Nine CCAs to Check Out in NYP
With so many CCAs to choose from, it is certainly hard to decide which CCA you should commit to. But NYP is a warm hearted community, and whichever CCA you join, you are certain to make good friends. If you can�t decide, here are nine interesting CCAs to check out!
Nanyang Polytechnic Chinese Orchestra
Two words � Mike Chiang. This talented conductor (formerly with the Singapore Chinese Orchestra) is the driving force behind Nanyang Polytechnic Chinese Orchestra�s (NYPCO) breath-taking, genre-breaking music.
For the past 3 years, Nanyang Polytechnic Chinese Orchestra (NYPCO) has staged 4 consecutive sold-out Korean pop and pop music concerts - Theatres on the Bay, K-Attack!, K-Attack! II, K-Attack! III, and Billboard Rockx! - in collaboration with Esplanade, with Mike Chiang at the helm.
The orchestra is amazingly versatile at all genres, including K-Pop and Rock, and has even been tweeted about by a member of K-pop band, Big Bang. NYPCO has a unique rendition of modern music played with traditional Chinese instruments like the Erhu and Guzheng, and a whimsical, light-hearted feel.
�I joined NYPCO because I was inspired by watching NYPCO's K-attack 1,� said Marcus Tong, a second year Aeronautical and Aerospace Technology student. �I have been in the Chinese Orchestra CCA since primary school and wanted to improve my skills. Furthermore, our conductor, Mr Mike Chiang, is renowned for his unique ability and skill in creating unique pop music with Chinese Instruments.�
The 180-member strong orchestra is constantly exposed to many different genres of music and usually meets twice a week for sectionals and combined practice with professional instructors. The orchestra even gets opportunities to travel and perform overseas!
�NYPCO is a big family. I have made a lot of friends from different schools in Chinese Orchestra, who share my love for music,� said Bai Bing, a second year Biologics Process & Technology student, and President of NYPCO. She learnt Guzheng in secondary school and joined NYPCO after hearing of their reputation and unique approach to music.
�During combined practice, our conductor, Mike Chiang, will ensure that everyone shares the same chemistry with the music and allows us to express the music with our emotions,� she explained.
Check out their unique sound here:
Interested in finding out more? Email NYPCO at nypchineseorchestra@gmail.com
Live Audio
Ang Wei Hao Murphy, a third year Diploma in Nursing student, loves music and equipment such as speakers and subwoofers. This is why he joined Live Audio, a CCA that provides DJ services for events around campus. The CCA allows him to meet up and have spinning sessions with his juniors and team members, and also learn more about music and sound equipment.
His team consists of about 35 members and he meets his members every Wednesday for spinning and bonding sessions.
�The people are fun to be around with and there is a lot of good music being played,� said Shabana Ismail Ashraff, a Year 3 Business Informatics student, and President of Live Audio club. �We meet to better our audio skills, and sometimes we just meet to catch up and make music together! I can pick up audio skills and yet have fun all at the same time.�
Interested in improving your DJ-ing skills? Contact Live Audio at shabana_ashraff@hotmail.com
NYP Athletics
Annabel See, a Year 3 Sports and Wellness Management student, loves throwing. She has been in Track & Field since primary school, and joined Athletics in NYP because of her passion for throwing. She cherishes her supportive team members in NYP, and the fact that everyone is treated fairly.
�I like this CCA because everyone is accepted here. Regardless whether you are starting from ground zero or an experienced athlete, everyone is given an equal opportunity to compete and participate,� she said. �Regardless of how tired I am, it makes me happy when I can improve my personal best and meet new people. NYP Athletics has taught me many things and motivates me to continuously put in effort into the things I do.�
The 100 member Athletics team is split up into categories of Sprints, Jumps, Long Distance and Throws. While the training period differs across categories, Annabel trains about 5 to 6 times a week. But she also enjoys spending time bonding with her team mates over training sessions or having a good meal to celebrate the birthdays of her team members.
�There are many components in training. We learn techniques for throws, sprints, and do weights training in the gym. The training toughens us up and allow us to perform better,� she said. �NYP has sent us to compete in Hong Kong and the Philippines, which enabled me to learn how to organise an overseas competition. It bonded us and made me realise how important team work and team spirit is.�
Interested in being part of the team? Email athleticsnyp@gmail.com.
Ultimate Frisbee
Ultimate Frisbee is immensely popular in Singapore and there is nothing to dislike about this graceful team field sport played with a flying disc. The game is played by two teams and has the common goal of trying to get the disc into the end-zone by passing or throwing the disc from player to player to the end-zone.
