Desire, hard work, belief – these are 3 things that reside in every Soccer girl’s heart.

Desire

It’s okay if you’ve never kicked a ball before; let alone play soccer. Many of us started off with little to no experience too! All you need to have is a positive attitude when it comes to learning, and the right mindset as a team player. The rest will soon come, of course, with weekly trainings on Monday, Tuesday and Friday from 4:30pm to 7:30pm. ‘The rest’ refers to your  passion for the game; that space in your heart that’s specially set aside for your teammates; your skills and ability as a soccer player; and lastly (and probably most importantly), your desire to want to end each training and game in victory, which would make all the effort, injuries, tears, sweat and blood worth it.

Hard Work

“Hard-work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.”

Even with having no students that come in through DSA, just raw talent coming in to form a team has never put us at a disadvantage. In fact, previous batches have done extremely well in their National Schools Championships tournament. From a CCA with few training equipment and irregular training venues, our coach Mr. Leong and predecessors have worked their way up to leave behind a legacy. The very fact that this CCA has come so far from its humble beginnings spurs us on to work hard and give our all every training to continue that legacy.

Besides that, you certainly need hard work from your body as well as your mind, especially on Mondays – our physical training day. This is Mr Leong’s favourite day of the week, where he can stand at the side and laugh at his girls running round the track, completing 21 stations of circuit, or running laps following the beep sound coming from his iPad. PT will be tough, but it will also be worth it. As Mr Leong always says, “PT is the best way to bond”, and it truly is. From high-fiving one another after surviving each PT day, to running extra rounds/laps with those who have yet to finish their set – your love and care for your teammates will surely grow, because you know they’ll always have your back and are there to say “jiayou!”.

Believe

Last but not the least, believing is the foundation of it all. Without belief, there’s really no point in doing what we do. Believing is crucial, because when you’re having a bad training or a bad game, it’s the one thing that tells you, “Snap out of it! Forget the mistakes you made before, you need to focus and believe and have faith in yourself so that you can get up stronger and better.” The same goes for when your teammates believe in you- the encouragement and advice from them never go to waste.

To end off, this CCA is one that will help you to become a better player, a better student (Mr Leong will always tell you to “go home and study la!”), and a better person, because soccer girls are in good hands. Our teachers and coaches are an amazing and funny bunch of people who will never fail to make you smile and laugh every training.

So don’t be afraid to try out for soccer even if you think that you can’t kick a ball for nuts; just believe.

See you at trials! (or you can always come down and crash our trainings)

RJSoccerGirls ’15

“The piano keys are black and white but they sound like a million colours in your mind.” – Maria Cristina Mena

Strauss-ed by school and looking for a Mahler-vous CCA to join? Look no further than Piano Ensemble!

If you think you can’t Handel these lame puns, the image of 25 pianos playing simultaneously during a concert, or the thought of having many others around you gushing about their latest favourite Italian musical term, you couldn’t be more wrong about Piano Ensemble and what it’s about!

We’re certainly not the classically-trained, Juilliard-aiming pianists you have in mind: instead, we’re just a group of like-minded people who are more than willing to share our love of music with anyone who’ll care to listen. While it may be nigh impossible for us to prepare a 25-hand masterpiece on stage, we’re definitely not constrained to just solo playing! In their two years here, members get the chance to play in not only duets and trios, but also quartets with a grand total of eight hands. Rather than focusing merely on technical standards and being able to master classical pieces, we also place great emphasis on musicianship and aim to expose ourselves to multiple genres of music, ranging from pop to modern interpretations of classical works. After all, the beauty of music lies in expression through rhythms and melodies. On this note, we hope to find members who are passionate in creating quality music, willing to take their piano prowess to the next level, and are open to new experiences!

To expose our members to different performing experiences, opportunities are abound. Just recently, we participated in a recital at the Esplanade Library. We also hold an annual concert in April, which boasts an impressive range of innovative themes. These include “for Euridyce” (2005), “Child’s Play” (2009), “Legende” (2012), and “Carnival” (2014). Since 2005, our members have also been consistently clinching the gold award in Vivace, the pianistic equivalent of the SYF. In the area of community service, we have collaborated with YouTube anime pop pianist Kyle Landry and video games music songstress Lara de Wit in our “Anime Music Night” and “Movie Music Night” last April to present the students and the public with two nights of fun-filled and enjoyable music. This year, we are providing music lessons to low-income children who live in the Tanjong Pagar-Tiong Bahru Constituency.

