idolise.: June 2007

Friday, June 29, 2007

The Finals Countdown
From 10 to 1

Words by misteryeo

10 Finalists: Grace, Wei Qi, Emily, Linda, Dorothy, Ting Ya, Hao Lin, Sulasteri, Camille & Nicholas

9 Teachers: Ms. Agnes Chin, Mr. Elamaran, Ms. Jacqueline Nai, Ms. Jill Lee, Mr. Lai Mun Guan, Mrs. Maria Goh, Mr. Raymond Yeo, Mr. Shahrom & Ms. Tan Bee Choo

8 types of Student Event Leaders (close to 100 of them in total): Adminstrator, Backstage Crew, Blogger, Creative, Emcee, Presiding Officer (Voting Station), Publicist & Techie

7 hours of rehearsals before the Finals: Over 2 days, 18 & 23 June 2007, School Hall

6 aspects of HI Idol's web operations: Blog, Email, Community, Gallery, Windows Live Messenger & YouTube Channel

5 hours of customised training received by the Finalists: 1 to 6pm, 11 June 2007, Lee Wei Song School of Music

4 Judges: Mrs. Geraldine Tay, Mr. Elamaran, Ms. Christina Michaels & our Alumnus Mr. Lee Wei Song

3 Sponsors: Holy Innocents' Old Students' Association, Lee Wei Song School of Music & Fox Fashion

2 Rounds of Auditions/Elimination: Over 3 days in Semester 1, 80 students, School Library

And last but not least

1 HI Idol: SULASTERI!!

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Patience is the Key
According to our Webmaster Shing To

Words by misteryeo

The HI Idol Community and the Blog Poll have been taken offline for the time being. Our web hosting provider 110MB Hosting is currently upgrading its hardware. Do try to logging-on during the coming weekend. The HI Idol Media Team is terribly sorry for any inconvenience caused.

LATEST!!

The HI Idol Community and the (new) Blog Poll are now back online!

Sunday, June 24, 2007

Music Fiesta Photos up!
To access our Gallery, register to become a Community Member...

Words by misteryeo

In the words of our Webmaster Shing To:

143 photographs shot by Mr. Lai Mun Guan during the HI Idol Music Fiesta are now hosted in the Gallery (in their full 2000~3000 x 2000~3000 dimensions), compressed by me from 5MB 99Q JPEG to 1MB 80Q JPEG format. Most of them still have their EXIF meta data intact, so you'll know which camera is used by Mr. Lai and the settings he used to take the pictures.

Furthermore with the Coppermine Gallery software, you can view online slideshows of all the photos without downloading all of them! Rate the photos or even comment them! Yes, I know the photos maybe available elsewhere, but you have access to more data and features in our Gallery, exclusive to our Community Members!

The photos in our Gallery are in their original (high) resolution sizes. The ones in the School Album are much smaller. Click on the photos to enlarge them!

O n e h u n d r e d a n d f o r t y - t h r e e photos, including those with Malcolmie in them, heh.

In addition, 6 exclusive HI Idol MSN Messenger Display Pictures are available for download too. Click here for more details.

So REGISTER NOW! (clickitclickitclickit)

Preparing for the Grand Finals
The process in pictures

Photos & words by bluefreakgurl

My view of the rehearsal

Working hard on the scene!

Snipsnipsnip! goes the scissors

Everyone concentrating on the task at hand

The teachers' band getting ready
Your Finalists resting backstage

When HIHS meets LWSSOM

Words by ameliaswee

Before leaving for Lee Wei Song School of Music, the Top 10 Finalists were asked to pose for candid group photos just outside the General Office in stylish clothes. Mr Shahrom was the photographer for the day.

Then we began our journey from HIHS to LWSSOM on a chartered bus, where I interviewed some Finalists on their feelings about the workshop to come.

::

Question 1: How do you feel about visiting LWSSOM?

"I feel excited & anxious. I hope to learn a lot there."–Hao Lin, 5 Faith

"I feel excited & am looking forward to it. I'm happy to have gotten this opportunity." - Camille, 5 Faith

"I feel excited & a little nervous .I don't know what to expect."–Nicholas, 4 Diligence

"I feel nervous & excited. I feel that the most important thing is to gain more experience, not win the competition." - Ting Ya, 1 Sincerity

"I feel excited & nervous. I hope to meet Lee Wei Song in person!"–Grace, 4 Humility

"I hope to gain more knowledge on how to perform onstage from this workshop."–Wei Qi, 4 Humility

Question 2: What do you hope to gain from this workshop?

