Writing
Notes on band, music learning and conducting. Most first appeared on the Band Academy Singapore blog.
LATEST ARTICLE
Singapore composers every wind band should programme
Wang Chenwei, Kelly Tang, Benjamin Yeo, Dax Wilson Liang and more. The local pieces I keep coming back to, and how to use them with your band.
For parents
Band Class or Private Lessons? Choosing for 2027
Parents ask me this every year. How group classes and private lessons each help, and why many students end up doing both.
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Which Band Instrument Should My Child Learn?
A plain guide to the flute, clarinet, saxophone, brass and drums, and how to match an instrument to your child.
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Benefits of Learning a Wind Instrument for Kids
Piano and violin are the usual first picks in Singapore. What a wind instrument gives a child that solo lessons often do not.
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Band vs Orchestra: What's the Difference?
A concert band has no violins. How the two differ in sound, instruments and music, and how to choose.
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Why Join a Wind Band? 8 Benefits for Students
What twenty years of running school bands has shown me about teamwork, confidence and friendship.
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Benefits of Learning an Instrument for Kids
What the research actually says about music, the brain, school results and wellbeing, without the hype.
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How to Get Your Child Interested in Music
Small, everyday ways to grow a child's love of music at home without pushing.
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Time Management Tips for Students in CCA
Rehearsals, homework and tests all at once. Practical tips for students, and how parents can help without nagging.
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What Parents Often Don't See Behind a Concert
Concert night looks polished. Here is the work behind it that parents rarely get to see.
Helping Students Find Balance in a Busy Musical Life
Schoolwork, tuition, CCA and performances. How young musicians can keep it all in balance.
Conducting and leadership
A Conductor Is Not Just Someone Who Waves Their Hands
From the audience it can look like hand waving. What a conductor really does, before and during the music.
When the Baton Becomes a Leadership Tool
What the moment before the music begins can teach us about leading people.
Why Music Ensembles Are One of the Best Leadership Classrooms
Why a band or orchestra rehearsal can teach leadership as well as any student council or workshop.
Conducting Change: How the Asian Cultural Symphony Orchestra Inspires New Generations
How ACSO brings Asian cultures onto one stage and reaches young audiences and musicians.
DSA and auditions
What ABRSM Grade Is Needed for DSA Music?
Grade 5 or Grade 8? What schools really ask for, and what audition panels are listening for.
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Band Audition and DSA Music Trial Tips
What panels look for, a simple practice plan, and how to handle nerves on the day.
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Sight Reading Tips for Band Students
Six habits that help when the conductor hands out new music, in rehearsal, auditions and DSA trials.
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Practice and performance
How to Read Music Notes for Beginners
Clefs, note names and note values explained simply, with the memory tricks band students use.
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How to Practise Music Effectively: 10 Tips
More hours is not the answer. Ten habits that help young musicians improve faster.
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How to Play Music With More Expression
Right notes are only the start. Seven ways to use dynamics, phrasing, tone and tempo.
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How to Overcome Performance Anxiety in Music
Shaky hands and a blank mind are common. Ways to manage stage fright before, during and after a performance.
BAND ACADEMY SINGAPORE
How to Prepare for SYF Arts Presentation
The last weeks before SYF: fine tuning, managing nerves, staying healthy and playing as one band.
BAND ACADEMY SINGAPORE
For band directors and leaders
Singapore composers every wind band should programme
Pieces by our own composers that I keep coming back to, with tips for school and community bands.
ON THIS SITE
Conducting Tips for Student Band Leaders
Why basic conducting makes section leaders better leaders, with beat patterns to get started.
BAND ACADEMY SINGAPORE