resemblances between the jeweish and Christian liturgies have been found to suggest that they were affiliated not to mention the actual borrowing of forms of acclamation such as alleluia or amen.

International Ensemble - Music Of The Night

2008-08-14T23:11:00.002+08:00

8 international musicians will perform Dvorak's "American" String Quartet, Blanc's Septet, music from Phantom of the Opera, and much more...
The musicians are from Hong Kong, South Korea,USA and Malaysia.

Date: 17th August 2008
Time: door opens 7.30pm, concert starts 8pm
Venue: KOMTAR Auditorium A(5th floor, yellow lift)
Ticket: RM15 & RM30

Tickets get from my sister, Phaik Voon.

Besides that, master class also provided free of charge.
But only for clarinet, F horn, Cello, Bassoon, Viola and Violin.
Held in Dewan Sri from 2pm to 3.30pm this coming Sunday.
Anyone interested please bring your instrument along.

How To Take Care Of Your Clarinet

2008-08-01T20:01:00.000+08:00

•Remove the reed after playing and store it in a reed case to dry. Put the rest of the clarinet in a safe place. Don't stand it on end, unless you have a clarinet stand, since it can fall over.
• Use your polishing cloth to wipe fingerprints off the ligature and keywork. Then, carefully place the cloth back in your case. Don't use any kind of metal polish or other substance on your instrument , except for key oil. Key oil makes the keys move more easily.
•Pick up the clarinet and take the mouthpiece off. Drop the swab into the top of the barrel joint. Wait for it to come out the bell and gently pull the swab through the clarinet. You may have to do this several times. Then, fold the swab and store it in your clarinet case.
•Get out some cork grease. Grease the corks by rubbing cork grease on them with your fingers. You don't need to do this EACH time you take your clarinet apart, or even very often, as too much cork grease will weaken the corks and make them prone to breaking apart.
•Place the mouthpiece cap over the mouthpiece, then store the clarinet in its case. Put the case in a safe place.
•Regular polishing, swabbing, dusting, and oiling will make your instrument last longer, but obsessive polishing and dusting will wear down the finish on your keywork.
•Use the pointed end of a tissue to absorb moisture in the mouthpiece, but not from within the window under the reed. You can also do this with a mouthpiece brush, which looks like a giant tooth cleaner. Mouthpiece brushes are also not highly recommended as they slowly alter the inner dimensions of the mouthpiece.
•Always unfold your cleaning swab completely, or it will get stuck in the clarinet.
•If your swab gets stuck, Do Not try to pull it out. Take the clarinet to the nearest music store and get professional help.
•Never run a swab of any kind through your mouthpiece.
•Rotate your reeds! This will make them last much longer and help them play better by giving them a chance to dry out.

How To Assemble Your Clarinet

2008-08-01T19:59:00.001+08:00

•Prepare the reed. Place the base or stock of the reed into 1/2 to 1 inch of water. The capillary action of the reed will pull water from the base to the tip, despite gravity. As the water reaches the middle of the reed, where the slice begins, take the reed out and quickly wet the end into which you blow.
•Grease the corks if they seem dry.
•Remove the upper and lower sections from the case.
•Use a gentle pushing and twisting motion to attach the two sections, aligning the bridge keys, press on the tone hole rings of the Upper section and hold the bottom of the Lower section, so you don't bend any keys.
•Holding the LOWER section, Continue the same pushing and twisting motion as you attach the bell to the bottom of the lower section.
•Gently attach the mouthpiece to the barrel.
•Attach the mouthpiece and barrel to the Upper section.
•Put the reed against the mouthpiece- the side with the hole. Do not tap the top of the reed and try not to touch the front of the reed because the pores will get dirty and not play as well. Look at the side of the mouthpiece for reed placement. Line the tip of the reed vertically equal to the tip of the mouthpiece.
•Place the ligature (metal or fabric band that holds reed in place) over the top of the mouthpiece, being careful not to chip your reed. Do not over tighten for fear of breaking the ligature, leave it a little loose for best vibration
•Keep your clarinet well polished by using a soft cloth and rubbing it gently. Never use any type of metal polish or liquid on the instrument! It will ruin it.

