Events of 2008

Henry Park PSLE Graduation

30 October, 2008 @ Cassia Function Room, Downtown East

On 30 October 2008, James Pang was invited to perform at Henry Park Primary School's Graduation Ceremony, held at Cassia Function Room. Jamming with funky latin drum beats, James spiced up their fashion show and games with his Pearl Session Custom Drumkit. He ended the night with a massive drum solo performance causing the hundreds of primary six graduates to scream and cheer away! PSLE is over... What a blast!

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Good Old Days (Soul2Soul)

28 September, 2008 @ Bethesda Bedok Tampines Church

Partnering with BBTC, the theme was “Good Old Days” complete with vintage cars, trishaw, old telephones, and other paraphernalia on display, bandung scooped from those hawker style clear plastic containers and a retrostyle dress code. The 252 that turned up ranged from twenty to sixty years old. They were extremely sporting and all of them thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

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Musaic Conference 2008

3 to 5 September, 2008 @ Orchard Hotel

Hundreds of school music teachers and educators attended the Musaic Symposium on 3 September to 5 September 2008. MDS was proud to be one of the official sponsors for the three-day event held at the Orchard Hotel.

Along with other world-class music educators and creative presenters, we also featured two of our students Jedd Siew (8 years old) and Jean Toh (17 years old) on the drums. Jamming to the tunes of Mambo #5 and Sittin' Up In My Room, it was the students' first performances and the crowd loved it! James also played a Michael Jackson hit and delivered an encore drum solo featuring his Roland TD-12 electronic drumset at the international event.

"Performing is very different from normal drum practices because the environment is different. I have to learn not to get too nervous and control my emotions. I enjoyed my first drumming performance. It was a very good experience and I hope I will get the chance to perform again."

Jedd Siew (8yrs old), MDS Student

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Free2Be Conference 2008

15 to 17 August, 2008 @ Miri Indoor Stadium, Malaysia

James had the privilege to join Andrew Yeo and the Generation Band to play for a youth conference held in Miri Malaysia. Thousands of youths and adults attended the conferences held over three nights at the Miri Indoor Stadium.

The total number of people that attended the conference were about 15,000.

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LA Music Academy

23 to 27 June, 2008 @ Los Angeles, California

Why did you decide to attend the LA Music Academy Summer Program?
When I was a teenager, I wanted to travel to Japan to further my studies in organ! Thankfully I met Mr Blair Sherrill (from Los Angeles) and I fell in love with the drums after catching him perform a drum solo in a back studio. I learnt a lot from Blair and caught his passion for drumming and had been playing drums ever since then.

Throughout these years, the idea of travelling overseas to study an instrument had always been on my mind. After Blair moved on, I never really had the chance to learn from other proficient and experienced instructors. Therefore I decided to spend time to attend the summer program at LA Music Academy to grow in my drumming skills. I knew that this music academy has an excellent reputation. Also I wanted to meet up with my drum mentor Blair at LA.

What was the most important thing you learned during your time at the school?
One thing that I've learnt is that drumming is not a competition. One has to be true and real to his style and identity. Like what my mentor always says, "Keep it REAL man!" Basically, it means that you should not try to be someone else. It is good to learn different styles from different drummers but do not imitate and copy them blindly. Each one of us is unique!

Did you perform in L.A with famous people?
I did a faculty concert there with other professional musicians. I had the honour to play with Steve Vai's Bassist, Philip Bynoe! I also did a live recording at FireHouse recording studios and attended a masterclass with Quentin Dennard at Pasadena Inn Jazz Institute.

What do you miss about L.A?

It would have to be the live music scene there! At almost every corner, you would hear some band swinging away or some loud grooves jamming through the night.... If you want Jazz, you have it. If you want blues, you have it.

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Soul2soul Gigs

13 to 27 February, 2008 @ NUS, NTU, SMU, Esplanade SAC

When you step into a Soul2soul gig, you just know you're going to have a good time. Aptly called Soul2soul, ForeRunner's for the “20-30 something”, wants to connect with the heart and soul of each person who comes their way.

This season of 2008, Soul2soul traveled to various tertiary campuses like National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University and the Singapore Management University. Love was in the air as they showcased to the theme of Valentine’s Day.

Playing a mix of pop, funk, R&B and a hint of jazz, the six-piece set – James Pang on drums, Jason Widjaja on bass, Danny Sum on lead guitar, Su Yin Koh on keyboards, Matthew Low on acoustic guitar and Sharon Mah as Lead Vocalist — rocked the Campuses and brought the crowd to their feet, performing classics like Change The World, Bless The Broken Road, The Remedy and I Wanna Be With You..

Sure, Soul2soul can rock it up with a full band set-up when they performed at the campuses — but the ForeRunner band’s just as comfortable in an intimate acoustic setting, as they demonstrated their talents at Esplanade’s Singapore Art Café on the 27 of February.

Ending off each session, Sharon’s advice for the audience attending the gigs was “All our lives can be represented in music and lyrics… May each song brings a special meaning to you! ”

"James Pang is an exceptional drummer, proficient in a wide range of rhythm styles from pop to latin, even killer progressive rock ...Most of all, it's hard to find a technically skilled drummer like James who has such great "feel" at slower and quieter songs."

Danny Sum - ex-Head guitar coach of Believers Music.

"James is a charismatic performer who really knows his instrument.  His playing is fresh, lively, dynamic and has great versatility."

Sharon Mah, Lead vocalist of Soul2soul.

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