About this time last year, i blasted the Perak state level competition for its incompetent judges, sweared like crazy, complained about injustices, and felt utter sadness for the members who put in so much effort for a show that was several levels above the rest, while wondering why nobody appreciated our show and style.

This year, most things remain the same. We still have incompetent judges (though the situation is getting better), we still have injustices (namely the St John controversy, though im sure its nothing to do with the band itself), and i still sweared alot, but this time out of laughter and disbelief.

This year marked the introduction of transparent score giving, with a panel of 5 judges watching over the prelims, and 8 judges on FINALS where 3 of them were on the field. It was supposedly a measure taken to raise the overall standards of marching bands in Malaysia, and while i felt this goal was largely achieved, the judging and opinions for the top teams still left alot to be desired.

To me, SMJK Nan Hwa has always been special to me because we are known as the band with one of the best drills in Malaysia, and we strive on that and are proud of the different shows we are able to put up year after year. And so when it came to this year's competition where a THEMATIC performance was MANDATORY, NH leapt at the opportunity to perform "The Prince of Egypt".

To be honest, the first time i arrived back in my hometown to watch NH's show, it just felt OK. Nothing too fantastic, nothing too bad, just OK. I thought, could we win this competition? Could we capture the minds and hearts of our audiences? Doubt crept in, but as alumnis, we always have to keep up a cheerful and encouraging face to our juniors.

Furthermore, receiving a abysmally low score during the Prelims did not help matters. And one couldnt help but feel after watching St John, Keat Hwa's, and CHWS's performances was WHY we couldnt seem to do better than them when we believe what we're doing is the right way for our marching band industry. We were dejected, at a loss, and fumbled around for a while.

Then came Junt Minalai. Having resigned from the NATCOMP finals as field judge so as to avoid controversy, he came to our school and taught us what it means to entertain the crowd, how to inject life and energy into a show, and at the same time show gracefulness and beauty in a performance. I truly believe without Junt being involved in the final stages of our show, we would have been alot less impressive.

The day of the Finals is a very sweet memory for me. Having had to look after a number of sick band members the night before, it was touching to see them so reved up to perform even with a high fever. This showed me they were serious, and were in it to win.

I sat in the middle portion of the stadium, behind fellow forumers who have been debating with me for many years. It was a great feeling of freedom to critisize each other without being offended, and i loved hearing other peoples opinion on various schools.

Then Nan Hwa came in and performed. From the very first note of River Lullaby, the audience was entranced and captivated. We had removed our Drum Major, but nobody seemed to have noticed, so great was our drill that people cheered without needing a thrown mace to indicate so. Silence and respect was provided during our Part 2 - When You Believe, and applause crept in when the solo colorguard encircled our trombone soloist at the end of the song.

Part 3 started, with the audience keeping silent, wondering what Nan Hwa would do. The pace was steady, majestic, and then it picked up. Faster, and suddenly the band parted into two blocks, stomped their feet, turned 180 degrees and started running. The crowd cheered, roared, totally unexpecting this turn of events.

The Drum solo came in, people gasped in admiration, while some of the audiences couldnt help but let out a whoop of suprise at the quads and snares. The percussion members then kicked it up a notch, giving it their all, while the wind players were performing one of the hardest drills ever in Malaysia in the background. Flags were thrown, sticks held high, plumes shook vigorously. The final note, the final thud of drumstick on snare surface. The crowd went wild. We owned the stadium at that moment.

Everything was a blur after that. People around me turned to tell me that NH was without a doubt no.1. I told them not to give me hope, for we have been screwed way too many times to believe that anymore. And unfortunately, i was right.

The final results were announced. Nan Hwa was fifth. But for the first time in my life, i felt the results was truly insignificant. Everyone present at that stadium knew what the real results was. The fact that many more fans thanked NH for our show was a better present than just any Congratulations.