Classical & Jazz Clarinetist

2008-08-01T19:52:00.002+08:00

CLASSICAL
Ernest Ačkun Walter Boeykens Jack Brymer Bruno Brun David Campbell James Campbell
Gervase de Peyer Hans Deinzer Charles Draper Stanley Drucker Emma Johnson Reginald Kell Thea King Howard Klug Karl Leister Andrew Marriner Paul Meyer Sabine Meyer Ricardo Morales Edward Palanker Thomas Piercy David Shifrin Mark Simpson Bernard Walton
David Weber Harold Wright Milenko Stefanović Richard Stoltzman Frederick Thurston Eli Eban
Julian Egerton Ante Grgin

JAZZ
Muhal Richard Abrams George Adams Pete Allen Woody Allen Lloyd Arntzen Georgie Auld
Buster Bailey (1902-1967) Eddie Barefield Alan Barnes Emile Barnes John Barnes Gary Bartz
Alvin Batiste Heinie Beau Sidney Bechet (1897-1959) Han Bennink Derek Bermel Barney Bigard (1906-1980) Acker Bilk (born 1929) Chris Biscoe Andy Biskin Dan Block Hamiet Bluiett Anthony Braxton Peter Brotzmann Pud Brown Sandy Brown Albert Burbank Don Byron (born 1958)

Clarinet

2008-08-01T19:45:00.003+08:00

The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The name derives from adding the suffix -et meaning little to the Italian word clarino meaning a particular type of trumpet, as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed made from the cane of Arundo donax, a type of grass.
Clarinets actually comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches. It is the largest such instrument family, with more than a dozen types. Of these many are rare or obsolete, and music written for them is usually played on one of the more common size instruments. The unmodified word clarinet usually refers to the B♭ soprano clarinet, by far the most common clarinet.
A person who plays the clarinet is called a clarinetist or clarinettist.
The cylindrical bore is largely responsible for the clarinet's distinctive timbre, which varies between its three main registers. It has a very wide compass, spanning some 3½ octaves. The tone quality can vary greatly with the musician, the music, the style of clarinet, and the reed. The German (Oehler system) clarinet generally has a darker tone quality than the French (Boehm system), which typically has a lighter, brighter quality.
The range of a clarinet can be divided into three distinct registers. The lowest register, consisting of the notes up to the written B♭ above middle C (B♭4), is known as the chalumeau register (named after the instrument that was the clarinet's immediate ancestor). This register is the easiest to play and is the first learned by beginning players. The top four notes of this register are known as the throat tones.
The middle register is termed the clarino (sometimes clarion) register and spans just over an octave (from written B above middle C (B4) to the C two octaves above middle C (C6)); it is the dominant range for most members of the clarinet family and is audible above the brass while playing forte. The top or altissimo register consists of the notes above the written C two octaves above middle C (C6).
Unlike other woodwinds, all three registers have characteristically different sounds. The chalumeau register is rich and relatively quiet. The clarino register is bright and sweet, like a trumpet heard from afar ("clarino" means trumpet and is the root word for "clarinet"). The altissimo register can be piercing(刺耳) and sometimes shrill.

History of Clarinet(M.A)

