School Of The Arts, Singapore

[dasalo]

limws1:

Same SOTA? SOTA has all along been an art school. Students are supposed to have passion in their art form. SOTA has always discourages students from dropping their art form to do double sciences.


The only different I know of in recent years is the acceptance of new students based more on academic competency than talent in art. Maybe the introduction of cognitive testing as part of entrance exam makes the difference. During DD times, there is no cognitive testing.

Haha....should be, unless there's another one. LOL! What I'm saying is the school's objectives and approach has changed over the years which is inevitable. During our times, we were told why the school did IB and why they were able to opt for double sciences is because children at their age cannot/may not be able to decide their career path so they were given an option to do either academics or arts. I guess as years goes by, the name Art school does not justify the option.

[renaong]

:congrats:

[kanekii]

hello! i am not a parent but a student. i am currently a secondary 1 student and i have been contemplating on transferring to SOTA in either Year2 or Year3, (i hope you dont mind the many questions)

but is it easier to join in Year 2 or Year 3 for Theatre?
I am currently in my drama club at secondary school and also have experience outside of school and in primary school. I have also performed in quite a number of plays.
do i need to have a very detailed portfolio to transfer in Year 2 or 3?

is it hard to fit into SOTA? this is one thing i've been pondering actually :scratchhead:
what are the students like in SOTA?

also last of all, what is the curriculum like in SOTA? i heard that the hours are long but is it really very tough and stressful?

i hope whoever answers this doesnt mind the long post and thanks in advance!

[tomatocellulose]

Dear kanekii,


I am a SOTA student and although I am not from the Theatre Faculty, from the conversations I have had with my Theatre friends (I am entering Year 5 next year) it can get extremely hectic, especially for the performing arts students. This is usually due to the rehearsals that they have to do for their upcoming performances, mostly school related (Although we had Body of Land which was at the Esplanade last year!). Fortunately, they are allowed (at the discretion of their teacher) to come late to school as they may need extra time to rest or catch up on their work.

From the Theatre friends I have spoken to, they have been pretty stressed over the rehearsals and the workload, especially during Year 4, although most are expecting the workload for Theatre to ease a bit, but not substantially in Year 5 and 6 as it is mostly theory. Unfortunately, I don't know much about the audition process. Usually new students enter in Year 3 I believe.

As for the students of SOTA, they are pretty much like normal Secondary school students. We have our fair share of bad eggs, really smart people and people who are just crazy about art. My friends and I like to joke that as art students we tend to be a little crazy at times. However, there haven't been many problems for Transfer students to integrate into the SOTA community, at least for my cohort. After a few months or even a few years, it's like you have been with us since the beginning.

Hours can been long and it can be extremely tiring at times but from the Theatre friends I have talked to, I think its worth it once you get on that stage. Many of them after an extremely hectic Year 4 learned to love Theatre more. The others who enjoyed the more technical aspects (ie. lighting, sound) or even cinematography and writing went to apply for Film in Year 5 so you have options! :)))

I think that I have offended the Theatre faculty enough (haha!) but if you want more info you can definitely come to our Open House next year! The subject booths run by students (as far as I have seen) are very informative :))) Sorry for the long post!

[tomatocellulose]

Dear kanekii,


I am a SOTA student and although I am not from the Theatre Faculty, from the conversations I have had with my Theatre friends (I am entering Year 5 next year) it can get extremely hectic, especially for the performing arts students. This is usually due to the rehearsals that they have to do for their upcoming performances, mostly school related (Although we had Body of Land which was at the Esplanade last year!). Fortunately, they are allowed (at the discretion of their teacher) to come late to school as they may need extra time to rest or catch up on their work.

From the Theatre friends I have spoken to, they have been pretty stressed over the rehearsals and the workload, especially during Year 4, although most are expecting the workload for Theatre to ease a bit, but not substantially in Year 5 and 6 as it is mostly theory. Unfortunately, I don't know much about the audition process. Usually new students enter in Year 3 I believe.

As for the students of SOTA, they are pretty much like normal Secondary school students. We have our fair share of bad eggs, really smart people and people who are just crazy about art. My friends and I like to joke that as art students we tend to be a little crazy at times. However, there haven't been many problems for Transfer students to integrate into the SOTA community, at least for my cohort. After a few months or even a few years, it's like you have been with us since the beginning.

Hours can been long and it can be extremely tiring at times but from the Theatre friends I have talked to, I think its worth it once you get on that stage. When there is a performance up, especially with people from your cohort, you can be sure that many of them will come and support you in your performance. Many of them after an extremely hectic Year 4 learned to love Theatre more. The others who enjoyed the more technical aspects (ie. lighting, sound) or even cinematography and writing went to apply for Film in Year 5 so you have options! :)))

I think that I have offended the Theatre faculty enough (haha!) but if you want more info you can definitely come to our Open House next year! The subject booths run by students (as far as I have seen) are very informative :))) Sorry for the long post!

[wahwah]

Hi,

Just to confirm, if we have CO, there’s no need to submit S1 option form if there’s no intention to do 3rd language right?

