By Nur Hazirah Bte Sukarji

IGNITE! Music Festival 2010, held on Jul 2 and Jul 3 at Republic Polytechnic, had many learning components for its students, the artistes, as well as the people who came.

Dark clouds and slight drizzle couldn’t dampen the mood of music lovers as 6,800 of them gathered at Republic Polytechnic’s (RP) outdoor lawn over two days to show their support for local bands.

Enthusiastic concertgoers waiting for their favourite bands to perform despite the rain.

This year’s programme included a wider variety of music genres that catered to the different crowds.

Bands like Replug, The Full Pledge Munkee, Timbre Music Academy All-Stars (TMA), Monochrome, The Marilyns and B-Quartet played on Friday. RP Jammerz Arena, the school’s music CCA, featured with other bands such as Zero Sequence, Meza Virs, Fishtank, The Analog Girl, Pervy Boy and Plainsunset on the second day of the event.

“Unlike Singfest, where only well-known bands from other countries are highlighted, IGNITE! is a platform for local artistes to really shine. My 10 minutes spent on stage was truly a fruitful experience and it will be on of the better memories for me. The fact that [the audiences] were there, warms my heart sincerely,” says Amin Bin Amran, 19, drummer for Jammerz Arena and a final-year student in RP’s Sonic Arts.

The event, which happens annually since 2008, is all about passion and compassion, where people come together to raise awareness for charity services to children and animals. Compilation CDs featuring all the songs played by the bands were sold for $10 at the event to gather proceeds, for ‘Maily I Love Kids’ (MILK) fund for needy students.

Also, volunteers who shaved their hair will indirectly donate $10 to charity, a cause that was supported by the Children’s Cancer Foundation.

“It’s about creating awareness of the organization. There are many kind-hearted people who would support such a cause and donate genuinely,” says Ms Doris Teo, 33, festival director and senior executive at RP’s ‘The Republic Cultural Centre’ (TRCC).

A village of booths, consisting of Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWO) Service-Learning Project Teams, F&B stalls, merchandises and many others were set up to display youth volunteerism and allowed interaction between people. 3 free music workshops were also carried out the week before the big event to hype up music lovers.

“For students who set up their own booths, [The Republic Cultural Centre] allows them to donate their proceeds to any charity organization. We want [our students] to learn the hard way of managing events, since the set-ups are professional,” says Ms Teo.

Various badges on sale at the booth.

IGNITE! Music Festival is a golden opportunity for local bands to showcase their talents and for people to support a great cause. Republic Polytechnic also holds other events such as the arts and the dance festivals.

The festival was a student-driven event, which involved close to 400 students from RP, including artistes.

“The lineup for this year’s Ignite was great. [However] They shouldn’t let all the headliners to play last because it’ll be interesting to mix it up and I’m looking forward to more students from RP to perform,” says Abdul Kalle Ivar Heinonen, 18, second-year student from RP’s Civil Aviation.

Photos of the performers