2008-08-01T19:31:00.003+08:00

The clarinet developed from a Baroque instrument called the chalumeau. This instrument was similar to a recorder, but with a single reed mouthpiece similar to that of the modern clarinet and a cylindrical bore. Lacking a register key, it was played mainly in its fundamental register, with a limited range of about one and a half octaves. It had eight finger holes, like a recorder, plus two keys for its two highest notes. At this time contrary to modern practice the reed was placed in contact with the upper lip.
Around the turn of the 18th century the chalumeau was modified by converting one of its keys into a register key to produce the first clarinet. This development is usually attributed to a German instrument maker named Johann Christoph Denner, though some have suggested his son Jacob Denner was the inventor. This instrument played well in the middle register with a loud, strident tone, so it was given the name clarinetto meaning "little trumpet" (from clarino + -etto). Early clarinets did not play well in the lower register, so chalumeau continued to be made to play the low notes and these notes became known as the chalumeau register. As clarinets improved, the chalumeau fell into disuse.
The original Denner clarinets had two keys, and could play a chromatic scale, but various makers added more keys to get improved notes, easier fingerings, and a slightly larger range. The classical clarinet of Mozart's day typically had eight finger holes and five keys.
Clarinets were soon accepted into orchestras. Later models had a mellower tone than the originals. Mozart (d. 1791) liked the sound of the clarinet (he considered its tone the closest in quality to the human voice) and wrote much music for it, and by the time of Beethoven (c. 1800–1820), the clarinet was a standard fixture in the orchestra.
The next major development in the history of clarinet was the invention of the modern pad. Early clarinets covered the tone holes with felt pads. Because these leaked air, the number of pads had to be kept to a minimum, so the clarinet was severely restricted in what notes could be played with a good tone. In 1812, Ivan Mueller, a Russian-born clarinetist and inventor, developed a new type of pad which was covered in leather or fish bladder. This was completely airtight, so the number of keys could be increased enormously. He designed a new type of clarinet with seven finger holes and thirteen keys. This allowed the clarinet to play in any key with near equal ease. Over the course of the 19th century, many enhancements were made to Mueller's clarinet, such as the Albert system and the Baermann system, all keeping the same basic design. The Mueller clarinet and its derivatives were popular throughout the world.
The final development in the modern design of the clarinet used in most of the world today was introduced by Hyacinthe Klosé in 1839. He devised a different arrangement of keys and finger holes which allow simpler fingering. It was inspired by the Boehm System developed by Theobald Boehm, a flute maker who had invented the system for flutes. Klosé was so impressed by Boehm's invention that he named his own system for clarinets the Boehm system, although it is different from the one used on flutes. This new system was slow to catch on because it meant the player had to relearn how to play the instrument. To ease this transition, Klose wrote a series of exercises for the clarinet, designed to teach his fingering system. Gradually, however, it became the standard and today the Boehm system is used everywhere in the world except Germany and Austria. These countries still use a direct descendant of the Mueller clarinet known as the Oehler system clarinet. Also, some contemporary Dixieland and Klezmer players continue to use Albert system clarinets, as the simpler fingering system can allow for easier slurring of notes. At one time the reed was held on using string, but now the practice exists primarily in Germany and Austria, where the tone is preferred over that produced with the ligatures that are more popular in the rest of the world.

SGI President Ikeda's Encouragement

2008-07-21T09:15:00.000+08:00

Youth is a truly wonderful thing. Unfortunately, though, this is often something that's hard to appreciate when we're young. Life passes by quickly. Before we know it, we are old. That's why in our youth we should be as active as we possibly can. Rather than a life of blank pages, live a life crammed full of memories -of battles well fought and wonderfully diverse experiences. Not to leave behind any history, to just grow old and die, is a sad way to live.

An Evening of Light Classic

2008-07-21T09:04:00.003+08:00

Dear clarinetists, i think you all may interested to go ;p

Good News

2008-07-18T00:12:00.002+08:00

good news to share! i've just received a sms from Mendy tua pui.

Starting from 17th July 08, she will be officially an OBOIST in UTHM Orchestra! unfortunately, she has 2 learn on her own coz she's the only oboist in d orchestra. she's learning violin in her music class too.

Also, she had a new room mate from Bukit Mertajam that plays alto sax during high school.

Congratulations to Mendy!!

Pre-classical age part 2

2008-07-04T14:00:00.008+08:00

From Egypt simple music and it been introduce to the Eastern civilizations. Eastern people found music like a source of magic would changes peoples emotions as a gift from Gods for example:

Orpheus been known as "the Father of Songs"

orpheus's head held by his wife

Apollo God of music,poetry and light

God of poetry. some songs is composed based on a poem

and more......

Than music is introduce to China. With far-reaching code of symbols which conferred upon it in addition to it's value as an art (the scores). The behaviour of individuals and of the state, of reflection the movements of the heavenly body at one and the same time a method of passing the time and that's the view of China towards music in the historical time. It's also believe it's power over the human minds was the strong and it's said that it's growing weaker since in proportion as it has become more widely defused that is generally supposed to possess magical properties.

end of part2

The earliest times to the pre-classical age pt.1

2008-06-30T20:20:00.006+08:00

Music makes it's appearance in the west in the first centuries of the christian era in such a hamble to think that this was where it began, but in the distant past around thirty-five senturies B.C in the inhabitatants of Mesopotamia played on various kind of instruments there are concert held too. fragments have been discovered of harps,lyres and a sort of double oboe which was probably the predecessorof the Greek aulos.
the Egypt of the Pharaohs is still rich in relics. As early as the fourth dynasty, that is to say 2,700 B.C the paintings and bas-relief found in the royal tombs often repersent group of performers on musical instruments and most resembling our mordenorchestra. egyptology possess numerous examples of flutes,cynbals,sistraand harps of various of design

end of part 1

How to Take Care of Your Flute?

