Gala Concert 2015

earlier Today, on the 10th of December, the Winter Gala concert took place. I performed in two of the items, once accompanying on piano for the string ensemble for ‘Eleanor Rigby’ and once accompanying on the marimba for the song ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’ by Gotye. The whole night was an exhilarating experience for me as all the practice everyone involved had put in had finally come to fruition in front of a full house.
I had been preparing for this concert for two months, and made a previous post about my goals for the event on this blog. Taking part in this concert was a significant experience for me as, as it gave me the opportunity to play new instruments, such as the marimba, and play as an ensemble with other musicians, something I had never done before.

At the beginning of practice, one of my main weaknesses was staying in time with the other musicians and focusing on the pice as a whole, instead of just my part in it.After many hours of practice, I was confident about both performances going in and felt that I kept in time throughout. This is due in part to the support of my music teacher, Miss Duncan, who organized the whole evening and performed with me on both my pieces.

For this reason, I feel like I have grown as a musician due to this event as it allowed me to develop skills such as staying in tempo and playing as part of an ensemble and gave me invaluable experiences in performing on stage.

One aspect of the show that I really enjoyed was getting ready for my performances backstage, where all the other performers were really encouraging and helpful for my nerves. this is definitely an experience I came out of with new friends and closer relationships.

At the end of the night I was invigorated by the high of performing, as well as by the memories of all the hard work I put in along with all the other participants, for the last two months.

Badminton: Update

This week in badminton, we focused specifically on backhand shots, a skill I need improvement on. One of the badminton coaches, Mr. De Silva, demonstrated to us the correct backhand grip and technique, which is essential for a good backhand shot. I discovered that my grip on the racket made switching to backhand slow and more difficult, weakening my backhand shots.

After correcting my grip, I practiced the backhand shot with Mr. De Silva to improve it. After this, I played a doubles match with my team mates where I tried to maintain the correct grip and strengthen my backhand further.

Planning For Hope

After Hope for Kids Service started at the beginning of the semester, we have paid many visits to the hospital and had two official meetings. During these meetings, we have started to plan our next fund raising idea for the service.

From talking to members who were present last year, I found out that a popular activity with the kids was decorating shirts with paint and handprints, an activity that the kids really seemed to enjoy. the service took this idea one step further last year, by selling these shirts alongside other trinkets to raise money for future Hope for Kids activities. The buyers also really loved this idea because they were able to purchase a product made by kids enjoying themselves and expressing their creativity.

This year, we decided to use this idea as inspiration for our next fundraiser. Last week, we took beads, thread and other jewelry making supplies to the hospital with us. After an hour filled with genuine enjoyment, we left, taking with us bracelets that we had made together with the kids, but leaving behind the ones they made on their own and that we made for them, along with the remaining supplies so that they could continue on with this activity.

From the last visit, we have collected approximately 20 bracelets and necklaces. Our final decision on venue, date and other products to sell alongside these bracelets will be decided during our next meeting.

Colombo Model United Nations 2016

COMUN 2016

Last month, on the 23rd of November, I joined the MUN team at OSC. Having done MUN once before, this time I am looking forward to improving my knowledge of international issues and the UN and developing my speaking skills.

Currently, during our meetings on Monday, we focus on the different aspects of a MUN session, such as drafting resolutions and making moderated caucus topics. Additionally, as the committees have been created for COMUN 2016 in February, we have also given consideration to which committee we want to take part in. This year, I will be in GA3, the general assembly on Social, Cultural and Humanitarian issues. I am really looking forward to this as many of the major global issues that interest me, such as women’s rights and humanitarian affaires, fall under this committee.

Throughout the following sessions and practices debates, I hope to:

(a) Challenge myself by improving upon my knowledge of global issues

(b) Strengthen my debating skills as that is an area I need more development and growth in

(c) Improve my engagement with others in COMUN through negotiation and unmoderated caucus sessions

(d) Recognize the importance of the issues being discussed during conference

COMUN Workshop at OSC

By the beginning of the COMUN conference on the 19th of February 2016, I hope to have met these objectives so that I can give my best performance during debate.