| Ensemble | Concert Band |
| Duration | 2' 32" |
| Date Of Composition | The folder for this work is lost. It is assumed that the work was commenced and completed quickly given the need for the commissioner to make it available to the participants of the Singapore Youth Festival Central Judging of Primary School Bands. That would mean a composition date of September/October 2005. |
| Commissioner | Ministry of Education, Co Curricular Activities Branch, Singapore |
| Context For Creation | Every year the Ministry of Education in Singapore, through the Singapore Youth Festival, presents a central judging of school band with primary schools alternating with secondary schools and junior colleges on a two year rotation. I had been commissioned to produce the set piece for central judging of both secondary school and junior college bands in the 1990's. It was a thrill for me to be contacted to produce the set piece for primary schools for central judging at the Singapore Youth Festival in April of 2006. A number of administrative hurdles had to be surmounted just to get the work composed but the end result heard almost 60 primary school bands present their program for central judging which included this set work. I acknowledge her the consistent support of Mrs Jessie Ho-Tan, former Head of the Co-Curricular Activities Branch- Band. She has long been an advocate for the highest level of band development and performance in Singapore and it is through her auspices that I was given the opportunity to write this and the previous central judging works. The commission from the Singaporean Ministry of Education came in the following letter - Commissioned set piece letter. |
| Premiere |
Singapore Youth Festival April 2006 Subsequent performances:
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| Publisher | Brolga Music Publishing Company, Brisbane, Australia www.brolgamusic.com in 2005. |
| Manuscripts | Engraved score |
| Program Note | Program note |
| Cover Publication | Brolga publication |
| Recording | |
| Responses/Outcomes | The Conductor reaction to With All Thy Might was interesting for me to see. My friend Tan Beng Wee alerted me to them and I fell a sense of honour that they would set such lyrics to my melody and that a narrative was constructed that located me in a hero's role! This Response also warms my heart as it is from a colleague and former student, who taught my two youngest children and ran the program at the high school where I taught for over a decade. |
| Reflections | There is majesty and dignity in this work for young musicians. I found the responses noted above most heartening. I did find the questions about the title a little concerning to begin with. The MOE suggested that I was being overtly Christian in the title and that I should change it so as to not offend other religious groups in Singapore. I explained that the title, as the Program note explains, emanates from an award program at my children's school, (Kelvin Grove State College); awards that celebrate endeavour and commitment, and are not for excellence in academic outcomes. |