2008-06-28T23:32:00.002+08:00

~When handling your flute, make sure that your hands are clean and dry.
~During assembly, remember to always hold the parts of the flute on the edge, never hold it where the keys are.
~If you're not using your flute, disassemble it and store it inside its' case. If you don't have time to disassemble, place your flute where it will be safe from any damage.
~Always make it a point to clean your flute after you use it to avoid deterioration of the pads. Use a different cloth to clean the inside from the outside of your flute.
~Never use metal polish on your flute.
~Do not lubricate or oil your flute.
~Do not try to adjust the setting of your flute yourself unless you have a good idea what you're doing.
~Contact an expert flute repairman if you're having problems with your flute.
~Store your flute at room temperature.
~Don't store in heated or damp areas.
Have your flute checked once a year by a flute serviceman to ensure your flute is in tip-top shape.Assembling the flute

How to Clean Your Flute?

2008-06-28T23:29:00.004+08:00

~Use a clean cloth (flannel cloth or a J cloth is good as long as it's not too long or too short) to clean the inside of your flute.
~Fold the cloth lengthwise in half and thread the edge of the cloth through the slot on the cleaning rod.
~The cloth must be wrapped snugly on the edge of the rod so you'll be better able to clean the inside of your flute.
~Wrap the rest of the cloth tightly around the rod and securely hold the end of the cloth and rod with your hand to avoid bunching up and getting stuck when cleaning the inside of the flute.
~Now push the cloth-covered rod all the way inside your flute and twist it as you move in and out. Be very careful when doing this. The head joint is the part of the flute that gets the most moisture so be sure to give it a thorough drying.
~The outside of the flute may be cleaned by gently using a clean damp cloth.
~Now you can store your flute in its' case when you're not using it. This will ensure that your flute will last longer and perform well.

The Western Concert Flute

2008-06-28T23:25:00.003+08:00

The Western concert flute, a descendant of the 19th-Century German flute, is a transverse flute which is closed at the top. Near the top is the embouchure hole, across and into which the player blows. It has larger circular finger-holes than its baroque predecessors, designed to increase the instrument's dynamic range. Various combinations can be opened or closed by means of keys, to produce the different notes in its playing range. The note produced depends on which finger-holes are opened or closed and on how the flute is blown. There are two kinds of foot joints available for the concert flute: the standard C foot (shown above) or the longer B foot with an extra key extending the flute's range to B below middle C. There can also be a Bb below middle c foot joint added to the instrument. With the rare exception of the Kingma system, or custom-devised fingering systems, modern Western concert flutes conform to the Boehm system.
The standard concert flute is pitched in the key of C and has a range of 3 octaves starting from middle C (or one half-step lower with a B foot). This means that the concert flute is one of the highest common orchestral instruments, with the exception of the piccolo, which plays an octave higher. G alto and C bass flutes, pitched, respectively, a perfect fourth and an octave below the concert flute, are used occasionally. Parts are written for alto flute more frequently than for bass. Alto and bass flutes are considerably heavier than the normal C flute, making them more difficult to play for extended periods of time.
Other sizes of flute and piccolo are used from time to time. A rarer instrument of the modern pitching system is the treble G flute. Instruments made according to an older pitch standard, used principally in wind-band music, include Db piccolo, Eb soprano flute (the primary instrument, equivalent to today's concert C flute), F alto flute, and Bb bass flute (incidentally, the clarinet and brass families retain this orientation to a Bb, rather than C tonal centre).