"An improvement to my singing skills, and hopefully deeper friendships with the other Finalists."- Emily, 2 Joy

"New experiences & more vocal training."- Sulasteri, 3 Faith

"More experience in singing. And FUN!" - Dorothy, 2 Joy

"Knowledge on how to use my diaphragm better."–Linda, 5 Joy

::

It seems like the atmosphere in the bus was charged with the Finalists' enthusiasm & excitement!

Here is what Ms Tan Bee Choo has to say: "Basically, we hope that they will further develop their stage presence & learn to choose suitable songs for their respective performances during the Grand Finals. It is great for them to attend formal vocal lessons. If they want to pursue their interest in singing, they must learn to sing better."

Upon arriving at LWSSOM, we were warmly greeted by Zhen Liang, who brought us around the school. It has 3 classrooms equipped with professional equipment, 4 classy recording studios and a dance studio. The tour left everyone in awe.

After which, the Finalists were divided into 2 groups, which meant 5 persons per group/classroom. To warm up their voices, they began with lip drills, which left everyone laughing shyly. Then they were asked to face a mirror and hum according to the notes played by a main instructor on the keyboard.

The third thing the Finalists did was singing progressively higher, pitch-wise. Subsequently, they were posed questions about their personalities and usual choice of songs before taking turns to sing excerpts of their songs in front of the mirror. This activity was meant to boost their self-confidence. The main instructor also advised them to make connections between song lyrics to their lives as well as sing with conviction. In addition, other instructors taught them how to sing with emotion and some simple dance moves.

Every Finalist received an opportunity to sing his or her song with musical accompaniment when the time came for both groups to come together. The movable wall separating both classroom was retracted; both classrooms became one. Grace was the first to start the ball rolling with a beautiful rendition of 我要快乐 by Taiwanese singer, Zhang Hui Mei. Wei Qi was up next. She sang 七十二变 by Jolin Tsai and amazed everyone with wondrous moves - definitely GROOVY! The instructors shared their comments after every performance and gave everyone tips.

At the end of the workshop, Mr Lee Wei Song entered the combined classroom! The finalists were absolutely delighted and screamed with joy. All of us took pictures with him. He even requested his assistant to take a group photo of us together with him, so that he could frame it up in his school! He also revealed that he was a member of two CCAs, Scouts and YCS, when he was a student of HIHS.

We left the school content and satisfied. I'm sure the Finalists gained lots of experience and honed their vocal skills! To end this entry, I will quote what Mr Lee told us before he bid us goodbye: "圣婴万岁! (Victory to Holy Innocents' High School!)"

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

I love Eminem!

Words by hey200t

Cleanin' Out My Closet from The Eminem Show, released in 2002

Click here to view When I'm Gone, another classic.

Marshall Bruce Mathers III, more commonly known as Slim Shady or Eminem, is infamous for the controversy surrounding many of his song lyrics. Numerous members of the public have criticised his music as portraying violence towards women and degrading them. However, despite the bad publicity, Eminem has hit success many a time.

His third major album, The Eminem Show, was released to the public in 2002 and was a huge hit, selling well over a million copies in just the first week of its release! His lastest album is a joint compilation with a few other artistes who are new to the music industry. As Eminem describes it, ''The Re-Up is about these new artists...''

A Test Of Fame, Or Talent?

Words by teenagetragedy33

One HI Idol. Selected by the masses of HIHS. Selected for his or her singing talents. Or is it?

Is HI Idol really a singing contest, or is it a popularity contest? Does the deciding power, the students, really base their votes on the contestant's singing? Or do they vote based on the contestant's looks?

It is an issue that transcends the contest. While the supposed main objective of the contest is the voices of the contestants, we all know that it is not the case. Take Singapore Idol, or the Project Superstar as an example. All four winners are male. While that may be attributed to their singing prowess, certainly there are also other reasons. There is actually only one simple reason.

In a contest of popularity, certainly the females would vote more. It is obvious in the trend today, that females tend to idolize their male counterparts more than their female ones. It is an undeniable fact, and the results reflect that. So if the contest is really all about looks and popularity, what does it mean?

