SINGAPORE - President Halimah Yacobtried her hand at drumming with performers from the first National Day Parade (NDP) 2019 Combined Drum Band at APSN Tanglin School on Wednesday (June 26).
"I felt exhilarated. To feel part of the group and momentum, I think that's what the students feel," said President Halimah on trying out the drums.
The band consists of 24 participants from the special education school, the Singapore Armed Forces Band and the Singapore National Cadet Corps Command Band. Together, they will do a two-minute performance at this year's NDP on Aug 9.
The group will hold 12 practice sessions at Nee Soon Camp and the Padang.
APSN Tanglin is a special education school for those with mild intellectual disability.
The eight performers from the school are aged between 13 and 16.
They were picked from the school's percussion ensemble for their passion and commitment towards the co-curricular activity.
Said President Halimah: "NDPs are always a very important part of our National Day celebrations...it holds a lot of collective memories: our pride of being a country, the development since 1965, our social cohesion.
"The theme of inclusivity is very important and is really amplified by the combined drum band performance; we don't want inclusivity as something theoretical, but we need to actually showcase examples of it."
