According to Careers Master Mr. William Francis Ryan, at around 1986 one of the student forgot the lyrics of the College song and he sang the College song by clapping instead. Other students then emulated. The Head of Music Department from 1981 to 2013, Mr. Raymond Y.K. Fu has been opposing to such practices as he deemed this habit as "disrespectful". The practice nevertheless continued from the 1990s until 2006. Dr John Richard Kennard stated, on his first morning assembly, that these clapping practices must be banned. He stressed that this habit is not in line with any tradition of "St. Paul's".