Singapore’s first specialised pre-tertiary arts school, School of the Arts (SOTA), was opened on 2 January 2008 at its temporary Goodman Road campus off Mountbatten Road. The school moved to a permanent location at 1 Zubir Said Drive in Bras Basah in January 2010.[1]
Catering to students aged 13 to 18 years, SOTA aims to “identify and groom future generations of artists, creative professionals to be leaders in all fields, and to be patrons and supporters of the arts”. SOTA offers an integrated arts and academic curriculum, with an International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma awarded to graduates at the end of the six-year programme.[2]
SOTA offers a holistic curriculum that includes academic, artistic as well as leadership and character-building, programmes in order “to develop artistic dispositions, critical thinking and heightened creative awareness” in students. In the foundation (Year One and Two) and intermediate (Year Three and Four) years, students study a varied mix of subjects spanning the academic, artistic and affective programmes. From the third year onwards, students are required to specialise in one arts discipline from among those offered: dance, film, integrated arts, literary arts, music, theatre and visual arts. During the IB years, students can opt for either the IB diploma programme or the IB career-related programme, with different core subjects offered in each and varying emphasis placed on the arts and diploma subjects.[3]
The idea of an arts school offering secondary-level education first surfaced during a 2002 survey of pre-tertiary education in Singapore. It was envisaged that an arts school would help raise Singapore’s cultural standing and also provide specialised arts instruction to a larger cohort of students. An arts school was one of the recommendations proposed by the Remaking Singapore Committee in 2003, a team set up to spearhead new directions for the nation. Thereafter, a feasibility study was conducted by a committee appointed by the then Ministry of Information and the Arts (now known as Ministry of Communications and Information). The ministry announced in parliament on 13 March 2004 that it had accepted the committee’s recommendation to establish an independent arts school offering a flexible curriculum amalgamating both arts and academic learning.[4]
Rebecca Chew, former principal of Naval Base Secondary School, was appointed SOTA’s first principal, while Valerie Wilson, former vice-principal of Anglo-Chinese Junior College and an alumnus of King’s College, London, was appointed vice-principal.[5] SOTA’s teaching staff were recruited two-and-a-half years prior to the school’s opening, and curriculum planning commenced at its temporary office at Stamford Court in June 2006. The early hiring ensured that teachers had sufficient time to be adequately trained in arts pedagogy. Teachers in various specialised arts fields were also recruited based on demand for the specific arts discipline chosen by students.[6]
A series of audition camps known as the Talent Academy – comprising auditions, workshops and interviews – were held to select potential students from both the Normal and Express streams for the school. The first two-day camp held in November 2006 was attended by 420 shortlisted candidates. The selection team was made up of a four-member panel, three of whom were from overseas arts institutions and the fourth a ballet practitioner. Students were chosen based on their current and potential artistic ability as well as their willingness and openness to learn and contribute to the arts community. Due to a greater-than-expected response, several more camps were held in 2007 in the months of March, June and July. More than 1,000 students attended the camps.[7]
Although SOTA accepts all its students via the Direct School Admission scheme, successful applicants are required to qualify for the Express stream based on their Primary School Leaving Examination results.[8] The pioneer batch of students comprised 139 secondary-one and 100 secondary-two students selected from over 100 primary schools in Singapore. Among the students were a Latin ballroom dancer and a harpist.[9]
References
1. Ng, J. (2008, January 3). An exciting start for this pioneer batch. The Straits Times, p. 31; Ng, J. (2007, June 2). Arts school to hold fourth audition. The Straits Times, p. 60; SOTA tribute to Zubir Said. (2009, May 9). Today, p. 4. Retrieved from NewspaperSG; Tan, A. (2010, January 5). Arts school a place for students and the public. The Straits Times. Retrieved from Factiva.
2. Singapore Arts School Ltd. (2015). About SOTA. Retrieved April 25, 2015, from School of the Arts Singapore website: http://www.sota.edu.sg/about-us/about-sota
3. Singapore Arts School Ltd. (2015). SOTA curriculum. Retrieved April 25, 2015, from School of the Arts Singapore website: http://www.sota.edu.sg/sota-education/sota-curriculum/view-subjects-by-year; The Straits Times, 2 Jun 2007, p. 60.
4. The Straits Times, 3 Jan 2008, p. 52; Singapore. Parliament. Parliamentary Debates: Official Report. (2004, March 13). Head Q – Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts. (Vol. 77, cols. 1552–1555). Call no.: RSING 328.5957 SIN; Ministry of Information, Communication and the Arts. (2004, April 14). Government says ‘yes’ to majority of recommendations: Remaking Singapore Committee press release, 15 April 2004 [Press release]. Retrieved April 25, 2015, from National Archives of Singapore website: http://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline
5. Hong, X. (2007, September 13). Multi-talented head-start. The Straits Times, p. 53. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
6. The Straits Times, 13 Sep 2007, p. 53; Leong, P. P. (2006, October 7). Teaching art from the heart. The Straits Times, p. 10; Ng, J. (2007, December 21). Students prepare for opening of arts school. The Straits Times, p. 31. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
7. Ashraf Safdar. (2006, November 22). Talent auditions begin for art school. Today, p. 7; Feng, Y. (2006, November 23). Arts school open to normal stream students. The Straits Times, p. 5. Retrieved from NewspaperSG; The Straits Times, 2 Jun 2007, p. 60; The Straits Times, 13 Sep 2007, p. 53.
8. Ho, A. L. (2007, May 11). Talented pupils get bigger chance at direct entry to Sec 1. The Straits Times, p. 41. Retrieved from NewspaperSG; The Straits Times, 23 Nov 2006, p. 5.
9. The Straits Times, 21 Dec 2007, p. 31.
The information in this article is valid as at April 2015 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.