Categories Of Flute

2008-06-28T23:22:00.002+08:00

In its most basic form, a flute can be an open tube which is blown like a bottle. There are several broad classes of flutes. With most flutes, the musician blows directly across the edge of the mouthpiece. However, some flutes, such as the whistle, gemshorn, flageolet, recorder, tin whistle, tonette, fujara, and ocarina have a duct that directs the air onto the edge (an arrangement that is termed a "fipple"). These are known as fipple flutes. The fipple gives the instrument a distinct timbre which is different from non-fipple flutes and makes the instrument easier to play, but takes a degree of control away from the musician.
Another division is between side-blown (or transverse) flutes, such as the Western concert flute, piccolo, fife, dizi, and bansuri; and end-blown flutes, such as the ney, xiao, kaval, danso, shakuhachi, and quena. The player of a side-blown flute uses a hole on the side of the tube to produce a tone, instead of blowing on an end of the tube. End-blown flutes should not be confused with fipple flutes such as the recorder, which are also played vertically but have an internal duct to direct the air flow across the edge of the tone hole.
Flutes may be open at one or both ends. The ocarina, pan pipes, police whistle, and bosun's whistle are closed-ended. Open-ended flutes such as the concert flute and the recorder have more harmonics, and thus more flexibility for the player, and brighter timbres. An organ pipe may be either open or closed, depending on the sound desired.
Flutes can be played with several different air sources. Conventional flutes are blown with the mouth, although some cultures use nose flutes. The Flue pipes of Organs, which are acoustically similar to duct flutes, are blown by bellows or fans.

History Of Flute(M.A)

2008-06-28T23:05:00.004+08:00

The flute has been dated to prehistoric times. It has appeared in different forms and locations around the world. A three-holed flute made from a mammoth tusk (from the Geißenklösterle cave in the German Swabian Alb and dated to 30,000 to 37,000 years ago) was discovered in 2004, and two flutes made from swans' bones excavated a decade earlier (from the same cave in Germany, dated to circa 36,000 years ago) are among the oldest known musical instruments. A fragment of the femur of a juvenile cave bear, with two to four holes, found at Divje Babe in Slovenia and dated to about 43,100 years ago, may also be an early flute. The Bible, in Genesis 4:21, cites Jubal as being the "father of all those who play the ugab and the kinnor". The former Hebrew term refers to some wind instrument, or wind instruments in general, the latter to a stringed instrument, or stringed instruments in general. As such, Jubal is traditionally regarded as the inventor of the flute (a word used in some translations of this biblical passage). Some early flutes were made out of tibias (shin bones). Playable 9000-year-old Gudi (literally, "bone flute"), made from the wing bones of red-crowned cranes, with five to eight holes each, were excavated from a tomb in Jiahu in the Central Chinese province of Henan. The earliest extant transverse flute is a chi (篪) flute discovered in the Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng at the Suizhou site, Hubei province, China. It dates from 433 BC, of the later Zhou Dynasty. It is fashioned of lacquered bamboo with closed ends and has five stops that are at the flute's side instead of the top. Chi flutes are mentioned in Shi Jing, compiled and edited by Confucius.

Ensemble Koschka vol. 3 Evening of Light Classical

2008-06-28T01:21:00.002+08:00

Mendy, we are proud of you!

2008-06-24T09:35:00.002+08:00

KKYB would like to wish Mendy tua pui all the best in your studies. as 2jie said ... another YB has step into the world of higher education & created new history again. you will represent Penang members to do kosen rofu in Johor. remember to share whatever you have learned there with us. we are willing to hear your joy, complaints, obstacles or sorrow that you shall face.

Johor might not be as safe as Penang (thats what i heard from Johoreans) so, don't go out at night if not necessary. we will chant for more shoten zenjin & buddhas to protect you all days long.
and most important thing is to stay healthy always. no more Nando's for you!!!!! hahaha ..... :P

hope all our younger YB members will keep this track record & advance in your studies in future.

Good Luck & Bon Voyage! we love you!

* please take note that we are going to depart to JB on Friday night 11.15pm. therefore, our farewell party will start sharp at 7.30pm & end about 10.15pm. kindly inform your members about the change. everyone must come if not auntie - auntie's food & effort will be wasted. thank you

pix credit: kean leong uncle

Just a little bit of endorphin for everyone...

2008-06-18T12:39:00.003+08:00

That day just right before Honbu 3 Kenshukai YB were still practicing our Phantom Of The Opera.

Shiuan Ying's friend commented :" I thought I was listening to CD playing until I walk in and saw...it was actually live band playing it...sounds so nice"

Happy or not???