[champion31]

wahwah:

Hi,

Just to confirm, if we have CO, there's no need to submit S1 option form if there's no intention to do 3rd language right?

I believe so...that is what the admin staff said at my DD school when she collected her PSLE. I think we'll just need to wait for the email about reporting day. Which is suppose to come tmrw.

[wahwah]

champion31:

wahwah:

Hi,

Just to confirm, if we have CO, there's no need to submit S1 option form if there's no intention to do 3rd language right?

I believe so...that is what the admin staff said at my DD school when she collected her PSLE. I think we'll just need to wait for the email about reporting day. Which is suppose to come tmrw.

Thanks!

[lexis]

I submitted the form. there is an option to indicate that you are not opting to do any 3rd language, and we chose that.

[Mitochondria]

tomatocellulose:

Dear kanekii,


I am a SOTA student and although I am not from the Theatre Faculty, from the conversations I have had with my Theatre friends (I am entering Year 5 next year) it can get extremely hectic, especially for the performing arts students. This is usually due to the rehearsals that they have to do for their upcoming performances, mostly school related (Although we had Body of Land which was at the Esplanade last year!).......

In regards to this post, it's not wrong. I'm keeping this short and sweet and answering your questions as efficiently as possible.

1.

kanekii:

is it easier to join in Year 2 or Year 3 for Theatre?

I recommend joining as early as possible. There are a lot of skill taught in year 2 that are crucial to performing at least decently in year 4. Such examples include 'Realism' and 'Brecht' theatre forms. In year 4, we were asked to make a monologue following those forms.

2.

kanekii:

do i need to have a very detailed portfolio to transfer in Year 2 or 3?

No. I came in with one year of drama club. It lies on your skill or potential/eagerness to learn. Some of the best actors in our year were on waiting list. Not because of talent, because of their lack of eagerness. The key here is to understand what the interview wants to achieve. It wants to know the student, not the talent.

Although, a pretty portfolio wouldn't hurt. Make sure to compile it nicely and word it properly.

3.

kanekii:

is it hard to fit into SOTA? this is one thing i've been pondering actually :scratchhead:
what are the students like in SOTA?

Not hard at all, we had three new students come into year 5 and they've all settled in quickly and well. Students in SOTA are quite vast, as each individual is unique on its own. If there's anything I should note, I believe everyone is just relatively accepting of everyone. Its not the kind of place where you would be bullied for being homosexual. Of course, as with any school, drama and personal issues come up, but that's subjective to you and your group of friends.

4.

Kanekii:

also last of all, what is the curriculum like in SOTA? i heard that the hours are long but is it really very tough and stressful?

Curriculum in the lower years (as far as I know) have changed from what I went through. For starters, on top of math and science, you will take literature. Not english, literature. Here's a small list of the subjects you would likely be taking.
- Literature: a study of texts and poetry, it aims to analyse and understand. You'll be tested on your knowledge of books as well as how well you can interpret a poem in both meaning and structure. That's just a basic description, there's more to it.

- Math: Standard, it doesn't really digress from the norm.

- Science: In the lower years, you're taking a basic science that consists of chemistry, physics and biology. In year 3 to 4, you will be taking chemistry, along with either bio or physics (note that you can jump straight into only one science if you wish). In year 5, you can pick one.

- ExE: Basically P.E class

- Mother Tongue: Standard, unless you're exempted from MT

- Geography and History: We used to take a mix of everything (Geography, History, Anthropology, Economics) in one subject known as IHSS. But its changed now, you may have the option of taking only Geog or history in year 5 and above. Standard learning as with most secondary schools.

- ELCT: This tests mainly on critical thinking skills, and this is exclusive to the IB programme. It entails analysis of ethical situations, as it looks at world issues (such as censorship, discriminations, ethical situations) and requires the student to approach this with a clear mind.

- Art Form (Theatre): Unlike drama club, and what they don't specify enough during open houses, is that there is a LOT of theory involved. Much so that by the time you hit year 5, theory increases two fold, and you are only given one performance showcase in year 5 and one more in year 6. Year 4 is the time to shine with those performances, so give it your all there.


In the lower years, i would say you still have a lot of free time. It really starts to take over starting year 4, and by year 5, you would have at least pulled a month's worth of all nighters (if you're lazy and an underachiever like me). I would say that it is very stressful, especially now with the actual IB exam looming over me. But if you take it one step at a time and pace yourself, I would say that you can do it. After all, we've had at least 10% of a cohort achieve the highest possible marks for IB (a 45) and its growing every year.

The school does aim to compensate late hours, and homework is lesser compared to standard secondary schools. The projects do require a lot of effort though, and time management is crucial if you want to at least have the mental strength to get through the IB years. Sleep is another thing, and that's up to you. Teachers sometimes compensate if rehearsal hours are late for theatre students (allowing them to come at 10:15 with their permission), although the dance faculty does this almost every day with no complaint. The school does a decent job of preparing you however, you'll get used to it eventually.

Feel free to ask any more questions if you wish.