Ever since 2009, we, the members of SYCO have been denied access to recordings of our own performances. The reason given is that a member had previously posted a clip of our performance on youtube. After a warning from the management, the video was immediately taken down by the member, clearly showing repentance on his part. Since then, such an act has never been repeated.

On behalf of the other members of the orchestra, we request for our performance recordings to be distributed to us once again. Here are a few reasons why it is important for us to have a copy of our own concert recordings.

1. Performers should have access to a copy of their work. 
After months of hard work and putting up a good show during the concert, we ask only for a copy of our recording to validate our efforts. According to the Copyright Act (Cap. 63) on Ownership and Rights, it states that a performer has the right to authorise certain uses, which includes “making available a recording of the performance to the public in such a way that the recording may be accessed by any person from a place and at a time chosen by him” (Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, 2011). We are not asking for a public release of our recordings; we are just seeking access to the recording of our own performance, which we have put in a tremendous amount of hard work and effort, so as to uphold the name of SYCO.

2. These recordings serve as a way to relive our moments on stage with our fellow members. 
As the majority of us would not be pursuing a job as a musician in the future, each performance, and consequently these recordings, mean a lot to us. It is a testament to the passion and enthusiasm we have for the music and carries with it the memories of friendship forged on stage. To some extent, denying us access to our recordings creates  a barrier to our musical pursuit and friendships in the orchestra. 10 years down the road, all that’s left will be but faint memories of our time in SYCO. These recordings will definitely be treasured possessions as we split paths and embark on our careers.

3. The status of a National Project of Excellence (NPOE) raised SYCO's standards to be on par with Singapore National Youth Orchestra (SNYO). 
I would assume that this status would mean that we enjoy the same privileges as SNYO as well. SNYO receives the recordings of their concert after every performance. These recordings are able to serve as an avenue for us to learn from the mistakes we commited during our performance. Through evaluatng our own performance, we are able to improve and not commit the same mistakes for the next concert. This will also help our conductor Mr Quek from repeating the same old mistakes we commit each time and focus on more in-depth musicality problems.

4. Having ownership of our own recordings can foster a sense of identity and pride in the orchestra. 
I believe that it was a moment of folly for the member to upload the recordings onto the internet. It could have just been a wrong way of how the member show his sense of identity and achievement in the orchestra. Time and effort is needed to build rapport amongst members of an orchestra before we can produce music. These recordings will allow us to critique each other’s playing and strive for the better.

We hope that 
the management will seriously consider this issue as it has been a source of much dissatisfaction among the members and parents. Releasing recordings of our performance really means a lot to us and we would most definitely appreciate them to be given to us for our viewing.

Links