I know that we players may not have the same point of view because we still have so much spaces to improve but when we receive praises like this, we just can't help but to be happy :)

When Shiuan Ying told me that, there was only 2 things in my mind.
It's either we're not as bad as we thought or her friend is not so sensitive to music.

Somehow it's a delighting comment, right? *smile*

Daimoku and Gongyo leading schedule

2008-06-16T13:09:00.008+08:00

Dear all PPs, kindly take note on your days and please be punctual ya ;p
Lets start our every practice with cheerful, determined and powerful D&G!! +oil +oil p ' v ' q

p/s: thanks to Bee Peng for preparing the schedule and thanks to Shi Jia for the execution :p

Ensemble 1st half

2008-06-02T00:34:00.002+08:00

Band,

Below is the fixed grouping for 1st half competition which will take place at 24th August 2008.

1st Half Competition (June-August)*Permanent Group*

Group 1	Group 2	Group 3
Trombone Duet	Clarinet Ensemble A	Flute Trio
Lee Wen	Teik Siang	Shi Hong
Wei Jun	Zhi Huang	Phaik Voon
	Wen Long	Billy
	Wen Chuen

Group 4	Group 5
Trumpet Trio	Saxaphone Duet
Shi Jia	Teng Chew
Phaik Yi	Mendy
Nigel

will post the 2nd half groupings soon... be patient huh... lol

French Music with Harp

2008-05-29T23:59:00.002+08:00

Date: 3rd June 2008
Venue: Auditorium Dewan Sri Pinang
Tickets: Adult RM30, Student RM10

Penang State Symphony Orchestra

Jascha. Y Shimana , Conductor
Katryna Tan, Harp Soloist

PROGRAMME

François-Adrien Boïeldieu (1775-1834) : Harp Concerto in C (1801)
I. Allegro Brillante
II. Andante Lento
III. Rondeau - Allegro agitato

Claude Debussy (1862-1918) : Petite Suite pour orchestre (1889)
I. En bateau
II. Cortege
III. Menuet
IV. Ballet

Georges Bizet (1838-1875) : "L'arlésienne" Suite No.2 for Orchestra
I. Pastorale: Andante sostenuto assai; Andantino; Tempo I
II. Intermezzo: Andante moderato ma con moto
III. Menuet: Andantino quasi allegretto
IV. Farandole: Allegro deciso (Tempo di marcia); Allegro vivo e deciso

Tickets get from my sister and pay her on this Sunday...

Jun08 Soka Day

2008-05-29T15:30:00.001+08:00

Jeanne Abdullah's Prime Minister's wife is being conferred Highest Honorary Degree by Soka Women's College on 24th.May.2008, Saturday

2008-05-26T14:29:00.003+08:00

Dear all YBs,
remember the news we announce that Jeanne Abdullah's Prime Minister's wife is being conferred Highest Honorary Degree by Soka Women's College on 24th.May.2008, Saturday?
Here is the mail i received from Cheng Lay, sharing from a ex-UKM student who is now study in Soka Uni, lets take our time to read it yo ;p

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The new history for all of us.. Check this out!! http://www.tv3.com.my/Shows/EpHighlight.aspx?MasterID=190&ShowID=231&MenuID=2&TemplateID=1&SubMenuID=1&VideoID=12609&EpID=15529#anchorVid*From o7:00 till 08:30 1.5mins about the ceremony...Hurray!!*

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On 5/25/08, Shanice Cheng <http://aa.mc276.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=yengcheng@gmail.com> wrote:

Dearest everyone,
I am sure everyone knows about the news that Jeanne Abdullah's Prime Minister's wife is being conferred Highest Honorary Degree by Soka Women's College on 24th.May.2008, Saturday.
We are happy to share the photos with you
http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=560536511&k=Z2BUX652RZWMYEMDRKY3S
The photos doesnt look so official though, because our small multi task camera always have to sneak in between other more official cameras, hehehe...

Would like to share some of the interludes that actually took place approaching the event, and also the situatiob on the actual day.

Truly felt fortunate to be able to have this moment to welcome such important people from one's country to Soka University. Undeniably, when we first receive this news that our current prime minister will be conferred an honorary by Soka University, many mixed feeling arise not just from me, but almost all foreign students from Malaysia. You know what i mean, i guess... what clarifies our PM to receive an honorary? what's his role model or exemplary to the country besides being the pinnacle the country?

