APAC Band 2015, held at Concordia International School of Shanghai, consisted of more than ninety student musicians from six international schools across Asia Pacific countries. It started on Thursday morning, the 26th of February, with a welcoming note from the guest conductor, John T. Madden. He is the Associate Director of Bands and Associate Professor of Music inMichigan State University College of Music, who gladly came all the way to Shanghai to conduct the APAC Band. After introducing ourselves to our stand partners, the students from every school had seven hours of intense rehearsals and sectionals for three days. Despite long strenuous hours of sitting and playing our instruments, everyone was enthusiastic to be playing in front of such an honorable conductor. However, APAC Band was not only about the rehearsals. On Friday, after performing a Mini Concert for the HS Assembly and the remaining rehearsals, UNIS Band went to see the Chinese traditional acrobatic show which was a whole new experience. We were so amazed to see how music harmonized with the movement of the performers. Awed by the spectacles, we were all greatly inspired by this great performance and acquired some insights into the Chinese culture.

Then came the big day of the performance. We dedicated the morning for rehearsing as well as time for shopping at the “Fake Market.” It was memorable that we were able to experience the Chinese culture and rest our fingers before the big night. We then quickly returned to the campus for our last dress rehearsal and performed in the theatre. The atmosphere was unforgettable; the audience cheered for our performance and enjoyed the variety of music that we had spent weeks practicing. UNIS Band was proud to see our two freshmen, Sue and Yoav, performing their solo parts in front of the big audience. The concert consisted of nine songs selected by the conductor and I personally loved the songs that were upbeat and more cheerful.

APAC Band was a memorable experience as a whole and for us as individuals because we never had the opportunity to play with certain instruments such as the bassoon, tuba, and contrabass. We all look forward to APAC Band 2016, and we wish our seniors, Veronica and Sebastian, the best of luck.