NH Marching Band, you guys just overshadowed any previous performance by any of your alumnis. By far, this year was NH's overall best. I am proud of you. Do not be disheartened by scores and labels, but be empowered by the support of your crowd and fans.

Goodbye NATCOMP 2010. We look to the future now.


Written By
Nan Hwa Alumni 2005
Justin Yeo
Guards Co-Tutor 2010

The sun rose to an exciting morning for Nan Hwa Band. 14th of July was the date where Nan Hwa Band will head southwards to Shah Alam. It was the day before NATCOMP 2010. After months of practice, we were given a chance to bounce back up in the finals. After a massive packing the night before, us members loaded all our baggage and instruments onto the bus, and by 8:00am we departed for Stadium Malawati for the rehearsals. Mid-way, we stopped at Restaurant Jejantas Sungai Buloh for lunch.

At 1:00pm, we started experiencing heavy traffic, signs that Shah Alam wasn’t far. Soon the stadium was in sight. At 2:00pm, we took the floor for our hour-long rehearsal. At the end of the rehearsal, we packed up our instruments and stayed back another hour to watch Chung Hwa Wei Sin’s rehearsal.

At 4:30pm, we headed to Prescott Hotel, Klang to check in and rest before going on a shopping trip to Jusco at 6:30pm for stocking up our food and water supplies and having dinner. By 9:30pm, we were back in our rooms to do our final preparation work and uniform check. Individual sections were then called to the instructor’s room to view the rehearsal video, making notes for ourselves on what to improve the following day. And by 11:30pm, all lights went off, as Nan Hwa Band rests for the night.

15th of July finally came, and as dawn broke, members started waking up and went on to have their breakfast. By 11:00am, loads baggage started to fill the lobby as members loaded their belongings and instruments onto the bus. Wasting no time, the band departed from Prescott Hotel to Stadium Malawati at 11:45am.

When we arrived at the stadium, several other bands were already at their peak of warm-ups. Nan Hwa Band was arranged as the 6th group to perform, which leaves us some time for rest on the bus. By 3:00pm, spirits were already at the highest and adreline started pumping as we had our last warm-up. “The Prince of Egypt” was ready to take the floor for competition. After some final words of encouragement from the staffs, we held our head high while marching into the stadium preparing to put up a show worth the blood and sweat we sacrificed for. 3 months of planning, 7 months of training, RM30,000 worth of investment, gone as fast as it came, that spur of 10 minutes worth was gone, but not before being immortalized by us into sweet memories. It was an overwhelming moment of achievement, and the rest that happened after that was history.

By 6:30pm, the results were announced:
1) SMK Keat Hwa
2) SMK St. John
3) SMJK Chung Hwa We Sin
4) SMK St. Joseph
5) SMJK Nan Hwa
6) Sekolah Tun Fatimah
7) Kolej Sultan Abdul Hamid
8) SMK Kwang Hua
9) SMK Tinggi Klang
10) SMJK Chung Hwa

Our loudest applause to the crowned champion and runner ups for their achievements, and to all the bands for putting up a good show for all to see this year, we look forward to meet again soon in the near future.

And with that said, the end of Marching Season 2010 has arrived for Nan Hwa Band. As a form 5 member myself, this will be my last year in the band. 5 years of laughing, crying, breaking down and rising up with the band will always remain in my head. There can be miracles, when you believe. Indeed, the miracle happened, not in the results nor in the show, but in the process. The band polished me as a person to shine, and I look forward to the day where I can be one of the polishers to make Nan Hwa Band shine once more.

Nan Hwa Band’s 2010 production “The Prince of Egypt” is dedicated to all the fans we believe in, and we thank you all for believing in us. A big thank-you to Ah Boon for coming back to coach us, Huah Jiunn for organizing the practices, Mr. Tan for constantly lending his support and wisdom, all the alumni for being there for us physically and mentally, to Junt and his team for producing such a grand show for us, and to all the parents for giving their never-ending support. See you all next marching season!