Building character through afterschool activities

STUDENTS of St Joseph’s Primary School Miri in yesteryear were always ready to lend their teachers a helping hand after school.

One of their memorable activities was helping their headmaster Father John Dekker to decorate the church for Christmas.

Post-World War Two students remember that character-building was central in whatever the pupils and teachers did together for the school outside the classroom.

Besides sports, students also learned to be helpful such as in the school garden, which benefitted them immensely in terms of well-disposed attitudes.

In the 1940s, pupils were encouraged to read even though at the time, only a few books were available — usually loaned from the teaching priests.

Singing was also a favourite activity, conducted by the teachers, priests and nuns.

Based on such a wholesome educational foundation, St Joseph’s School, Miri, provided opportunities for character-building, leadership training, nurturing of responsible and wholesome citizens, as well as other useful skills and talents.

By the 60s and 70s, the school had been properly inducted into government-prescribed co-curricular activities to encourage students to join uniformed groups or sports events. Some teachers were even specially trained to conduct these activities.

However, extra-curricular activities back then were minimal and had few participants since most parents expected their children to go home right after school to help with chores.

Furthermore, the school was not strict about a one student, one uniformed body or one student, one sport concept.

A former student who wished to remain anonymous, told thesundaypost, “One extra-curricular activity I enjoyed was the school concert. After all these years, I can still remember the songs I learned from our music teacher, Mrs Liew.

“Now I’m teaching my grandchildren to sing, be happy and respectful. My friends and I really put our singing and dancing to good use for our school concerts. These memories are still fresh in my mind.”

Carmelite Choir

In the 1980s, the Carmelite Choir became an integral part of St Joseph’s extra-curricular activities in the absence of a music club or school choir for the students.

The Carmelite Choir influenced one of the students, J Lau, to become a music teacher.

According to Lau, her mother and many other mothers were members of the choir.

“Since they brought their children for choir practice, they most probably thought they might as well be choristers themselves. Thus, many families sang together,” she recalled.

The Carmelite Choir was led by Anita Yaman and Angelique Chua.

According to Anita, there were 20 to 35 singers from the secondary school in the choir.

Chua remembers St Joseph’s students went Christmas carolling throughout Miri although this special activity has now stopped.

Choir singing by Catholic students today is mainly for the Carmelite Church. Sadly, only a few have been coming to take part due to busier study timetables.

Noting that children have different talents, Chua said, “It’s important to spot those natural gifts at an early age in order to fully nurture and mould their potential. Confidence can only be built by doing what we are good at.”

St Joseph’s Brass Band

One of the outstanding co-curricular activities of St Joseph’s Secondary School, Miri, was the Brass Band.

KT Sawan said the marching band was like a second family to him.

“The teachers in charge were inspirational and passionate about music and got all of us to come together to play good music,” said the former band member.

He recalled there were some incredibly supportive parents who contributed financially to enable the band to buy new instruments and uniforms.

“Between 2003 and 2005, such support had helped improve the quality of our music and drill techniques. Also, some parents were present every day to get water and food for us, while we were preparing for a state-level competition.”

KT said these parents were the ‘test audience’ and the band learned a lot from their feedback.

He also said they heard of instances where teachers and trainers would yell at students during practice.

Pointing out that this never happened to their school band, he noted, “We were not put under any undue pressure. No one ever said anything about winning first place in the competitions we participated in.

“The teachers, especially Ms Janie Chang, and the parents only wanted the band members to have fun and experience what it is like to perform in a fully-equipped band with the potential to compete at the national level.”

KT remembers many of the parents who contributed from the heart.

“The late Mr Wong of Lutong Café was most generous in providing packed meals for the entire band. Mr Chiam, an old Josephian, gave both financial and moral support.”

He said one mother even kept a scrapbook of the band’s activities in photos, newspaper cuttings and interesting notes.

“After over 15 years, the old schoolmates still enjoy looking at these memorabilia. The scrapbook bonds them.”

Remarkable times

Retired teacher Janie Chang would definitely agree with her brass band members that the early 2000s were remarkable for them — the overwhelming response from parents and the readiness of the band members to camp out at school to perfect their marching performance.

Indeed, she will remember her brass band students for as long as she lives.

Outstanding chorister

Anita beamed with pride when she spoke of Jeanne Marie Druce, an outstanding Carmelite Choir member who has made it in the often challenging career of professional singing.

She told thesundaypost, “We hope she is an inspiration to not only Mirians but also Malaysians as a whole. Hopefully, more budding singers will follow in her footsteps by working hard to realise their full potential.”

As a student of St Joseph’s Secondary School, Miri, Druce grew up surrounded by caring teachers and church friends.

She enjoyed singing in the Carmelite Church Choir from the age of eight and also learned to play the trumpet in the Brass Band. Today, she has developed into one of the most outstanding musicians in Sarawak.

Druce said she would be back in Miri for the St Joseph’s 85th Anniversary and Reunion Dinner. And in December she will participate in a local fundraising concert.

With these two events and many others in her home state, she hopes to inspire the younger generation to take up creative arts like music.

She said she realised at a fairly young age that she loves singing. She would watch ‘The Sound of Music’ while her mum went about her housework.

Singing along with the songs in the movie, she discovered she could do a lot with her voice and also what her voice was capable of.

She sang solo in church, particularly during Christmas and Easter.

When the Marching Band of St Joseph’s School, Miri won first place in a competition in 2006, Druce was still in primary school but she felt inspired by the victory and joined the band when she was in secondary school.

“The school’s Brass Band shaped me to be who I am today. I wouldn’t change that for the world.

“Being in the band taught me many valuable lessons still applicable to me today — commitment, teamwork, leadership and perseverance. The band taught me what it means to be a mature person — that our actions and words matter, making us more aware of how we behave.

“There is joy in playing music together. The continuous support from all the parents and teachers is very important as well. Without them, we would be nothing.”

On her training, Druce said, “I took a gap year after finishing A levels in 2014 to ponder what I wanted to study. At that time, I had finished Grade Eight in piano and was also brushing up my music theory.

“My piano teacher encouraged me to take up music and recommended me to a performing arts academy in Australia. With my teacher’s help, I managed to get an audition in Kuching and was accepted into the academy at the beginning of 2015. Before I knew it, I was heading to Australia to study and live for the next two years.”

According to Druce, the music industry in Australia is vibrant, dynamic and well-organised.

“They produce world-class composers, songwriters and performers. Studying music in Sydney is a great experience for me. It helps broaden my horizons and understanding of music.

“It also gives me the freedom to not only express myself musically but also get involved with music personally through participation, listening, creating and information.

“Sydney gives me the opportunity to fulfil my musical potential and build me up to be a professional musician and performer.”

On her contributions to music in Sarawak, she said she performed at the 50th Anniversary of the Melanau Association in 2012 and for the Miri Melanau Association in 2013.

“In 2017, I am very honoured to be able to perform for a very special event — the 85th Anniversary and reunion dinner of St Joseph’s School, Miri. It’s going to be very exciting,” she said.

She has a message for all music enthusiasts in Sarawak, “Keep the passion for music burning and share and perform music wherever you are. Most importantly, enjoy every moment of it.”

Druce is a top student at her university, scoring 5.6 for her academic and practical performances. She is the only Asian to make that score.

Loved by both her lecturers and the Dean, Druce is setting her sights higher and being the very talented and determined person that she is, scaling the heights of her career is well within her reach.