It means that those shy, average looking students would be at a clear disadvantage. If popularity wins votes, wouldn't it mean those students who have talent in singing, but are generally unnoticed, would have a much harder time than those who are popular, who may not be as talented? Wouldn't it contribute more to the possible inferior mindset of those "average and unnoticed" students?

But isn't the contest meant to showcase the students' singing talent, to build up their self-confidence, and to allow them to gain experience which would be otherwise impossible to learn, from any textbook?

Then again, like a coin, there are always two sides to a problem. While the objectives of the contest may have been grayed and blurred, the contest also exposes the contestants to the workings of the real world, the society they will inevitably end up in. The world where talent alone would not help one to survive. They would definitely have to learn to garner interpersonal skills and learn to improve their EQ, which, isn't quite a bad thing.

As an audience, and also part of the student body, I feel that while the contest may be one of popularity and looks, Students, should definitely vote wisely. After all, it is and always will be, a singing contest.

So vote wisely, and vote carefully.

Saturday, June 2, 2007

Happy June Holidays everyone!
Don't forget 'bout your homework...

Words by misteryeo

It's true that things have been pretty quiet on the blogging front...we're working on it! ;)

In the meantime, you can support HI Idol by registering to become an official member of the HI Idol Community (http://hiidol.110mb.com/community), especially if you wish to yak about the competition with other readers of this blog.

LATEST!!

Now you can leave messages for your favourite Finalist at their dedicated forums. So register NOW!

The Top 10 Unveiled.
The process in words.

Words by ameliaswee
Photos by Mr. Lai

There we have it, the Top 1o Finalists!

On 27 April, the school unveiled the Top 10 Finalists in the packed school hall. The Assembly Programme was hosted by Bryan and Xin Hui from 4 Humility. It kicked off with a treat for everyone: a behind-the-scenes "MV" created by Andrew from 4 Faith:

The aspiring singers and judges shared the limelight in the next 2 videos that followed. I was quite disappointed when I heard Mr. Maran emphasise the importance of choosing "the right song". This means that some singers chose songs that did not bring out the best of their vocal abilities.

That moment eventually came. Bryan and Xin Hui began to introduce the Finalists; the whole school listened quietly for every name. After a name was announced, the corresponding Finalist rose from wherever he or she was sitting and joined the emcees onstage. Every Finalist received cheers of encouragement and shouts of excitement as he or she walked down the centre aisle towards the stage.

Unfortunately, most Finalists appeared to be rather shy during their respective Question & Answer sessions with the emcees. However, when asked to sing in front of the school, they did so with much charisma and confidence! Every song ended with applause and roars of approval, underlining the huge amount of support that the Finalists were receiving from the school.

::

She's the one in the middle.

After the Assembly Programme, I spoke to Camille Tan from 5 Faith (who is also the founder and chairman of the school's Mass Choir) to find out how she felt when she was onstage. "I was very nervous. I had a sore throat, so I didn't think I couldn't make it. I was trying my best not to cough and ended up not delivering the song well," she said. Have more confidence in yourself, Camille!

When interviewed for her feelings on the Assembly Programme, veteran teacher Ms. Laura Lim's response was: "It was interesting and enjoyable. The singers' vocals are pretty strong and most of them are able to carry a tune. But one cannot really demonstrate his or her full talent simply by singing a part of a song."

I then asked if she had any inspiring words for the Finalists. "If they really like singing, continue to do so as a hobby or try to carve a career out of it! Our former students Pierre Png and Chew Chor Meng have unleashed their talents and are successful actors now. Lee Wei Song also has a music school of his own too! So I believe there are more hidden talents in our student population," she replied. Words that are very true, as a matter of fact!

Enthusiastic? Or not?

Sadly, Serene Ng from 2 Integrity felt that the school's overall response can improve: "Our students were not enthusiastic at all!" The bubbly student also said, "Some of the Finalists have very nice vocals! Do your best everyone! If you really want to come in Top 3, go for it!"

::

Here is support for the Finalists from more students and teachers:

Mrs. Chang Poh Joo: "Remember, even if you do not win the competition, your personal journey still counts."

Mr. Gary Tan (he was working on a student's work piece in the Design & Technology Workshop when I approached him): "Strive for the best. Have confidence in what you do."

Matilda Lim from 1 Joy: "Good luck and all very best!"

Amelia Swee from 2 Integrity (that's me!): "I hope you will give your best and may the entire event be a great experience for you!"