Thus not wanting to carry these doubts to meet him on Sat, two representatives went to get clarification from the International Department of the University. The personnel from the International Department actually explained to us that this conferation started from Datin Seri Jeanne Abdullah who has high respect for Dr. Ikeda and his founding of the Soka School System. Datin Seri Jeanne has proposed to visit Soka Womens' College in her capacity as the Chancellor of Open University of Malaysia and will be conferred by Soka Womens' College the highest Prize of Friendship (or something like that). Datuk Seri Badawi who is also on his trip in Japan decided to accompany Jeanne to visit the university. Thus, with high recommendation from Dr. Ikeda, the founder of the university, Soka Uni decided to also confer an honorary degree to our PM.

Thus, our doubts arose from, Dr. Ikeda has always pointed to us the qualities of a human being, of a leader. What if, despite a person position, he does not pledge his duties or responsbilities as befits his leadership position, what befits him to be conferred an honorary?
The personnel said that first, for a university to be able to receive such distinguish guest from other countries is the university's pride. Also, it has been a tradition for the university to confer upon distinguish guest who visits the university. This is a sign that the university is a truly International Class university.

We showed him signs that this obviously didnt clear our doubts yet...
He continued, saying that, "In many occasions, people who were able to meet Sensei, were able to change after that encounter. What is important is to create the opportunity for "meeting"..."
He acknowledged that he cannot tell for sure the exact qualities about this man (our PM), there have been discussions about the appropriateness as well, but being the PM of a country, this honorary will be conferred upon him. What is important is that during his visit, we are truly able to display what our spirit is as Soka students, as Sensei's disciple. Hopefully, this will be able to plant a strong impression upon all who visits to see for themselves the university and the spirit Dr. Ikeda has founded. Through this encounter, and everybody's effort, in his own life, a change will definitely take place.

What strucks me was, "creating the opportunity for meeting". We know all well from Mr. Ikeda's writing and speeches, dialogues that Sensei is not a person who is there just to please his guests. Sensei addresses his conviction, his mentor's Toda Sensei's wishes, his beliefs and actions just as it is for the future. Spreading the seed of enlightenment and compassion is not a matter of who the other person is, it is what one's conviction is, what one's wants to deliver and strive for everyday or even for a WHOLE LIFE. Thus, nothing stops Ikeda Sensei to transmit hope, belief and ichinen to anyone he wants to reach out. What matters "is the opportunity for meeting". No wonder, Sensei always write, "History unfolds from meeting" or "First, it is meeting people".

Hence, we are happy that we were able to unite our heart together as one among the 10 Malaysian students representatives as well as with Ikeda Sensei. We determined, representing Sensei's spirit, we will give the heartiest and merriest welcome to all who come to visit Soka Uni on that day. Thus, all of us sang as patriotic, as melodious, smile as bright as possible when our National Anthem was played. Badawi who was at first not singing when the national anthem was played, later sang along. We even sang "Rasa Sayang" song spontaneously when we bid farewell. He turned round again when he heard this loveable song sang from behind.

Cant help, but felt deep gratitude towards Sensei. Though from the outlook, it seems that we are there to welcome some delegates, but in a deeper sense, our mentor is all the while in all ways giving training to his disciple! Training his disciple to stand up with him, training his disciple to uplift our life state higher and higher to be the same him, to the highest lifestate possible a human can strive for! Felt that my outlook was so narrow at the very beginning, leaning on just the current affairs of the "figures" in politics, unable to comprehend our mentor's vision. However, determine to continue challenge and closen the bond with Sensei. I am sure all the students who attended the ceremony felt immense gratitude to our mentor as well.

