School Of The Arts, Singapore

[puppylove]

Hi to all new ones who are interested in SOTA. The Open House is on 19th Feb 2010...the Friday just after the CNY break. Go to website...must register. See you there. At night 7.30pm to 9pm.

[Lock]

hi,

My dd is in P3 this year and has been interested in the visual art since 5. She is currently in her sch art CCA. She does not attend any Art enrichment class outside sch but she learns from books and I will do some art n craft activities with her occasionally at home. Her passion in art is evident but talent wise, I am no expert to tell if she has any.

Placing her in SOTA after PSLE has crossed my mind as I do like the IB prog and the opportunity for her to continue her passion as part of the curriculum. However, I do have 1 concern and hope the parents will put fwd your views.

My concern is that at a young age of 13, the kid is put in an environment where the people around her has similar interests and personality or even temperament.(of cos I am generalising here). But I think a certain personality will sort of point to a certain interest that the kid will develop a passion in. Eg, an introvert child will prefer indoor activities to running in the sun and socialising. I believe there are general characteristics that is common to people who pursue Arts.

What I am trying to say is that compared to mainstream schs where there are many different types of students with different interests; ranging fr sports to robotics etc, hence they have students with vary personalities, SOTA's cohort will not have that 'colourful' mix of students.

Will we limit our kid's exposure to a more variety of people by placing them in SOTA. Is the kid too young to be placed in a specialised environment and missed out on the more varied interactions with people of different interests? After all the kid will be spending 6 yrs (that's almost the whole teenage phase) and abt 8 hrs a day in SOTA.

Appreciate if parents can share their views on this.

[dance and theatre]

[quote]What I am trying to say is that compared to mainstream schs where there are many different types of students with different interests; ranging fr sports to robotics etc, hence they have students with vary personalities, SOTA's cohort will not have that 'colourful' mix of students. [/quote]
The kids might be Arts focused, but they are not that much different from kids in other secondary schools. They can be just as rowdy, as sweet, as cheeky as any teen child in Singapore. From what my daughter tells me, her class has a Math whizz ..... a tae-kwan-do exponent who wins competitions, the boys love football and pc games, my daughter loves badminton and can critique and name all the WBF winners, her favourite football team is Man U and she is a science buff, loves anything to do with weird creatures (bugs, deep sea monsters, snakes etc).

They are not at all like the socially inept misfits you see in the TV series Glee !

Having said that, most of the parents of the kids have invested alot of money in lessons for music, dance, theatre or art classes to get them to SOTA. To say that the school has kids from the lower income would be an untruth, though no one is denied a place if they have the talent and the academic smarts to get into SOTA. Independent school fees are $360 per month and not all parents feel it's necessary to pay that amount. Is the school elitist ? That is a relative perception and if your genuine intention is to choose a school that best suits your child's abilities, you should not be faulted.
[quote]Is 13 too young to channel into a specialised school ?[/quote]To me the IB guarantees a great education that will prepare them for the academic rigour required for universtity, they do not necessarily have to be artists, thespians, musicians or dancers. BUT ..... if that is their passion, then at least we have done right by our kids by sending them to a school that incorporates the art discipline within the curriculum and school time. The support SOTA gives to these art forms is massive in terms of the facilities and quality in Faculty members who are recognised professionals in their own right ...... artists with professional experience and industry knowledge. They are completely different from teachers in mainstream secondary schools
[quote] ...... the kid will be spending 6 yrs (that's almost the whole teenage phase) and abt 8 hrs a day in SOTA. [/quote]A mainstream secondary school student has long days as well. Let me share the example of what my older daughter had on a typical day (in a mainstream sec school) from Sec 2 to Sec 4. School starts at 7.20am, she would finish 4.30 or 5+ due to CCA, suppl classes, special events planning or prefectorial board meetings. I would pick her up, rush home for dinner, she would start on some of the homework before leaving for the dance class which is at 8pm till 10pm. Get home, shower, finish the rest of her homework. Friends who have kids in upper secondary or JCs have this similar schedule.

In mainstream secondary schools, if your child is doing music, dance or painting classes outside of school this is a likely scenario. Many students also have to factor in tuition after school.

SOTA is way better because everything is in the school, under one roof. They do not have to travel out, they have their meals in school throughout, they may have free time before their art-form classes to finish the homework. Tuition is not recommended and if your child needs extra help, they will be scheduled remedial classes in the afternoons before their art-form classes. In addition students are taken to exhibitions or shows which are fully subsidised by the school - this is only Term One and my daughter had already been to the Science Center for the Body Works Exhibitions, the dance students will go to the ballet Giselle. With SOTA's Bordeless Learning program for 2010 during school time they will have classes at the National Museum, Spore Art Museum, Aisan Civilisations museum, Singapore Philatelic Museum, the Esplanade and the National Library. These classes cover MT, Intergrated Humaninties, Math, Science and their art forms. I can't help feeling that learning this way adds so much more value to the subject and as well as making the whole process more appealing.