�I went for a couple of CCA trials and fell in love with the bond between the Ultimate Frisbee team members. The seniors treat everyone very well,� said Chang Jun Jie, a third year Business Management student and Captain of the team. �This CCA is unique because it is a mixed gender team sport that maximises our capabilities. We also have a coach who understands each and every single of his players' preferred playing style, strengths and weaknesses. He believes in not just pure talent alone but effort, hardwork and teamwork.�
The current 80-member strong team has been performing very well at tournaments and recently won the POL-ITE Ultimate Frisbee tournament for the 5th year in a row!
According to Jun Jie, the team is very closely knit and the majority of the alumni come back to help the team train. The team meets every Monday and Wednesday to train from 4.30pm till late at night. The committee also organises camps to help team members bond and have a better understanding of the sport.
�During training, we will usually start off with some fun elements, followed by friendly games against the alumni,� he said. �We also have gatherings outside of training days. Within the month of September and October, we have had Sentosa outings, a salad party, a team dinner and even movie nights. All these outings help us to better understand one another.�
He explained further: �We have 3 camps every season. The POL-ITE camp prepares us for the POL-ITE tournament and the IIVP camp prepares us for the final tournament. Last year, we also had a chance to head over to Perth for an exchange programme with the UWA ultimate Frisbee team. It was definitely a fruitful experience which benefited the team.�
Sounds like fun? Email Jun Jie at x-boy_destiny@hotmail.com to join the team.
Grizzlers � NYP�s Cheerleading team
You may think cheerleading is nothing more than a couple of girls waving their pom poms around, but you could not be more wrong. Cheerleading is actually a recognised sport that is quite physically intensive and it requires many stunts to be performed. Cheerleaders do not just look good, but they also perform these gravity-defying formations, and that is why Business Management student Sabrina Fong, joined Grizzlers - NYP�s very own cheerleading team.
�At the beginning, I wanted to join a CCA out of the ordinary, one you don't usually find in secondary schools. When I came across cheerleading, it seemed welcoming, unique and looked like a great CCA to be in,� she said. �Everyone seemed like family and it makes you feel like it is something you want to be a part of.�
�For guys, instead of lifting weights, you get to lift people and perform techniques you never even knew was possible. For girls, some get to experience the act of flying whereas some experience lifting people themselves. Cheerleading isn't an ordinary CCA, there are a lot of difference sequences and stunts that can be achieved with different types of execution, styles, techniques and creativity,� she said.
Currently the team has about 50 members. The members meet three times a week to work on their gymnastics, basic techniques, stunts, physical training and spotting (watching for and reducing hazards). Members are not required to have a gymnastics background. Some techniques members will learn include kicks, jumps, handstands and cartwheels, as well as back hand springs, round-offs and back tucks. The team also has a very enthusiastic coach.
�Having a coach who's really passionate about the team and the whole sport itself makes everyone push even further knowing that our coach will always be there supporting us,� Sabrina enthused.
Apart from training and performing, the 50-member team also has annual events such as their Bonding Camp, Sentosa Outing and Christmas Party.
�Bonding Camp is held at start of the year for everyone to get to know each other, and for the seniors to understand our juniors better. It consists of lots of games, an annual general meeting and a prom night which has a different theme every year. The Sentosa Outing usually consists of a lot of stunting in the water, and usually the guys get to experience flying as well! It's a day where everyone relaxes and go full force and have fun! Our annual Christmas party is another memorable event as everyone play lots of games, enjoy a meal & exchange presents!� said Sabrina.
Keen to join? Email Sabrina at sabrina--tan-@hotmail.com
SoundCard
Much more than just another Glee club, the talented NYP SoundCard members do not only sing, but some also play their own musical instruments. You will see them giving special performances at NYP�s numerous events.
�I joined SoundCard because of my undying passion of singing. It all started when I was ten when they crowned Taufik Batisah Singapore Idol. Ever since then, I have been singing and performing and hoping one day I will be able to sing his debut song 'I Dream' on a big stage. During our latest Soundcard 2014 production, I finally had the chance to do it,� said Muhammad Firdaus Bin Salleh, a third year Mechatronics engineering student and Vice President of Soundcard.
�What I like about this CCA is that the instant you pass the audition, everyone accepts you for who you are and treats you like his or her own family, and tries to help you keep on improving,� he explained.
The 40-member strong group meets every Thursday to practice and learn new techniques, bond through singing, and improve on voice projection, harmony and expressing emotions through singing. The CCA also organises an annual production and an annual orientation camp.