CCA sessions are every Tuesday from 3.30pm to 5.30pm – be prepared for not just the usual coaching sessions and general meetings, but also fun and laughter with the occasional spontaneous piano jamming session! You will be part of not just an ensemble, but also a close-knit community of friends who share the same passions and interests.

We hope that you would take this step to join us, not only to forge new friendships, but also to produce a spectrum of beautiful music alongside fellow piano enthusiasts! ❤

Rooms. Vaults. Cribs.

Is that what you think of when you hear the word ‘chamber’? From debates to sleeping to Harry Potter (think Chamber of Secrets), friends have had varying first impressions of our CCA.

What’s yours?

Here are three truths you need to know: 1) We make music. 2) With string instruments. 3) In a room.

Known affectionately as “music for friends”, chamber music traditionally refers to music meant for performance in a palace chamber. Although our CCA room resembles nothing even remotely like a palace chamber, the “friends” bit definitely still applies. Indeed, we are a family of budding musicians with a passion for music-making, led by our quirky conductor, Ms. Marietta Ku, who aside from valiantly rallying school ensembles, spends most of her days playing with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra as a distinguished violist. Of course, how could we forget our dedicated teachers in-charge, Ms. Tang Mui Kee and Mrs. Lim-Bay Swee Lian? Through our seniors’ hard work and determination, we have maintained stellar performances at the Singapore Youth Festival (SYF), achieving Gold (with Honours) since we were established in 1986. In the recent years, though, Chamber has decided to withdraw from SYF, pursuing musical excellence in other areas instead.

Last May, our annual concert was held at the School of the Arts Concert Hall, with Chamber performing a plethora of genres, ranging from Buxtehude’s timeless Chaconne to Hans Zimmer’s celebrated Pirates of the Caribbean tune, arranged by our fellow member Jonathan Ting for strings. Chamber Ensemble is one of the only musical groups that has the opportunity to perform at Esplanade Recital Studio and Esplanade Concourse. We are also regularly invited to perform at external events such as the recent book launch for notable NTUC pioneer Ho See Beng, which was graced by several dignitaries including Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, DPM Teo Chee Hean, and former President S.R. Nathan. We were also involved in the fundraising concert organised by ISLE (International Service Learning Elective), along with other performing arts groups such as Rock, Chinese Orchestra and Modern Dance.

This year, Chamber will be organising two major performances: our annual concert and a grand collaboration with Raffles Institution Military Band (RIMB), Raffles Girls’ String Ensemble (RGSE), as well as Raffles Institution String Ensemble (RISE). Members can also look forward to an electrifying overnight camp that will take place during the March holidays.

Practices are held weekly on Wednesdays, 2.30-6.30 pm, but do be prepared for extra rehearsals nearing performance dates. Interested to join? Sign-up for auditions! All you need is to be able to play a string instrument!

Land, Labour, Capital and Entrepreneurship – amongst the four key factors of production in Economics, what might seem the most unfamiliar to many would undoubtedly be the latter. While many of us may toy with the idea of going into business or even starting one up someday, few have a clear idea of what entrepreneurship entails.

Raffles Entrepreneurs’ Network (REN), also affectionately known as Entre by its members, provides you with an excellent platform to find out first-hand what being an entrepreneur means. For one, members get to interact and network with entrepreneurs through both talks and industry visits. In 2014, we visited and dined at Dignity Kitchen, a social enterprise that employs and trains the disabled and underprivileged. Additionally, we kick-started REN’s first ever Raffles Business Symposium (RBS), where we invited entrepreneurs such as Lyn Lee (founder of Awfully Chocolate), Peter Goh (founder of Chloros Solutions) and Khairul Rusydi (founder of Reactor) to speak to us. Through these interactions, members gain insights into the entrepreneurial journeys of these speakers and learn invaluable lessons from them.

Additionally, members take part in exciting business competitions which simulate the research and planning involved in starting up a business. REN emerged as the 2014 national champion for both the Students for the Advancement for Global Enterprise (SAGE) and Social Innovation Relay (SIR) competitions. Both winning teams then went on to represent Singapore on the global stage against numerous other countries. Competitions provide members with a platform to hone their pitching and planning skills, and challenge members to come up with innovative and sustainable solutions to existing problems in the world. Experienced mentors from external organisations also provide guidance to our teams, allowing members to gain deeper insights into the intricacies of business and enterprise. As Club President Chun Soon Kon (15S03N) puts it, “My perspective on what business was changed completely when I experienced the exciting challenge of competitions, which made me feel like a real entrepreneur working against the odds.”