In mainstream schools, due to the larger student population, the bigger classes, the costs and logistics of excursions, students are limited to two per year, if they are lucky three.

Hope you find this information useful

[Startz]

Hi Everyone!Gong XI Fa Cai!!And very glad to make your acquaintence too, Dance and Theatre


Hmm...after reading Lock's query whether enrolling her dd into a specialised school would hinder her dd development (social, emotional etc)I decided to pose this as a hypothetical issue to my dh.

His answer was \"why not?If the child loves what he or she is doing in that school..\"

Then I countered cautiously,\"then what happens if the child changes her mind halfway/or there is a change of heart somewhere?\"

Without a moment's hesitation he replied (matter-of -fact tone)\"then go back to mainstream lah, what's the problem?\"

That kind of set me thinking.many a time .the decisions we make are based on the values we uphold..
indirectly, in the end, we will decide on a school choice/make an educational decision based on what we value most..To each parent his/her own for their child is uniquely differently..

I am not sure if there are studies made on impact of specialised schools on the subsequent development of an adolescent (interesting topic uh?)

Essentially, SOTA is a viable option for any kid who is inclined and likes the arts.

[Lock]

thanks dance and theatre for your insights. The curriculum sure sounds more interesting than mainstream sch.


My dd's dream is to become a famous artist. :lol: So, ultimately I will like to let her passion be the guide.

Another question: Is is necessary for my dd to attend formal art enrichment classes outside sch if she wants to audition for SOTA? The art portfolio that has to be presented, does it has to be professionally done? Does DIYs art folio done at home holds any weight?

[phankao]

puppylove:

I wonder if SOTA also has avenues for learning video programming and film, movie making...animation[/b][/i].. all this is also part of visual arts or are they only drawing, painting and sculpturing, the traditional art forms ? :

Those courses are available in SST. Only that they offer only a 4-year course instead of 6years.

[puppylove]

Sorry what is SST? How much is the fees ? Does it mean can join in Secondary 3 and study till PreU 2 so A level is conducted there? Then must quit SOTA after sec 2 ? :?

[phankao]

puppylove:

Sorry what is SST? How much is the fees ? Does it mean can join in Secondary 3 and study till PreU 2 so A level is conducted there? Then must quit SOTA after sec 2 ? :?

Nay, it's only sec 1 to sec 4. Have to take O-levels in sec 4.
http://www.sst.edu.sg/

There's Art, Media, Design & Technology for Lower Sec:
http://www.sst.edu.sg/cos/o.x?c=/wbn/pagetree&func=view&rid=67945

Also Design Studies & Media Studies for Upper Sec:
http://www.sst.edu.sg/cos/o.x?c=/wbn/pagetree&func=view&rid=67947

[ooptimizer]

phankao:

puppylove:

Sorry what is SST? How much is the fees ? Does it mean can join in Secondary 3 and study till PreU 2 so A level is conducted there? Then must quit SOTA after sec 2 ? :?

SST is School of Science and Technology.

[dance and theatre]

[quote]Another question: Is is necessary for my dd to attend formal art enrichment classes outside sch if she wants to audition for SOTA? The art portfolio that has to be presented, does it has to be professionally done? Does DIYs art folio done at home holds any weight?[/quote]
A friend's daughter auditioned for Visual Arts, is now in 2010's Year 1 and prior to SOTA, did not have formal art classes outside of school. Her submissions included a few pieces of anime drawings, the rest were paintings done during art class in school, and one other painting which had been entered for a CC competition.

At the auditions, I did see some kids with sculptures and some had very good art work but I am not sure if they were the majority or minority. :lol:

Do you live in the East ? The Changkat CC (Tampines St 11) has excellent pottery facilities, a fully equipped studio and reasonably priced kids classes. The work they do for the kids classes is surprisingly good !

Please, please don't force your child to take any art or craft classes solely for the aim of a fuller portfolio. I teach scrapbooking and a few times I've had parents who've insisted their kids take the class hoping to add the work to portfolios. The kids were miserable, quite lost because it was a completely new medium which cannot be taught in one class sitting, it was totally unsuited to 12 year olds, at the end they produced work that was dismal ..... and everything cost a bomb. :shock: