Singapore Armed Forces Band

Singapore Armed Forces Band (SAF BAND)
Members of the SAF Band at the Virginia International Tattoo in 2017.
Active	1958 – present
Country	Singapore
Branch	Singapore Armed Forces
Type	Military Band
Nickname(s)	SAFBAND
Motto(s)	In Harmony
Colours	White and Red
Commanders
Current commander	ME6 Philip Tng Liat Peng (Senior Director of Music)
Command Sergeant Major	ME3 Abdul Razak M Noor (Senior Band Major)

The Singapore Armed Forces Band (commonly known as the SAF Band) form the musical arm of the Singapore Armed Forces. Playing a vital role in ceremonial parades and ceremonies, the SAF Band provides musical support for parades such as the National Day Parade, SAF Day Parade, Passing Out Parades, Change of Command Parades and other military duties. Other than discharging ceremonial duties, the SAF Band also presents public concerts that aim to bring a wide range of music to the populace. They also seek to build up the band's music repertoire into an extensive array of styles and variety.

Through the years, the SAF Band have worked with several distinguished conductors and soloists including Frank Renton, Steven Mead, John Sharpley, Evelyn Glennie, Jan Van der Roost, Toshio Akiyama, Yasuhide Ito, Eric Whitacre and Hardy Mertens. More recently, the band was conducted by Philip Sparke, Frank Ticheli, James Barnes, Roger Swift, Douglas Bostock, Prof Allen McMurray and Prof. James F Keene of the University of Illinois.

The SAF Band has recently represented Singapore at international music festivals. These include:

• 2000 - the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers street parade in Australia;
• 2001 - the Festival International de Musiques Militaires in Saumur, France;
• 2002 - the Kuala Lumpur International Tattoo in Malaysia;
• 2006 - the Brunei International Tattoo in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam; the Wonju Tattoo in South Korea;
• 2007 - the India Tattoo in New Delhi; the Kuala Lumpur International Tattoo in Malaysia;
• 2008 - the Quebec International Tattoo in Canada;
• 2009 - the Nanchang Tattoo in China;
• 2010 - the Japan Self-Defense Force Tattoo in Tokyo, Japan;
• 2011 - the Bremen International Tattoo in Germany; the Brunei International Tattoo in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam;
• 2012 - the Spasskaya International Tattoo in Moscow, Russia;
• 2013 - the Malmö Tattoo in Sweden;
• 2014 - the Basel Tattoo in Switzerland; the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in Scotland
• 2016 - the Amur Waves International Military Tattoo in Khabarovsk, Russia
• 2017 - the Virginia International Tattoo in Virginia, United States of America

History

Singapore's military music would begin a year before it became self-governing. The formation of the Singapore Military Forces Staff Band on 1 June 1958 spelled the beginning of the nation's love affair with military bands. From this core group of 45 musicians would come five generations of military musicians from the country’s armed services.

WO1 Frederick Roy, the 15th/19th Hussars bandmaster became the first Director of Music of the SMFSB, a duty he did until 1962. The band's main duty then was as musical support to the Singapore Infantry Regiment's activities. One of his young musicians, SSGT Abdullah Ahmad, was sent to the Royal Military School of Music for further training, later becoming a warrant officer upon graduating. The band's first composition, the Singapore Infantry Regiment March, later became the Singapore Army's official march.

Lt. Edward Crowcroft of the York and Northumberland Brigade Band succeeded WO1 Roy in September 1962 as Bandmaster and Director of Music. By November, it became the Singapore Infantry Regiment Band, and WO1 Arthur Edward Hollowell, DOM of the Band of the Parachute Brigade, replaced Lt. Crowcroft. He became a captain by commission and led the band to its first overseas visit in 1964: the band's visit to Kuala Lumpur as part of the Merdeka Parade on 31 August that year.

A year after, WO1 Ahmad was appointed the Singapore Armed Forces Director of Music, becoming a lieutenant, and later as captain. He led the new SIR Band to the very first National Day Parade on the Padang the following year. By 1968, the band made its first recording under his direction.

Two years after, the Band of the Singapore Armed Forces was formed, with joint headquarters with the SIR Band at HQ 1 Singapore Infantry Btn., Beach Road Camp. They both later moved to HQ 3 SIB at Ulu Pandan Camp and later at 5 SIB at Portsdown Camp, and by 1972, the latter band was led by a Republic of Singapore Police officer, WO1 Ervin Dragon.

By January the next year, a new band, the NSF (National Service-Full-time) Band, was formed at Telok Pagu Camp at Changi. WO2 Alan Teo became its first conductor.

May saw the first name change for the bands. They were renamed as

1. 3 Singapore Infantry Btn. Band, also known as the SIR Band
2. 4 Singapore Infantry Btn. Band, also known as the Band of the Singapore Armoured Regiment
3. 2 Singapore Infantry Btn. Band

Alan Teo, by then a captain, left the DOM post at 2 SIB band by July that year, to join the then newly created SAF Music and Drama Company. Tonni Wei, then a sergeant and playing with one of the bands, was then studying at the Royal Military School of Music, graduating in October 1976 to become the bandmaster of 2 SIB Band, was commissioned as a second lieutenant (2LT)

In 1975, the 3 SIB Band soon moved to Jurong Camp, the 3rd Division headquarters.

