Ritornello 2026 (Xing Ni's POV)

Thanks Sharlene for inspiring so many of us to write about the concert! It's been fun reading all the different POVs :) So here's mine!

Coming Back

The last time I played the trumpet was in 2016 with NYJC. After which, I honestly never thought I'd play again. I guess I thought I moved on with life and other interests/ hobbies. Strangely, in the last year, I was really itching to perform and make music again. Listening to the band's SYF recordings on YouTube and other pieces we played at concerts made me really miss the old days. Then the announcement came that we'll be having our first official alumni concert! I knew I had to grab the opportunity. 

The first practice was a mix of nervousness and excitement. Picking up the trumpet again was demoralising. I thought I might be able to at least make a sound but nope! I didn't know whether it was because I hadn't played in so long, or that I had braces. All I could think about was how far I was from my peak. While I reconsidered whether I should perform, I think the familiarity and nostalgia of being in the band room with the company of my section made me stay. 

Week after week, I could hear myself and the band improve. It's so amazing how quickly things picked up each week. Also amazing how I my saliva clearing aim is still pretty good after all these years. 

Shoutout to Tian Wei, Geraldine and Dominick and clearing the saliva bowls almost, if not all the practices!

Full Run

We reported at 1.30pm and moved our set up to the hall. It was the first time I thought that the hall's acoustics were not bad? The band seem to sound so much better than in the band room (or maybe because I opened my ears more). I was feeling a lot more positive about concert day although I still needed to learn the notes for the pop songs. 

Otw to dabao dinner with our bbt. Thank you Yu Qing! 

Dinner in the canteen like band camp

Sed that this was the only dinner I joined with the section but I had a great time chatting with the kiddos. Also found out that Sharlene is a slow eater like me! No sense of urgency when food is here. 

Practice continued after dinner all the way til 9.30pm and I was fully exhausted by then. Tbh I don't think I even played much hahahah. How did we do it back then? 

Last Practice

After our last practice, Brando told us not to stress because it's not SYF. I found it funny because he always emphasised that a concert is more important than SYF when we were in school; A concert is where our beloved friends and family come to support us.

 Spoiler: And so they did!

Concert Day

Woke up at 6.30am that day >< Thank you to Douglas and Brandon for volunteering to report early in school otherwise we would've had to wake up even earlier. 

Arrived a bit late past 8.15am but thankfully the bus hadn't arrived yet. 

Unloading the instruments were a breeze because so many hands I just eye power LOL. And of course the truck did like 90% of the unloading of percussion instruments. 

Sound Check

Officially back on a formal stage! I was surprised by the acoustics because I could hear myself so clearly compared to the band room and school hall. I thought my condition was great too. 

We tried to rehearse the start of Prologue 1 and actually a lot of people didn't stop to play the tuning note when Denver stood up. So Wendy shouted "Denver 在前面了你们还玩！" I laughed. I get why Chloe finds Wendy scary heh. JK.

10 seconds ago I said I thought my condition was great. Up until the end of concert #1 LOL. In short, I was cold and hungry and did not save my lips the concert. Typical concert day things. Yey! 

More typical concert day things: 

Lunch

Bento catered by the committee

The food was really quite good and I was surprised by the variety of liaos. 

Mandatory mirror selfie in the holding room

We celebrated the March babies' birthdays and chilled a while more before heading up for the concert! 

Concert

I think this was the most informal way we've entered the stage since the order didn't matter and we had to be up there while the audience were still coming in. Tian Wei's sister(?) texted her to say that we looked like zoo animals LOL. Being observed by the audience while we did whatever random thing to kill time before the concert started. 

Then finally the lights went up and Denver cued us in! My tone was so bad Joel turned around to laugh at me. And I laughed too because I knew this was it already HAHAHHA. 

And then concert #2 flew by in 2 hours~ (I'm running out of time here because I have a flight to catch tonight) 

Post Concert + Reflections

Seeing our supporters after has got to be one of the most memorable parts of the day, as with every concert. 

With my batch mates Jamie and Joelle.

Thank you for the flowers <3 Sorry I had to bounce but I'm always grateful for the both of you. For being a huge part of my band journey. For laughing, crying, growing and being in our own world together. Sharlene, Chloe and Derek kinda reminds me of how sticky we were back then heh.

Special shoutout to Joelle for lending me her trumpet!

Thank you to everyone in AMKSS Trumpet Section! Ngl, I thought about how great it would be to play the flute or clarinet because their instruments are so much easier to carry around. But truly, I rather carry a heavier instrument than trade my experience and memories with this section. 

It's rare to see people across different generations come together like this. I see the list of names across the batches in the blog's side bar and in our alumni WhatsApp group chat and think how amazing it is that we continue to welcome the new batches of graduates in. 

Thank you seniors for cultivating this section culture that we have! And juniors for continuing it. 

Bonus

If you've made it this far, you deserve my special tips! 

Braces

To any current or future kiddos dealing with braces, wax is your best friend! 

Minimally I'll cover 3 brackets on my lower teeth where my embouchure is, both last brackets on my upper teeth because my cheeks would graze the brackets when I played. I covered 2 more brackets on my upper front teeth on concert day too. 

Glowing Skin

Honestly, my skin is not that great. It was my make up. The key is hydration! 

Biodance Bio-Collagen Real Deep Mask

I used this collagen mask the night before the concert. This thick mask turns from white to transparent, delivering moisture into your skin. You're supposed to leave it on for at least 3 hours so I just slept with it. 

Next: base! 

Jung Saem Mool Essential Skin Nuder Cushion

My all-time favourite base! A light layer of this helps so much with my complexion and makes me feel like a different person fr. 

Okay I've maxed out my capacity. Whatever else I wanna say, someone else has probably said it in their POV. Thank you for reading. I shall not proof read this! Looking forward to more POVs!!!