Raffles Institution Military Band

The Raffles Institution Military Band (RIMB) is the military band of Raffles Institution, a premier school in Singapore. The band's resident conductor is Mr. Takehiro Oura, who also conducts the Raffles Girls' School Symphonic Band and the Raffles Junior College Symphonic Band. The current leader of the band is Jonathan Chng, a trumpeter. Although the band is still known as a military band, it has turned symphonic since 1990, and only performs in an outdoor ceremony during the school's founder's day parades. Despite this, band members still have a certain sense of military discipline and learn some drills during Secondary 1.

Symbols

The motto

The band's motto is "We should! We must! We can! We will!". It encapsulates the approach of the Rafflesian bandsmen to every endeavour with the desire, the sense of duty, the belief in our ability and the determination. It is the rallying cry that motivates and spurs the Band to give the very best in every undertaking.

The crest

The crest is a depiction of a quaver note with the majestic eagle bearing the institution colours. Like the quaver, the Band is always half a beat ahead of the rest, ever soaring greater heights like the majestic eagle, proudly representing the institution.

History

<to do>

Organisation

The band has 5 main departments handling its internal affairs. The Library Department, headed by Zackary Ong, manages the scores and CDs of the band. The Quartermasters, headed by Benny Khoo, manages the maintainance of instruments, stands and tuners. The Uniform Department, headed by Zhu Feng, ensures that the bandsmens' uniforms are kept in top condition for performances. The Recruits' Department, headed by Melvyn Foo, handles the new intake of Secondary 1 students. The Welfare Department, headed by Lee Yi Heng, maintains the band's website and blog, and organises the annual band camp.

Awards

The Raffles Institution Military Band has won numerous Gold awards at the bi-annual Singapore Youth Festival(SYF) Central Judging for Concert Bands, with an unmatched run of 16 consecutive Gold awards. The Band has just recently won a newly-created Gold with Honours award at the 2005 Central Judging, being one of only 14 Singaporean bands to do so. The band also won 2nd place in its category at the prestigious World Music Competition in 1993. The World Music Competition held once every four years in The Netherlands. Here is a rundown of awards won by the Band in since 1974.

Events

Other than the SYF, the band also participates in many other events. The band puts on a bi-annual concert, known as Prometheum, the most recent of which was Prometheum X in 2004, at the Victoria Concert Hall. Recently, It also participated in the Shell-MOE Band Fiesta in the Gardens, at the Singapore Botanic Gardens, and the Lillies by the River charity event in August, 2004. The band also regularly organises and participates in several exchanges with other bands. The band is due to travel to Japan for an exchange with one of the top High School bands there.

The conductor

The Band's Musical Director is Mr. Takehiro Oura. Born in 1962, Mr Oura studied at the Daio Elementary School, the Tenri Junior High School and the Tenri High School in Nara.

He next went to the Sakuyo College of Music in Okayama where he studied percussion with Mr Imamura Mitsuaki and conducting techniques with Mr Watanabe Akeo, who was a former conductor of the Nippon Philharmonic Orchestra.

Mr Oura graduated with a Bachelor in Music, majoring in percussion.

In a further quest for musical knowledge and exposure, he journeyed to Paris to enrol in the Ecole Normale de Musique a Paris (French Conservatory of Music, Paris). Mr Oura graduated with certificates in percussion and orchestra studies. During the 2 years that he was there, Mr Oura was a member of the New National Symphonic Orchestra.

On his return to Japan, Mr Oura became the instructor of the Tenri High School Symphonic Band and Marching Band, both highly respected top school bands in Japan.

No stranger to the music scene in Singapore, he has taught the Yuan Ching Secondary School Band, the Dunman Secondary School Band, the Raffles Junior College Symphonic Band and has also been involved in the then National Theatre Symphonic Band (now the Singapore Wind Symphony).

Mr Oura has led the RIMB to obtain more SYF Gold Awards and 2nd place in the 1993 World Music Competition, maintaining RIMB's unbeaten track record in Singapore of 16 consecutive Golds, including a Gold with Honours in the 2005 SYF, and gaining fame for the RIMB even beyond our shores.

Although Mr Oura believes in upholding a strict sense of discipline, he also spends some time laughing and joking with the band, and although some of his remarks may be a bit offensive, he is well-liked by the band members.

Working with the RIMB, he hopes to bring about greater musical maturity among members, as well as a better, more refined musical expression in the band. With his vast experience and enthusiasm for teaching, Mr Takehiro Oura will definitely continue to enrich the musical life of the Band, as well as Raffles Institution.

External links

• Official RIMB Website