In January 1977, Tonni Wei joined the MDC and Alan Teo returned to his old post. By February, 3 SIB Band became the SIR Band yet again, and Teo joined the now renamed Band of the Republic of Singapore Navy-the former 2 SIB Band-to Sembawang Camp and the RSN School of Naval Training. The SIR Band would later relocate itself at Jurong Camp that May. Peter Yan, then a musician sergeant with the army, and a part of the SIR Band, was then studying at Uxbridge at the RAF School of Music for Director of Music training. He graduated the next year and soon joined the RSN Band as its director.

CPT Ahmad retired from his post in May 1979.

In 1981, SGT Terry Seah Cheong Lock, who started his military music career earlier in 1975 with the Singapore Armoured Regiment Band, returned to Singapore from the UK after graduating from the Royal Air Force School of Music in England. He was commissioned as an officer upon his return, as well as being appointed the new Director of Music of SIR Band. CPT Terry Seah Cheong Lock led the band for 13 years, up to 1994.

As the 1980s progressed the public image of the bands was positive indeed, reinforced with increased participation of the service bands in the NDP and major military events such as the Open Houses as well as their concerts. By 1982, the SAR Band (4SIB Band) was soon relaunched as the Republic of Singapore Air Force Band, and would later move to Tengah Air Base. The SIR Band was also relaunched as the Singapore Army Band, but the band's new name and image never caught on. In 1986 the RSN Band welcomed its first lady musician. Their first appearance together in the NDP was in 1987's edition in the Padang conducted by the SAF's first Senior Director of Music MAJ Erwin Dragon, with another joint performance in 1990. 1988 saw the rebirth of the SAF Music Board and the formation of the SAF Symphonic Wind Band.

The SAF Band was formed in 1994 from men and women of the Singapore Infantry Regiment Band, Republic of Singapore Air Force Band and Republic of Singapore Navy Band. The formation of SAF Band come in a restructuring of the bands within the Ministry of Defence for more effective distribution of manpower. From 1994, the different bands within the SAF Band operated at different camps and locations. The SAF Central Band and SAF Band HQ(RSNB) were by the time of the merger in Tanglin Camp, Parade Band B (RSAFB) in Tengah Airbase and Parade Band A (SIRB) in Pasir Laba Camp, as they formerly represented the three branches of the SAF before their 1994 merger which resulted to these bands playing for the SAF at various events, including their participation in the National Day Parade as regular participants and arrival honours ceremonies at the Istana. These sections combined in November 2003 after the completion of renovations work to the 'White House', the former British Colonial Officer's Mess in Nee Soon Camp.

In 2009, the Parade Bands were renamed as Ceremonial Bands to reflect their duties more accurately.

Logo

The logo of SAF Band is a combination of the three services within the armed forces. Light blue signifies the air division, red signifies the land division and deep blue signifies the sea division. They are all united within the lyre, which is a universal symbol of military musicians. The logo is topped with the National Coat of Arms which was launched on 3 December 1959 together with the National Flag and National Anthem at the installation of the Yang di-Pertuan Negara at the City Hall steps and adopted by government agencies nationwide. Below the logo is a banner inscribed with the Band's motto, "In Harmony". The logo was designed by retired Senior Director of Music MAJ Tonni Wei and Military Expert (ME) 3 (then SSG) Goh Poh Wah.

Structure of SAF Band

The unit is made up the SAF Band HQ, SAF Band Training Wing and three operational bands: SAF Central Band, SAF Ceremonial Band A, and SAF Ceremonial Band B.

Key Personnel

• Senior Director of Music/Commanding Officer, Singapore Armed Forces Band: ME6 Philip Tng Liat Peng

• Director of Music (Central Band) / Unit Manpower Officer: ME5 Tan Aik Kee Ken Steven

• Director of Music (Ceremonial Band A) / Unit Logistics Officer: ME4 Johnson Lee Kah Hee”

• Director of Music / Chief Instructor: ME4 Ignatius Wang

• Acting Director of Music (Ceremonial Band B): ME3 Ong Wee Hong

• Senior Band Major (Regimental Sergeant Major Equivalent): ME3 Abdul Razak B M Noor

Ceremonies and parades

• Change of Guards (COG) Ceremony: Together with the new guards from SAF Military Police (MP) command, the band marches down Orchard Road to Istana for the ceremony which involves a public performance by the Silent Precision Drill Squad (SPDS).
• Presentation of Credentials (POC) Parade: Held in Istana to welcome Foreign Dignitaries
• Guard of Honour (GOH) Parade: Held in Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) to welcome Foreign Dignitaries
• Change of Command (COC) Parade: Held to commemorate the official transfer of authority and responsibility for a unit from a commanding officer to another.
• Basic Military Training Centre (BMTC) Passing Out Parade: Held in Floating Platform @ Marina Bay, Pasir Laba Camp and the Singapore Sports Hub
• Specialist Cadet Graduation Parade (SCGP): Held in Pasir Laba Camp Leaders Square
• Officer Cadet School (OCS) Passing Out Parade: Held in SAFTI Military Institute (MI)
• Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Day: Held in SAFTI MI, the main objective of this day is for the members of the armed forces to reaffirm their pledge of loyalty and dedication to the SAF and the nation.
• National Day Parade (NDP): The band is actively involved in the annual event in commemoration of Singapore's independence since 1965.
• Other Special Deployments: Military Tattoos, Anniversary Parades, Trooping of Colours, Openings of Military Exercises, Military Funerals

SAF Ceremonial Music

External links

• Singapore Armed Forces Band
• Ministry of Defence, Singapore