�SoundCard have been a pretty big deal to me ever since the first day, because I get immensely absorbed when voices and tunes are blended perfectly,� said Cheng Boontien, a third year Engineering Informatics student and President of SoundCard. �I get to interact with people with fresh, unique voices, and talents, and can also pick up a thing or two from others. Just coming together belting out a common tune gives us a sense of belonging and social fusion.�
Interested? Email Boontien at bt_cheng95@hotmail.com.
Foreign Bodies
Naomi Francine Alex, a second year Mass Media Management student, joined Foreign Bodies because she wanted to try a new style of dance, having done ballet and modern dance for the longest time. Not surprisingly, she made her way through the competitive auditions, and is now the Vice President of Foreign Bodies.
The immensely popular Foreign Bodies is a Street Dance CCA created in 1994. Today, Foreign Bodies consists of a total of 12 generations of dancers sharing a tight and close-knit relationship. The dancers spend most of their time expressing their passions through different dance genres such as Hip Hop, Popping, Locking, Street Jazz, Girls Style, Bboy, House, Waacking, Dancehall and more. They dazzle at each performance and are sure to elicit many squeals and cheers from the audience.
Although the club has 100 current active members, many of the alumni members continue to come back to NYP to dance and practise with the current members, making the group number total to 460. The CCA meets at least twice a week to practice, and members practise as often as every day if they have an upcoming performance. Foreign Bodies also holds an annual production each year, which always sees a full house. The members bond by dancing freestyle together, as well as through meals, outings, chalet stay overs and movie marathons.
�I like that we are able to explore different styles of dance and incorporate a fusion of genres in our dancing. This CCA allows me to express myself through dance so much more then my past experiences in ballet and modern dance. It has given me confidence as a dancer and as a person,� said Naomi.
Interested? Email shane.c878@hotmail.com or naomi_francine@hotmail.com to find out more.
Current Affairs & Debating Club
This small and often overlooked CCA packs a mean punch and most of its members can probably out-argue you on just about anything. The Current Affairs & Debating Club (CADC) may only have 20 members, but it has been winning the Inter-Polytechnic Debate Competition year after year. This CCA is not for the weak minded, as training is tough and members are required to read widely and keep up with current affairs. But the reward is being able to present smart, logical and convincing arguments. After all, who does not love witty repartee?
�I have always been interested in debates ever since I attended my first competition back in ITE,� said Prabhmeet Kaur, a second year Mass Media Management student and President of CADC. �Debates played a huge part in my poly selection process. The partial reason I chose NYP was because our Debating Club is really famous and has won numerous competitions.�
The club meets once a week to train its members debating skills by debating motions from past and recent competitions, and as many as five times a week if there are upcoming competitions. CADC also organises NYP's very own Inter-School debating competition, which brings students from different Schools together to battle it out. The club loves bonding through talking and eating together.
�We do what we do best, we talk! We become really close friends because we have to build strong communication between ourselves for competitions,� said Prabhmeet. �This CCA gives me the opportunity to debate on issues that you don't normally talk about with your poly friends, and the ability to attend competitions and compete against debaters from other polytechnics, junior colleges and universities. Most importantly, it gives me the thrill of being able to express my own opinions and ideas.�
Interested? Email prabhmeetkaur92@gmail.com for more information.
Adventure Club
Fancy an adventure like no other? Well there�s no better way to seek one than with NYP�s Adventure Club (ADC). The 90-member strong club organises a variety of expeditions and events each year that feature waterfall trips, ice-covered mountains, and much more. Members train hard for hiking expeditions but also have loads of fun eating good food, marvelling at breath-taking scenery and learning life skills.
�What attracted me to join ADC are three aspects of it: Trekking, Climbing and Kayaking. The various activities you can do just with one CCA is the main draw,� said Andy Tay, a third year Games Entertainment Technology student and President of Adventure Club. �We meet pretty often, due to training and planning of events or expeditions, and do all sorts of things like learn ropework, basic first-aid, camp craft, high elements, and etc.�
The CCA meets twice a week - Mondays and Wednesdays � to train. ADC also organises events such as Synergy adventure race each year, which consists of fun challenges and obstacles all around Singapore and many campus based adrenaline pumping events.
�I have been to a few mountains and people often think that climbing a mountain is not as tough as it seems. In reality, climbing a mountain requires you to be mentally ready and physically fit. We have to maintain a steady pace and make adjustments to suit the conditions,� said Andy. �Sometimes in life, we tend to go too fast, to a point where we do not have time to look back and reflect. Trekking in a mountain allows me to have time to reflect on my life. When I return from a mountain, I make sure I become a better person every single time.�
Interested in picking up some important life skills? Email andy-moray@hotmail.com.
Find out more about the NYP experience and our nearly 80 CCAs here.
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