APAC Band @ISB 2025

 

APAC schools performing on February 22, 2025 at ISB Image from ISB photographer

APAC Band took place in the International School of Beijing (ISB) this year. The other schools that attended this year were Seoul Foreign School (SFS), Canadian Academy (CA), Shanghai American School of Pudong (SASPD) and Shanghai American School of Puxi (SASPX). Students flew into Beijing on Wednesday, February 19, and the festivities started the very next day.

Over the course of 3 days, students from different schools came together to practice the following pieces: Undertow conducted by John Mackey, Adoration conducted by Florence B. Price, First Suite In E Flat for Military Band conducted by Gustav Holst, Diamond Tide conducted by Viet Cong, and Things That Never Were conducted by Travis J. Cross. Students performed these pieces on Saturday night, the last day of APAC. Travis J. Cross, a director coming from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) was the director of the band assemble.

Besides having practice sessions, students also had time off in the afternoon to go to nearby malls. Many took the chance to meet new people from other schools. For instance, grade 10 flute player Jiyu L. from SFS said that “. I even made so many friends from different school in such a short while and I am really grateful and happy for it, and it’s really special to me… I’m glad me and my new friends were able to create inside jokes and a close bond in such a short time but it’s still very special to me.”

Some are excited to maintain these friendships in the long run, even after APAC. Grade 12 alto saxophone player Lisa H. from CA said: “Even though it was only five days of travel and only really three days of actually practicing with other schools, I was able to gain really close friends and got to know them really well. We all exchanged contacts and I’m happy to be able to keep in touch with the friends I made this trip.”

Additionally, this year’s APAC opened up the opportunity for students to create bonds with people from other countries, since there were schools coming from Japan, Korea, and China. Grade 11 Jasmine L, who plays the flute,. said: “I think the highlight of APAC Band this year was meeting people from both Kobe and Seoul. Last year, we played with schools that were only within China, so I knew most of the students from APAC dance. This year, the participating schools have changed, and so I made many new friends.”

During the international event, students also had the opportunity to experience other cultures. Lisa H.  said: “It was my first time in China as well so being able to experience the food and the norms here was definitely worth mentioning, and a shoutout to the friends I made at AISG and ISB to help me with all the high-tech Chinese tools that are literally needed to do anything.”

APAC Band was an enriching learning experience for many students. It not only helped students learn more about music and the instrument they play, but also about other individuals.

The experience challenged the musical skills of Grade 11 Willard M, who plays the alto saxophone, as he said that “the highlight for [him] this APAC was playing music that was more difficult than the actual APAC level with other students who are the top band students in other APAC schools.”

Grade 9 Noel, a clarinet player, said: “I think the highlight was meeting new people and learning to cooperate and learn from others in big groups”

Jasmine L. said that she “found out that many of the CA and SFS students also took IB Music HL, so [they] were able to make connections and discussions on out CMM project. For example, one of the students from CA, a senior, gave [her] lots of helpful advice on how to approach [her] creation.”

Saxophone, trombone, and euphonium players in the ending concert of APAC Image from ISB photographer

APAC Band 2025 officially ended after students from all the schools came together to perform the musical pieces they worked hard to learn throughout the three days. The ending symphonies were testimonies to cross-culture collaboration, which, at the end of the day, is the essence of APAC.