Wednesdays in March

March has turned out to be an activity-packed month. So much so I am finding myself not being able to keep up with updating my blog!

We don't normally head out on Wednesdays but in the month of March, we have been out consistently every Wednesday.

First Wed

An NTU lunch time concert gave the boys the opportunity to listen to an ancient instrument, the lute. This instrument is quite frequently used in the medieval period. Now, it is more often associated with middle eastern music.


Second Wed

We were at the Singapore Science Centre more often than usual this pass month to maximize on our membership which was soon expiring. (We did that for our Zoo membership too... in Feb.) Here is a picture of my boys attempting for the nth time to beat the record for the longest distance flown by a paper airplane. Their maximum distance was about 12 m.



Third Wed

Our homeschool group organized a trip to the Road Safety Park. It was more a fun time for the children to ride on the go-karts rather than learning traffic regulations. :-b


After that was playtime at East Coast beach; beach soccer, water polo, shell-picking... for the boys. I enjoyed the glaring sun and warm sea breeze...


Forth Wed

The last Wednesday in March, we participated in the Homeschool Curriculum Fair. This is an annual event where homschool mothers set up tables to share their resources and expertise with other homeschoolers. I benefited from the talks and sharing of the other homeschooling mothers in the fairs that I have attended in previous years. I am glad to be able to "give back" to the homeschool community this year. I set a table to "show-and-tell" what I do for our homeschool for Mathematics, History, Science and Art.

Despite being busy with my sharing, I caught glimpses of what my other friends were doing. I wished I had more time to look around. I am now inspired to try my hands on some bookbinding and making. (Thanks Y! for your detailed explanation!) Y's children authored their very own books and these were "professionally" bound up (they sewed the pages up themselves) to look like a regular hardcover book. (I should have taken a picture of her books!) I am sure my boys will be thrilled to make one because they have always asked me how they can make a "real" book that others can read from... Hmmm... time to think of what to put in the book. Haha...

Free Lunchtime Concert Near Us

After my post Wild Hour 1, two ladies who live in the west of Singapore have commented that they were glad to know of such a gem of a place that is near them.

I think they will be delighted to know that I have just discovered another advantage of living in Jurong. :-)

A friend who lived in the NTU hostel had kindly informed me of a free weekly lunchtime concert there. So this Wednesday, we headed there to attend one by the NTU string orchestra. They played Concerto Grasso in C Major by Handel, Divertimento I by Mozart and Simple Symphony by Benjamin Britten. I have introduced Handel and Mozart by way of our Composer Study so my boys kind of grinned at me when they saw the program sheet.

The program next week looks interesting too; a jazz percussion performance! Looks like we will be attending these lunchtime concerts regularly. Especially since it is so nearby our place (less than 30 min by bus!).

I am hoping that my boys can be exposed to different genre of music through these concerts. I am thankful that such an opportunity is opened to us!

Last JMC Class Concert

Yesterday was the last of 4 class concerts. Each child had a chance to perform a song item, and play several solo numbers on the piano. It was a time of gift exchanging and farewells too.



The boys received their results and certificates of completion of the Fundamental Survey Skill Test. They have learnt much during this 2 years. This marks the close of one chapter and the beginning of another...

Music: Yamaha JMC - FSS

My boys had been attending the Junior Music Course(JMC) at Yamaha Music School for the past 2 years. The course is coming to an end this year. This week, they will be having their first music examination. Its called the Fundamental Skills Survey(FSS).

This test, though not at all a recognized test, as compared to the ABRSM examination, turns out to be quite a challenge. It tests not just on the playing skill but encompasses a more holistic approach. Musicality, voice projection, coordination, improvisation, pitch recognition, knowledge of musical notation are some of the more unusual aspects tested.

In the test, the child has to play 3 solo pieces (one of which he has to "fill in" the bass notes himself), sing one of the songs learnt during the course (to be sung with action, dynamics and expression all of which will be assessed), sing one song in solphege (of about 16 memory songs), identify chords played and read or explain musical notations.

As such, we have pulled up our socks and attempted to have more intensive practices this past few weeks. Normally, each boy practices about 30 min a day. Now, we stepped that up to an hour at least. I had to play an active role here because I had to "test" them on their 16 memory songs, "test" them on their chord singing and recognition by hearing, and coach them on their singing item.

I found it necessary to practice with one boy at a time. So all in all, it is 2 hours a day just on music for me! Obviously, school time was reduced to accommodate this. We just had our "Year-End examination" anyway so that gives us a good excuse to cool off a bit. Even then, I am still exhausted!

It is heartwarming to see them improve through the practices. I just wish I had the energy (after 4 to 5 hours of school) to keep up with their music at this pace ALL THE TIME. But the truth is, I can't. I had prayed hard that Daddy will take over this aspect of our boys' education soon! This, he has graciously agreed. Hooray!!!

Piano lessons with Daddy will officially start January 2009!

Daddy has taught piano playing before so this is not new to him. I have discussed with him and of the two popular curriculum, Alfred and Bastian, he prefers Bastian. That will provide a basic framework to teach piano playing. We felt that more have to be done but haven't made any concrete plans so far. We would like to continue to train the boys in their hearing skills (which currently has lots of room for improvement). I will likely be borrowing the methods used in Yamaha.

I am expecting lots of trial and error in the months ahead...