Teachers' Day Concert: Reader's Review

Blogged by Goh Chong Han Wayne (08A04).
Edited by azhar.

I shall start with the student performers. All of them did well, let it be those accompanied with their guitars or the ones who shone with their vocals. One group even performed with a saxophone, clarinet and harmonica. It showed a variety of instruments and got the crowd interested initially. However, the level of interest seemed to deteriorate soon enough when the vocals entered - the song was sung in Chinese. Perhaps this is something the councillors can consider in the future, as it would perhaps be better if everyone could understand the lyrics. Nevertheless, it was evident that a lot of effort was put in for the performance.

In my opinion, the second performer, Fym, was the best student performer during the concert. She had the best voice and was the most original performer who sung (and played) her self-composed song. I thought it was a bit queer with how certain words were sung. Nonetheless, it was definitely a great rendition of the song and I think she deserves special mention. A group of students also delivered their own Teachers' Day version of a Westlife song which had the crowd burst into laughter. The other solo performer, Mark Chan, was not bad as well.

TPJCian Magazine interviewed Fym on how she felt performing on stage. Below is her verbatim reply:

Ermmm...feel on stage you mean? I was feeling a lil' excited actually, cos it's the first time i spent my teachers day in this way...hahah. but just felt that i need to express my gratitude to the teachers beyond just giving flowers and gifts like every other years before this. cos they've really sacrificed, alot, like staying in library & holding remedials till 8-9pm for us...without much complaints, yet we're the ones complaining...

The game show was probably the main attraction for the concert. The host did a terrific and professional job, pulling jokes out of his hat which had the crowd in giggles. The game was very well planned and the teachers who played were outgoing and helped enliven the event. However, I think the game show took a little too long maybe? The questions were interesting, and I learnt a thing or two during the course of the event.

As the councillors entered the hall with candles in their hands, some of us soon realized where our 50 cents went to. It took quite a long time for the candles to be given out to all the teachers while the councillors were singing and I soon found myself thinking whether such a gift was appropriate for Teachers' Day. I mean, what would they do with the candles? Pushing the assessments aside, I'm sure it's the thought that counts. Isn't that true? :)

When I looked behind, I was honestly very shocked at what I was seeing; students leaving the hall even before the concert ended. I felt a sense of sadness - not for me, but for the teachers who witnessed their very own students leaving on their special day while the concert was still on. It was truly a disappointment.

Nevertheless, it was a well executed concert and a very memorable one indeed. I give it a 3.5/5 stars.

Teachers' Day '08: The Review

I think the ending of the concert was rather draggy. The 23rd Student Councillors had to repeat the song they sang twice. The movement of the councillors to present the lighted candles to our dear teachers was not smooth too. I could see a whole pack of student leaders crowded on either side of the hall at any one time. The audience got impatient and some started to leave the hall through the back door. The ending was just messy.

Luckily this did not happen:









What they should have done is to assign each councillor to hold two to four candles. If there isn't enough manpower, they could have sought help from their seniors or CCA leaders. One more thing I have to add on is that instead of the whole bunch of councillors going to one side of the hall, they should have formed two rows and split up to the left and right as they approach the end of the red carpet. That can significantly reduce traffic congestion.

The game show 'Are You Smarter Than A TPJCian' was pretty well done. The host did a terrific job and the audience enjoyed his sense of humour. However, I think there are major technical errors when the game was about to commence. The stage curtain was opening and closing as if it was 'drunk'. The stage crew who was responsible to control the stage curtains should be fired for that. He or she is lucky that the host was able to pull a joke or two to cover the blunder.

Nevertheless, the performers did a fabulous job. The singers did what they are supposed to do - entertain the teachers. The second performer who took the stage, Fym, made a spellbinding performance with her very own composed song, Every September The First. The crowd was jubilant after she pronounced the final word of the lyrics.

The 'PostSecret' video was hilarious. Video quality was stunning, although I think they should have delayed the transition between any two photos a bit longer. The Student Council did an exceptional job for the video.

One more thing...I am very impressed with the courtesy that some councillors showed when they instructed us to leave the hall for the rehearsal. To be honest, quite a number of TPJCians I know were unhappy that they had to evacuate the hall. They rebelled but the councillors kept their tone low and kindly directed us to exit the hall. As a result, we cooperated. Good job, guys.

Special congratulations to Mr Malik for being shortlisted as a finalist in the President's Award For Teachers this year. He really deserves it and I hope he wins it ultimately.

Overall, I give an overall rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Readers, what do think of this year's Teachers' Day celebrations? Do comment below and participate in the poll.

Will TPJCians Attend The Upcoming Teachers' Day Concert?

There seem to be no buzz regarding the Teachers' Day concert for this year. Perhaps, the updates were announced to the current JC1 students in the courtyard. To be fair, posters advertising the balloons to be sold by the Student Council as Teachers' Day gifts can also be seen around the school.

If I am not wrong, the balloons carry a form of blessing for the teachers; the recipient will have to pop the balloon to receive the blessings. This is quite an innovative use of the balloons - instead of allowing it to slowly deflate and wasting money, why not burst it beforehand and be blessed at the same time?
























Nevertheless, the JC2 students seem to be left out in the updates or events leading to the celebrations. We have no clue whatsoever regarding the programme for the concert which is held on 29th August in the school hall. The last announcement made regarding the concert to the whole college was about a month ago. As the JC2 students prepare for their Preliminary examinations this few weeks (and we proceed to our examination venue in the morning straightaway), we have 'lost contact' with any updates from the Student Council. What is going on during the concert this Friday?!

Let's put the above issue aside and welcome another. I have also heard news that some TPJCians, especially the JC1 students, will be paying a visit to their Secondary school teachers instead of the ones teaching them now. I fully understand their situation; they have spent four years with their Secondary school teachers. I am pretty sure the bonds forged between the teachers and students there are strong and close. I will not be surprised to witness a low attendance rate among the JC1 batch this year. In fact, I believe other colleges are suffering the same fate too. There will be a few students who skip school to visit their Secondary school teachers.
























I hope the Student Council can post an announcement via TPJC.net and notify the students of the programme schedule during the Teachers' Day concert this Friday. I remembered there was a contest for the celebrations. Any update on it? I am not sure if there is even an online announcement about the contest since TPJCians may miss out on it during morning assembly weeks ago. This is our last year and the JC2s are hoping to repay the contributions of their respective tutors and lecturers. What do you think?