Jing Yang, Year 8, Gubei Campus

Not long ago, 74 students from Years 8 to 13 joined together and rocked the house! Fourteen bands prepared for the YCIS Battle of the Bands (BOTB), which was the greatest number of bands we have had in the history of BOTB.

From popular songs to some that were unknown, the bands had us jumping, applauding, and singing along – really a typical concert. The rising stars of the event were Aaron and Danan, but there could only be one band left standing! The winner of the event was a band that competed and placed second last year, the Fluffy Buffalos! I know that the band I was in, Whatever, did really well too, but most importantly we tried our best and it was a very fun event.

BOTB is an event where people work together and make music. Students cheer for every band and show them their support! It’s not just students supporting bands with students from their own Year levels. In fact, before the event I saw fellow Year 8 students drawing posters for other Year level bands. This showed that all students are supporting every other student, not just classmates that they know well – here, we’re all a part of the community. After BOTB, students who came to the concert talked about it for a few days, discussing how groups were really good, and how they were surprised that people had hidden “rock” talents.

BOTB is a really fun event. I really look forward to “battling” with my fellow YCIS students next year!