Another exciting initiative we rolled out in 2014 is RenXchange, a business service entirely thought out and executed by REN members for Rafflesians. Members in REN can actively share their own ideas for the club to consider, and work together to develop initiatives they would like to have. Notably, all members have the opportunity to be part of an organising team for a key event. This allows every member to hone their organisational and leadership skills, whether they are in the EXCO or not. Member Rachel Lee (15S03O) reflects that her experience as Entre Week I/C “has been a very enriching one, with many new experiences such as designing an ‘Escape the Room’ game. We grew to be resourceful and spontaneous to tackle unexpected challenges that popped up.”

Of course, REN isn’t just all work and no play. J1s can expect a fun-filled orientation and an induction day camp, during which exciting games and bonding activities will be held, along with a mini pitching competition. Batch meals and spontaneous group dinners are also relatively common and attest to the strong CCA spirit. Vice-President Rahul Jayaprabha (15S07C) enthuses, “I feel at ease looking to my club-mates for support and guidance when the going gets tough.” As these ties forged between members help promote the teamwork necessary during competition and event preparation, our members’ welfare is of great importance to us, and REN constantly seeks our members’ feedback to improve the REN experience.

Ultimately, REN is bound to be an eye-opening experience not only for those interested in business and start-ups, but also for those who want to experience the thrill of seeing an idea develop to fruition, or those who wish to gain organisational skills useful in many aspects of life. Selection is based on interest and commitment to the CCA, and no prior experience in entrepreneurship is required. Any individual who seeks to make a positive contribution to the world through innovation and entrepreneurship is welcome to join the team.

If you want to be part of our motivated group of Raffles’ Entrepreneurs, remember to try out for REN when CCA trials start! For more information, do also visit our booth at Open House 2015!

Whenever one mentions that they play the guitar, the image of a handsome youth with fancy hair singing and strumming pop songs on stage comes to mind. However, that’s not all the guitar has to offer!

Raffles Institution’s Niibori Guitar Ensemble (RJGE), led by instructor and conductor Mr Michael Gaspar, welcomes you to another face of the dynamic guitar, where a whole chorus of up to 30 guitars blend harmoniously to tackle all kinds of tunes, from classical to Broadway.

In 2014 alone, Guitar Ensemble participated in numerous activities and school events. This included the 8th Guitar Ensemble Festival, where the main ensemble performed Scherzino Mexicano and Summer’s Wind, gaining favourable comments by the judges. They also presented a rendition of pop song Trouble by Taylor Swift as a small group item, ending the festival on a happy note.

We also collaborated with Raffles Girls’ Guitar Ensemble to put up our annual concert Esperanza in May, where apart from the usual classical pieces we jazzed up our line-up with songs specially selected by our members, such as Itsumo Nando Demo from the classic animated film Spirited Away. The concert ended off with a bang as the main ensemble and junior ensemble, donning colourful garlands, collectively delivered a resounding Aloha Oe as a farewell song. Thanks to the amount of effort and perseverance put in during rehearsals, the main ensemble pulled off a resounding success with the performance.

It was also the first opportunity for the junior ensemble to showcase all they had learned in the short time they had been in the ensemble. With help from instructors, teachers and familiar faces in the audience, the concert turned out to be a truly memorable event for all of us.

In addition, RJGE was actively involved in school events, such as the 2014 Water Conference where we provided casual entertainment onstage during the participants’ last dinner together, as well as playing to our hearts’ content for a good cause at the ISLE concert in August. It was a blessing to have had so many opportunities to perform onstage as a team, and to have brought joy to others in the form of music.

In 2015, more exciting events await us, including the Singapore Youth Festival in April, where we can finally display our efforts as an ensemble and as a team throughout our journey in RJGE. Our aim is simply to create wonderful and melodic music with fellow guitarists to produce an unforgettable experience.

Guitar Ensemble welcomes anyone who is interested, regardless of musical background (or even the lack thereof!), and lessons will be given by the seniors at the start of the year for any beginners. However, new members will be required to buy a classical guitar through the CCA if they don’t already own one. Practice is held twice a week, every Monday (5pm-7pm) and Wednesday (2:30pm-5pm), with extended hours, whenever necessary, for concerts and events.