Jointly reported by:
Rachel Koh Huey Shin Jr3Z(2)
Sofea Chang Hui Zhou Sr1ComB
Goh Li Lian Sr2ScA
“Music is to the soul what words are to the mind.” ~ Modest Mouse.
In conjunction with the carnival of Kuen Cheng High School, the Music Composing Society held its 5th Anniversary Album Release Party on 8th June 2022, with 22 songs streamed from the full-length album titled “Dream Builder”.
“Dream Builder” Album Cover Art
The album release began with a welcoming clip by the Club’s President, Seow Hui Yeng, who explained the album’s concept and gave important disclaimers regarding the album’s release. The video featured the classic Disney opening number as its backdrop, representing the source of our childhood inspirations.
Next, the speakers of the day, students Koh Jun Xi and Voon Teng Wey, took to the stage and introduced the first song of the album, “My Dream 我的梦想”. The audience was given a digital lyric flipbook https://online.fliphtml5.com/thknz/yazv/#p=10 for an optimized viewing and listening experience.
“My Dream” Cover Art
“My Dream 我的梦想” was a duet between two gentle, feminine voices which sang about the joys of teenagehood and innocent dreams, while an acoustic guitar was played in the background. The song expressed young people’s hope to always be with their friends.
The second song was “Our Friendship 我们的友情”, a song which used occasional blue chords to create slight melancholic dissonance, which in turn provided a heart-warming music quality for the song. The song had a melodious chorus and was accompanied by a piano and violin. The song expressed how being in the company of friends brings one comfort and memorable memories.
“Our Friendship” Cover Art
Up next was a song about growth, “Growth – Looking Forward to the Future You 成长·期待未来的你”. The song conveyed the message that growing up is not something easy, nevertheless, one should persevere through the countless setbacks in life in order to see their own colourful rainbow at the end. The song had a slightly sentimental tune, opening with minor chords even though the song was set in a major key, with the piano’s alberti bass adding to the song’s musicality.
“Growth – Looking Forward to the Future You” Cover Art
The fourth song was a song from the Music Composing Society’s 2017 archives,
the 2017 IU Day’s Theme Song “Colours of Emotion 感情的颜色”, which spoke of the courage of daring to be different. The singer sang with bursting enthusiasm and vigour, expressing her strong sentiments towards the theme. The song expressed that emotions are colourful, and that they are neither good nor bad. Hence, we should embrace each and every emotion that comes within our heart.
“Colours of Emotion” Cover Art
The fifth song expressed gratitude towards frontliners during the COVID-19 pandemic and was titled “Angel Wings 天使的翅膀”. The song began with a melancholic violin passage and was accompanied by piano throughout. The composers of the song wrote the song because they were moved by the frontline workers’ unwavering determination in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Angel Wings” Cover Art
The next song was also themed around the pandemic, titled “Longing 思念”. The song’s sweet lyrics were accompanied by mellow acoustic guitar arpeggios, and had an ingeniously-crafted chorus line that twisted heartstrings, evoking complex emotions within singer and listeners alike. The singer expressed how she missed her life before the pandemic and longed to meet her family and friends again.
“Longing” Cover Art
The seventh song “Grandma, Wait for Me 奶奶等等我”, was a heart-wrenching song in which the composer expressed his longing for his grandmother by describing the memories between him and his grandmother. The song opened with a poignant cello and piano passage, with lyrics that possessed the quality of vivid imagery. Running notes and scales were used throughout the song to further add to the haunting melancholy of the song.
“Grandma, Wait for Me” Cover Art
The following song was written by the Music Composing Society’s Teacher-advisor who is also the Head of Co-curricular Department, Madam Hee Siaw Fuey, “Because Love Exists 因为爱存在”. The song opened with a piano passage consisting of harmonious chord progressions. The verses were sung in a gentle manner, accompanied by a stunning chorus while expressing the unyielding spirits of people persevering through the pandemic era.
“Because Love Exists” Cover Art
The ninth song, a moderately-paced jazz song with jumpy, rebellious lyrics, was titled “The End of the Story 告一段落的故事”. The song began with a slow and blue verse, with heavy piano chords bringing out the jazzy flavour of the music, which then transitioned to a more fast-paced chorus, and ended with a satisfying play of sopranic notes. The use of saxophone added a rich texture to the song. The song bluntly described the ending of a toxic friendship and leaving the past behind.
