When I was in primary school, I despised (yes, quite a strong word) music classes as I was the only one who could not play the recorder. My class was supposed to perform at an event, but I missed out on it because I couldn鈥檛 play the instrument. Fast forward almost 10 years later, I can proudly say that I love music. As an introvert, I find music to be the best communication medium for me to connect with people.
My musical journey started when I was 13, in my first year of secondary school. As per usual tradition, the school wind orchestra performs a showcase to the Form 1 students to attract new members. 13-year-old me did find it interesting; however, at first I decided not to join the band because of my past experience with music during primary school. If my memory is still good, two months later, I finally joined the band accidentally. It sounds weird鈥揾ow can you join a team accidentally鈥揵ut long story short, I was 鈥榝orced鈥� to stay in the music room when I was just planning to pick up a Mexico national team jersey that I bought from a senior student. And now here I am, a self-proclaimed multi-instrumentalist (mostly a drummer, but still learning the keyboards and the bass) that started from a humble pair of drumsticks using the old surau carpet inside the bandroom as the practice pad for basic rhythms.
My journey with the school鈥檚 wind orchestra defined my nightlife at boarding school. Sometimes we were regarded as the 鈥榲illains鈥� of the school, blaring brass and woodwind instruments after the night preparation class, to the point that we were even jokingly given the nickname 鈥榠ron worshippers鈥� or more accurately, 鈥�penyembah besi鈥� by our batchmates. Countless memories have been shared with the band, from the first competition in Penang and the MIMAF competitions in Genting Highlands where some of us had to sleep outside after being locked out of our hotel rooms because of sleeping roommates, until we finally resigned as band members during our final year.
For me, the wind orchestra solidified my passion for music, even though I was only barely curious at first. I appreciated the opportunity the wind orchestra gave me, because the musical instruments were quite expensive鈥搒o for me it was a privilege to play these instruments. My passion for music was not only just built because of my love for the craft itself, but also because of the countless memories me and my bandmates shared together鈥攁nd I think this is how everyone got their passions; from memories associated with them.
Perhaps, the sweetest memory back in the wind orchestra was the highly intensive training sessions led by the instructor, Mr Hafizul, also known as Abang Black, a very talented teacher who was not just instructing us but also coaching the school football team building up to the competitions. I recall playing the glockenspiel or bells for the first time at my first SBP Wind Orchestra Competition in 2018. My part was not that hard though the whole piece itself was a very sophisticated one. Our team鈥檚 slogan during our journey through the competition was #sampaijadi, which roughly translates to 鈥榰ntil we make it鈥�; a nod towards our mission to bring the renowned treble clef trophy that all schools participating sought for. Our journey in this competition did not end on a sweet note as we got the Gold award but not the best ensemble award which gives the winner the trophy. To put it short, our goal tak jadi (we didn鈥檛 make it). Some students were crying to the point that our beloved band teacher, Mr. Azli had to console us.
I regarded the orchestra as my second family at this point鈥搘e laughed, we worked and even cried together. Music and the wind orchestra impacted my life deeply, as I think I鈥檓 not the best communicator through words鈥揑 rather use action and quality time to bond with people. My time spent with the band was all quality time, not just because it was fun, but because it taught me a few lessons like camaraderie, work ethic and also improved on some technical skills like teaching and leadership when I finally became a senior student leading my section as the Percussion section leader. The music part of the wind orchestra also led me to my nerdy ventures in music, leading me to discover new music, or geeking out over the musical theory of popular songs.
Unfortunately, our joy was short lived, as the pandemic forced band activities to stop. Sometimes there were occasional rehearsal sessions, but not on a consistent basis that allowed us to participate in competitions. The band was revived during my final year with the Co-curriculum Awards Ceremony marking my batch鈥檚 last dance with the band. The 12 of us received the highly regarded, School Colours Award recognising our co-curricular achievements for the school which comes with a special necktie.
Outside of the orchestra, I also performed a few songs with my friends or as a replacement drummer like that one time when I filled in as a drummer for a band of junior students during the award ceremony (My video of playing the drums went viral on TikTok 馃槜). I had countless sessions playing songs from bands like Hujan and Masdo, with my bassist friend, Amirul, who inspired me to also pick up the bass (It鈥檚 cooler than the guitar馃槈). My jamming sessions with Amirul helped me throughout my Form 5 year, as SPM preparation was quite stressful and we REALLY used the music room as our outlet.
Even after graduating from secondary school, I still continue my love story with music. I continued playing music, most commonly as a drummer, performing during the Eid celebration at UniKL MFI and a few times since I started studying at Sciences Po. Even though I mentioned earlier that I use music as a medium to build relationships and spend quality time with people I love, I also enjoy playing the drums to very fast tempo songs to let some steam off alone.
A key takeaway from my musical journey is I think every person in the world needs to find a passion that can help them to alleviate stress or just as a mere hobby. It wouldn鈥檛 hurt to learn a new skill right?鈥�
So, maybe pick up the guitar you bought two months ago that you stopped playing because you thought that it鈥檚 too hard to continue; pick up the pen or pick up the Apple Pencil that you use to draw. Hobbies are a very good coping mechanism in enduring life as a student.