IHM is the Inter house music contest at KGV where students from different houses and year groups compete for various prizes. This competition is designed to celebrate and showcase the various musical talents at KGV. This year it was held online rather than in the hall due to COVID-19. We interviewed some of the winners for their opinions on it and advice they would give to the future competitors.
Monique Wong, was the first place winner of the junior vocals category. She is an aspiring self-taught singer, who has been singing from a very young age therefore joined this competition as an opportunity to showcase her talents to a wider audience. She sang “Black and white” which she chose to commemorate the love between her recently engaged Aunt and Uncle. Some problems she faced was that “it was difficult to record and when there were technical difficulties it made the recording process even harder” and “took in total about 9 takes''. When asked whether she would prefer a live performance or to be recorded she said “stage fright is something that happens to me a lot” so she wouldn’t mind either option. This experience was very nerve racking for her but through the support of other competitors she was able to improve and gain confidence. She believes it would be a very unique experience for future IHM competitors if it continues to be online. Whether it is live or online, both ways have their own difficulties that need to be overcome. Some advice for future competitors is to “not be nervous and if you do, it will just give you voice cracks and other difficulties.”
Rola Huang is a Crozier middle school student who competed in the Solo Instrument section, coming in 1st place. She began learning the violin at the age of 5 and continues to do so. Rola's passion for music is what pushed her to challenge herself, aiming to achieve 1st place. She originally feared entering the competition but ultimately decided to compete as she had experience from outside competitions. One of the challenges that Rola faced was having to record her piece multiple times, preferring that the competition was conducted live on stage. Rola performed a piece called ‘Vidui’ by Ernest Bloch. She had chosen her piece as it was a mournful song, something that she felt had a deep meaning to it. To prepare for the competition, Rola practiced her piece everyday for 2-3 hours, not only for the competition, but also for herself. A piece of advice that Rola has for future competitors is “to express the most [you] could and pick a piece [you] are really passionate about.”