“The End of the Story” Cover Art
The songs began to take up a gloomy mood, beginning with the tenth song “In Those Times 那些时光里”, which opened with a violin passage that followed with the saccharine voice of a singer singing about her unrequited love for a lost lover. The melody was very reminiscent of Pachelbel’s Canon in D.
“In Those Times” Cover Art
Next was another somber song about unrequited love, titled “Love and Leaving 离别·爱” . The song expressed feelings toward parting and reminisced upon memories between a student and her former lover.
“Love and Leaving” Cover Art
The twelfth song was “Depression 忧郁”, a song which expressed one’s deep hurt and internal distress, highlighting the dark side of human emotions. It also, however, emphasized the importance of persevering through depression and feelings of anxiety, and highlighted that there would always be a way out for people dwelling in hopelessness.
“Depression” Cover Art
Beginning from the thirteenth song, the songs began taking up an invigorating tone, with “Laziness is A Devil 懒惰是魔鬼” introducing another jazz song to the album. The song had a touch of humor, beginning with a playful jazzy piano intro with powerful major chords, and a chorus possessing a childlike voice. The song emphasized that one should maintain perseverance and fight laziness in order to accomplish their tasks effectively.
“Laziness is A Devil” Cover Art
After the thirteenth song, the viewers were given a 5-minute break, wherein “pink noise” was played. A committee member, Sofea, explained that music editors often use pink noise to “reset” their hearing after a lengthy editing session.
Following the break was the fourteenth song of the album release party, “Freedom 自由”. The song was accompanied by acoustic guitar and its lyrics consisted of a mix of Chinese and English lyrics, including the hook “I long for freedom, I long for life”. The song expressed that freedom is something everything and everyone yearns for.
“Freedom” Cover Art
The fifteenth song “Ordinary Happiness 平凡快乐” was a harmonious duet between two singers with pleasant voice timbres, along with a guitar accompaniment. The song emphasized that happiness can be found even in the smallest of things.
“Ordinary Happiness” Cover Art
The sixteenth song was a celebration of nature, titled “Admiring Nature 欣赏大自然”. It opened with an animated piano intro consisting of powerful, jovial chords that reeled listeners in. Throughout the piece, the piano accompaniment comprised syncopated triads which complemented the singer’s upbeat singing, producing a clean and crisp tune. The meaning behind the song was that due to the pandemic, people have been locked up in their homes, unable to step out of their homes for a long time. The lyrics expressed hope that once the epidemic is over, everyone would be able to go out and enjoy the beauty of nature.
“Admiring Nature” Cover Art
In the seventeenth song, titled “The Past 口厺”, the singer crooned for her lover to return to her in a skillfully gentle yet helpless voice. The use of pentatonic notes created an exotic sense of east asian musicality, complementing a theme which spoke of those brief yet warm moments that make up our sweetest memories, despite any loss of friendship or love.
(Photo 18: “The Past” Cover Art)
Up next was the song “China Tones 中国调” which emphasized the use of the ancient Chinese musical style with lyrics that depicted the various Chinese instruments and customs. The following song, “Soar 腾飞”, used a clever metaphor which described wings as a means of soaring towards the future. The song’s message was a meaningful one: since we have experienced many difficulties together, there is nothing left to be afraid of. Let us work hard together for a better life and soar to greater heights.
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“Soar” Cover ArtThe twentieth song came with the title “For the Growth of Us 致成长路上的我们”. It opened with the sounds of a flute and a ringing school bell, and progressed into a gentle duet between two female voices. The song expressed that exams are an indispensable part of schooling life, and wished candidates greater confidence in this aspect.
“For the Growth of Us” Cover Art
The final song from the album was “Eternal Journey 永远的旅行”. It had a cheery tune, with lyrics being a combination of Chinese and English phrases. The lively ukulele accompaniment added much vigour to the song.
“Eternal Journey” Cover Art
Complementary to the end of the album release party was an original score titled “The Journey of Growth 程·长”. It served as an outro for the album, and as ending credits. The score consisted of running notes on the piano and spanned several octaves. It was truly a pleasant ending to the music album release party.
Ending Credits