Choices

Your Guide Writer is feeling down today, so pardon the miserable tone of speech. For those who're going for the Music Elective Program, I shall just briefly touch on it, cos I'm not in THAT program. And your CCA choices too, and how to survive Sec One Orientation. (You won't need to know HOW to survive, cos our PSLs will lead you through. Just tellin' ya WHAT to expect.)

1) MEP

There arent' a lot to tell you, except when you're sorted into MEP, you'll be in the MEP class, which means all your classmates are musical. You will have special MEP lessons, and are expected to be more musical than anyone else. You must also learn a second instrument (like voice, guitar etc.) And during Drama lessons, for certain assignments, you might be required to compose a song and dramatise it. That's about all.

2) DEP

Drama Elective Program. For the whole Secondary One cohort, you'll be having Drama lessons from Term 2 onwards. Drama is really, really, really, really, really, really, fantasically, brilliantly fun. It's so mind boggling you leave the Drama studio wanting more. You're supposed to do a Drama practical assignment, in which you act out either a poem or a monologue or a mini-play (depending on what the teacher wants you to do), and then you'll be graded for that, along with your Drama reflections. Though it won't affect your overall percentage (it's just an A, B, C etc. grade), it does determine whether you'll be sorted into DEP or not. At the end of the year, all three drama teachers will choose twenty-four girls from the cohort and invite them to join DEP, in which they will take Drama as an O level subject. Yep. Your Guide Writers here have not started their official DEP lessons yet, cos it'll only start NEXT YEAR, so we can't really tell you what DEP's lessons will be like.

3) CCA options. It's probably too early to tell you about CCAs, but I'm saying these now so when School reopens and the flood gates of homework open with a dolorous cacophony, I will not need to squeeze out time for this blog. There are, as all of you know, four types of CCA. Uniform groups, Performing Arts, Sports and Clubs and Societies.

I shall not touch on ALL of them in specific detail, lest I offend their members. All these are told from an outsider's point of view (except Choir, which is MY CCA. Ah ha, that's another clue HAHAHAHAHA)

First off: Uniform groups. They all seem to work really, really hard in the hot sun. They require lots of discipline, and drills and involves running around the track a few times before starting on whatever activities they have. I'd say it's a pretty torturous CCA, cos I'm not the sports person, but if YOU LIKE TEAMWORK, STRENGTH, DISCIPLINE AND LOTS OF TRUSTY FRIENDS, I think you should try going for their interviews. I'm not saying Uniform groups are bad here! Just that...it'll require lots of hard work and training.

Performing Arts. Some of them require certain musicality and prefer previous experience. The Chinese Orchestra has lots of different interesting instruments, but for those who're learning the instruments for the first time, they'll need to practice extra hard. Same for Symphonic Band. They practice three times a week, and Sec Ones train extra hard. Band also has marching drills and stuff, and require lots of breath power cos you need to blow really hard into some of the instruments to make sound emerge. I don't know a single thing about Dance, because I have never encountered a Dance person before, so I shall not touch on it. String Orchestra is tough. You have to be able to secure a high grade in either Piano or any sort of string instrument (Grade six and above, I heard), and I hear the chances of them accepting you will be higher if you're in MEP. S.O is a very MEP CCA.

ELDDS. It is usually a much sought after CCA because their advertising skills are sublime. On CCA orientation day they'll be flaunting around the school in bombastic costumes and masks, screaming come join ELDDS. English Literary Debate and Drama Society, if I'm not wrong. Though I'm sure I'm wrong, cos it doesn't sound right. But anyway, during their auditions, they'll test you for your Dramatising skills, and then your Debate. (Oh btw, DEP doesn't only select people from the Drama wing in ELDDS. For example, I'm from Choir and my buddy's from Art club.) According to my LD classmates, ELDDS rocks. GO try it out yourself.

Choir. Even if I say so myself, Choir is a rather sought after CCA too! But the choir mistress only selects about 20 girls every year, but that DOES NOT MEAN YOU DO NOT TRY. It's good if you originate from a choir in primary school, or at least have some choral singing experience. Knowing how to stand properly and breath with your diaphragm is good too. During the audition, the choir mistress generally tests you for your pitching skills. (to see if you're tone-deaf or not) She'll play a few arpeggios for you, just sing it. If she thinks you're ok, you'll be shown to the interview room where they'll ask you questions about why you want to join choir or blah blah blah. Choir training is normally at least three hours, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and we practice really hard for all our songs. You might find it really hard to cope at first, you might fall asleep or become outraged at our choir mistress's rain of scoldings and insults, but in the end when all of us harmonise together in all our four parts (soprano one, soprano two, alto one, alto two) you'll be glad you came to St. Nicks. In the 2007 SYF, Choir attained Gold with Honours, and two weeks ago, we went to Vienna and Bratislava to compete in the III International Festival of Advent and Christmas music and came back with a Gold award, 95.16 points upon 100, and topped the children's category. (Besides, if you join, you'll be able to meet me! :) )

Clubs and societies. These groups are generally less competitive than the others, but they compete all the same. There's the Chinese version of ELDDS there, and I hear they're pretty slack but extremely fun and worthwhile. Art club is for artists solely and only. When my bestie comes to post, she'll tell you about it. I don't really know much about other CCAs, but if you want to know something in particular, I can always go check it out for ya. Though you'll probably learn everything you need during CCA orientation day.

Sports. They all train really hard, and like I said, I'm not a sports person. But team spirit is strong in all sports, St. Nicks coaches are extremely good, and if you don't mind training your guts out, go for it.

All our groups are great in their performances in competitions and sports meets. All the Golds, Gold with Honours, firsts, seconds, thirds, they all come from the CCAs. :)

I got really tired typing all these. I shall return later if I can. (Though I may be a Guide Writer, I'm still a student, you know. One needs to prepare for the rocky year ahead.)

Keep well,

St. Nicks Girl (1)