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Achieving success - the fruits of a group effort

I have been reading to arthur waley's wonderful Chinese Poems   this week. I particularly enjoy the following poem as it illustrates the various groups who provide support and thus contribute to a student's achievements: family, friends and the application of the individual. The humble tone of the narrator is a joy. After Passing the Exam - Po Chui I (800ad) For   ten years I never left my books; I went up… and won unmerited praise. My high place I do not much prize; The joy of my parents will first make me proud. Fellow students, six or seven men, See me off as I leave the City gate. My covered couch is ready to drive away; Flutes and strings blend their parting tune. Hopes achieved dull the pains of parting; Fumes of wine shorten the long road… Shod with wings is the horse of him who rides On a Spring day the road that leads to home. Despite having been written over two thousand years so, there is a freshness and a sincerity in this poem which still resonat

The Electric Octopus: Do gestures have a place in a Speech Festival?

I judged a Speech Festival a couple of years ago and was stunned by one of the candidate's performances. Not by their brilliance but by their ressemblance to a windmill. The boy in question was reading a serious, calm poem but had matched it with exuberant, dramatic gestures. Gestures will not win you a Speech Festival. At best they are unnecessary and at worst they are a distraction. Focus on the face and the voice and avoid oscillating wildly and you are in with a chance!

Interview with Jessica from Gafencu Magazine

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Brandon in Apple Daily - an explosion of colour!

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Preparing for the Speech Festival: Rule One, play to your strengths

If you have just returned to school and have been invited to participate in the HKSMA Speech festival, the next few posts may be of interest! Rule one: When entering a Speech Festival, try to find a class you will enjoy. You have a variety to choose from: bible reading, prose reading, public speaking, poetry reading. Think of your voice, what each class requires of competitors, your own skill set and select your class with care. Next time: I think I used to know that or how to remember your piece!

Basking in Olympic glory - in praise of London

The lead up to the 2012 Olympics was full of media pundits prophesying doom. What they didn't take into account was the determination of the British in the face of a challenge. The result was an scintillating celebration of the eccentricity of the British Character. Led by the unlikely fusion of a fearsome brain and a frightening haircut which is Mayor Boris Johnson, the Games were a triumph of perseverance with the focus of the spotlight being returned to it's rightful place: the athletes. Pageantry and ceremony are inextricably linked with England and this vibrant extravaganza could not have taken place anywhere other than London. London has inspired poetry for centuries and, around 1501, William Dunbar delivered the following: An extract from To the City of London by William Dunbar London, thou art of townes A per se . Sovraign of cities, semeliest in sight, Of high renoun, riches, and royaltie: Of lordis, barons, and many goodly knyght; Of most delectable lusty l

A scholarship and a bonus cake

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We had an afternoon of over indulging at Brandon today after Max's family brought in a cake to celebrate his scholarship to Winchester College. Having successful students is reward enough but having cakes is an added bonus!