by Ariani bte Adam
IGNITE! on standby, IGNITE! go!
After endless late nights of planning, the IGNITE! Music Festival crew of 2013 finally saw the festival rocked the ground of RP on 23 and 24 Aug. First time ever, the festival drew an astonishing crowd of close to 15,000 gig-goers. The annual music festival, dedicated to showcase the best of local bands, was put together with a team of dedicated RP student groups led by staff from Republic Cultural Centre (TRCC). The students were heavily involved in the planning and running of the festival line-up, designing the collaterals, marketing the event to coordinating the mechanised booths. This exposure has provided an excellent platform for RP students to practise what they have learnt in the class setting to real-life work situations.
"The best part is that the festival is put together by students. I really like that the supervisors were teaching the students on the spot. I think that learning on the spot is really good because you can't get that kind of experience elsewhere," said Caracal's drummer, Martin Kong on the stage crews.
A student guitar technician helping Tell Lie Vision's guitarist during the sound check to ensure that everything runs smoothly - Photo By: Ariani Bte Adam
Students who were involved in the IGNITE! Music Festival not only planned for the actual day event but they also produced the fringe events leading up to the festival. These fringe events included performances by various CREATE Club Interest Groups, RP Band Competition and also "IGNITE! Your Senses" featuring bands like Aspectrum, OrangeCove and Take Two. Beside music performances, workshops were also conducted by the festival sponsors - Macbeth and MS Works. There was even a Photography workshop for budding photographers.
"Being student driven allows us to be able to equip ourselves with more than what we learn in the classroom. It also allows the students to have an added responsibility to complete a task at hand. All in all it was a valuable experience," said 19-year-old Kelda Chua Mufen, the Overall Festival Student Coordinator for IGNITE! Music Festival 2013.
Artists like The Sam Willows, The Summer State, and big names like Caracal and West Grand Boulevard were impressed by the level of hospitality that RP students showed them throughout the two days of festival - from giving directions, getting the bands on stand-by to preparing refreshment/snacks at the artistes holding room. This is no wonder why The Summer State commended this during a post-experience video interview: "IGNITE! has one of the best green rooms ever".
The local music festival was indeed a success not only for the bands but also the crew involved. Staff advisors also felt that the festival would not have happened if it was not for the dedicated students.
Footage of the whole festival was also filmed by students from Film and Studio IG. Photo By: Ariani Bte Adam
"The festival was bound to be awesome, but what made it special to me was the fantastic students I got to work with," said 28-year-old Keith Leslie Paton Tan, a staff from TRCC and also the Stage Manager for IGNITE! Music Festival 2013.
The Overall Festival Student Coordinator, Kelda Chua felt that "the one thing I'll miss most about being part of IGNITE! is the team. The experience and friendship forged during the months of planning is priceless".
The gears have been set in motion for a bigger and louder music festival in 2014. Our passion for local music has been IGNITED! Is yours?
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