AMC Springtime Concert Review

I attended Ave Maria Convent's Springtime Concert last night at their school hall in Ipoh.


It was a very crowded event, with the number of female attendees far outnumbering the men. I also saw some females wearing "I Love PGS Band"(which I assume means Penang Girl's School) t-shirts attending the concert. This was surprising as I didn't expect people to travel down from Penang to watch this event. I must admit i was also very excited to see AMC's cheerleading squad, the Titans. Unfortunately, i did not get to know any of them :(

The presentation of the concert was good. They decided to start off the show by showcasing their drumline before the opening speeches. It was unexpected, and a nice way to start things off.

Then the performance actually started.

Now don't get me wrong, I liked all the fun pieces the band picked ranging from "Hawaii Five O" to "Nobody But You" to "The Moon Represents My Heart". But my problem comes from the mastery/composition of the songs. They just simply lacked something.

I dont know if it was the acoustics of the hall, but i just could not hear the brass players the majority of the whole show. And I was sitting at the 4th row from the front! Flutes were barely audible, although Horns were rich and reeds were good. Pit percussion was not synchronized well, and some of the musical selections just dragged on for too long.

I almost slept during "Symphonic Episode 1", and I couldn't tell if "Acceptance" started already or was it still a portion from the first music piece. The host's explanation of "Hidamari No Uta" felt longer than the actual piece itself, and it would have been better if it was told BEFORE the piece, not after it was performed.

I really enjoyed "Postcard from Singapore", which truly showcased the woodwind's capabilities and at the same time gave members a chance to relax and enjoy themselves.

"Lion King" and "Totoro" was blah. Again, Brass (or more specifically, trumpets!!) I cant hear you! But trombones were good though. Horns easily the best, rich and mellow.

But to be fair, its the early part of the year. I'm assuming the members are not at their peak capabilities yet. What they lacked in musical mastery they made up for it with enthusiastic faces, great energy, and a good and supportive crowd. It was also nice to see them picking popular tunes to entertain younger portions of the audiences (although it could be better!)

I loved how the girls were brave enough to dance and shake their bodies on stage though (and also bonus points for managing to drag their headmistress to dance together as well!) We'll never see that with our headmaster thats for sure.

AMC's performance last night definitely prioritized "Presentation" over "Content", but this doesnt mean the whole show was bad. It was very bearable, and definitely meant to be enjoyed with fun and not too much seriousness. The show definitely FELT like a success with the constant screaming of the female crowd *and my ears STILL hurt*

By the way dear concert audiences, you just made me laugh so hard last night. ENCORE (the request for one last performance to a band) is pronounced as ARN-core. Its French, so please do this exotic word justice. I don't blame people mispronouncing it (yelling N-core!!) due to its spelling, but repeatedly roaring it in a packed hall just tickles my funny bone.


Presentation : 8/10 - Excellent hosts, spirited faces by the performers

Musical content : 5/10 - Mostly boring/lacked synchronicity, although 'Postcard from Singapore' was good, could really appreciate the woodwinds there.

Atmosphere : 7/10 - Great screaming female audiences (although they do tend to interfere with the music), and i see great participation from parents and oldies :)

Facilities : 2/10 - I know you're a girls school but come on... ONE bathroom for the men??


Total score : 5.5/10 - Bearable, and definitely will be interested to come again. If only for the pretty performers and the chance to meet their cheerleaders :)