Well, i will close here.
There are still so much more to write on each detailed that we witnessed, but i leave it to you all to also discover the daily lessons we can get from following and actualizing our mentor's guidances.

love,
cheng

Ensemble Competition Grouping-repost

2008-05-24T23:06:00.004+08:00

Hmm... it just cant fit in huh, sorry bout that.
here it is again:

1^st Half competition (June-August)

Group 1	Group 2	Group 3
Brass Ensemble A	Clarinet Ensemble A	Flute Trio
Lee Wen	Teik Siang	Shi Hong
Jiu Zheng	Zhi Huang	Phaik Voon
Chia Chee	Wen Long	Billy
Jia Wei	Wen Chuen
Bee Peng

Group 4

Trumpet Trio

Shi Jia

Phaik Yi

Nigel

2^nd Half competition (September-November)

Group 5	Group 6	Group 7
Saxaphone Ensemble	Clarinet Ensemble B	Brass Ensemble C
Teng Chew	Zhi Huang	Shi Jia
Mendy	Quan Xun	Jiu Zheng
Winnie	Yang Hann	Chia Chee
Ming Jie	Wen Chuen	Kah Yen

Group 8	Group 9
Percussion Ensemble	Brass Ensemble B
Guat Eng	Bee Peng
Hoay Ping	Eunice
Jing Wen	Cheery
Yan Ching	Wei Jun
Yuan Dong	Xing Ying

Ensemble Competition Grouping

2008-05-24T22:52:00.002+08:00

Band,

Finally, I’d come out with the grouping for the ensemble competition which appear to be one of our band highlighted event this year. I expect this to be a massive competition and hope that you guys could make yourself part of it. ^^

1^st Half competition (June-August)

Group 1	Group 2	Group 3	Group 4
Brass Ensemble A	Clarinet Ensemble A	Flute Trio	Trumpet Trio
Lee Wen	Teik Siang	Shi Hong	Shi Jia
Jiu Zheng	Zhi Huang	Phaik Voon	Phaik Yi
Chia Chee	Wen Long	Billy	Nigel
Jia Wei	Wen Chuen
Bee Peng

2^nd Half competition (September-November)

Group 5	Group 6	Group 7	Group 8	Group 9
Saxaphone Ensemble	Clarinet Ensemble B	Brass Ensemble C	Percussion Ensemble	Brass Ensemble B
Teng Chew	Zhi Huang	Shi Jia	Guat Eng	Bee Peng
Mendy	Quan Xun	Jiu Zheng	Hoay Ping	Eunice
Winnie	Yang Hann	Chia Chee	Jing Wen	Cheery
Ming Jie	Wen Chuen	Kah Yen	Yan Ching	Wei Jun
			Yuan Dong	Xing Ying

You all may find that some of you could take parts in both half of the competitions. This is due to we are lack of players for some groups… =.= it could be tough or maybe not… ^.^ take this as challenge what… hehe, the more you played the more you learned

Those names who highlighted in blue are the group leaders, responsible for arranging time for practice, guide your team member, improvement plan, motivation and etc...

You may also questions on the song you’re gona play right…? Don’t worry, it’s all ready and you’ll get it as soon as everything confirmed… (Exception of Saxophone players… haha, will discuss details with you all soon)

Noted* Please inform me if you encounter any doubts with your grouping. Dateline – 31^st May 2008

Thanks to...

2008-05-18T19:45:00.003+08:00

All companions who had stayed back to clean the room...

Zhi Huang(I have to put him first because he's the only YMD who stayed until 6.10pm with all of us), Xin Ying, Wei Jun, Bee Peng, my sister, Angie, Mendy and Teng Chew(even though he ran away without telling anyone of us), Jing Wen and Xin Yan(this lil girl helped out a bit here and there....)

Erm...did I leave anyone out?Shi Jia & Ming Jie?who helped out for a while for scores arranging as well.
I think that's all.

*a big round of applause*
Princess would like to thank all of you from above for making an afford to clean the room *smile*
The ones who didn't clean the room, hope you could at least appreciate our hard work by not messing up the room.

The room is sparkling clean right now.It''ll be better after we dispose all the shirts and etc soon.

Aww....I need Salonpas~

Guides to blog...

2008-05-18T19:25:00.003+08:00

I think some of our authors are not familiar with blogging so I'll post up how to blog guide here.
Very easy, just 3 steps.

1. Log into http://www.blogger.com
then you'll see something like below...
Type in penangyouthband@gmail.com and our password.

2. Automatically you'll be in dashboard page.
click on "new post" (the orange word)

3. You'll be in Posting page.
Type whatever you want to write in our blog.

Any inquiries, leave a comment or ask in chat box or ask me personally face to face.