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Trinity Pipes and Drums Singapore Tour July 2014
It was very exciting when twelve students from Pipes and Drums, Mrs Judy Dawson and I travelled to Singapore on 7 July 2014 to begin an enjoyable seven day tour – the first time in the history of Trinity Pipes and Drums that the band has travelled to an international destination.
The aim of this tour was for the Pipes and Drums students to have musical interaction with school pipe bands in a different country and to meet other students with a common interest. It was a great experience performing in different places and to have an appreciative audience.
From a learning perspective, the visit to Northland School and Northland Kings Pipe Band was definitely worthwhile as the pipers and drummers from Kings are a good standard. This gave our boys the opportunity to hear what dedication and commitment to piping and drumming can produce. The visit to Raffles Girls’ School gave us the opportunity to interact with girls in a pipe band. The aim here was for the two groups to share the learning of a new piece of music and then, by the end of the session, play it together on instruments without reading the music. This was testing for some but most students achieved it. St Joseph’s Institution Pipe Band gave us a challenge with a mini ‘battle of the bands’. The boys had the opportunity to appreciate the different style and sounds between the two bands.
Our performance at Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital was greatly appreciated by the staff and residents and they have invited us back again. The respect and good manners that our boys displayed were wonderful. I felt proud to be associated with this group of boys from Trinity College.
Of course, like any tour to a new city we had a great time enjoying many activities and squeezed as much as possible into every spare minute. Singapore is exciting with great shops, great places to eat, an underground MRT train service, historical places and lots of fun. Some of the highlights we included:
• Sentosa Island and Universal Studios plus the night laser show • Zoo Night Safari • Singapore Ducktour • Shopping in Orchard Road • Chinatown • Singapore Wheel • Gardens by the Bay • Bugis Street Markets • Trattoria Restaurant farewell dinner
I thank Dr Robert Braham for his support in making this tour happen; Mrs Margaret Denniston, who is always so helpful to me; Mr Alan Wallace, the pipe band instructor of the Singapore bands; Mr Roy Hamilton, our drum tutor and Mr Peter Jones, our drum major tutor who encouraged me to take the boys on tour. Thank you to Trinity’s Friends of Music for the contribution to the travel fund. Thank you to the parents of the boys for all your support. A special thank you to Coastal Scottish Pipe Band for generously funding the travel shirts for the boys.
An extra special thank you goes to Mrs Judy Dawson whose friendship and assistance were invaluable. I appreciated all her organising skills. I had the easy job looking after the musical activities but Mrs Dawson was the bank, the nurse and the ‘mother’ to twelve boys and the teacher.
Finally, thank you to the boys who made the tour enjoyable. I appreciated your company.
This tour was a valuable musical interactive experience for us all and I look forward to the opportunity of another tour in the near future.
Mrs Maureen Barnett Trinity College Pipes and Drums
Trinity Pipes & Drums escort the 6th Australian Infantry Battalion during the ANZAC Centenary Celebrations
Singapore Tour Singapore Tour
Pipes & Drums Back Row: Anthony Dawson, Nicholas Ellison, Ben Pagano, Angus Thomas, Pipe Major Jack Kay Middle Row: Thomas Whelan, Brandon John, Ethan Taylor, Mrs Maureen Barnett, Joseph Halpin, Austin Moutia, Luke Di Dio Front Row: Jack Newman, Ethan Lee, Drum Major Declan Hayward, Alasdair Cooper, Connor Rees, Michael Ferrari, Quinn Jago Absent: Thomas Walsh, James Loughnan
