School Of The Arts, Singapore

[Pixie28]

Carpe diem


Not sure abt yr first qn but I think yr 5 & 6 students get air conditioned classrooms.

I need advice regarding tuition. I’m hoping my dd will be able to obtain a psle score that is enough to get her into sota. In the meantime, I need to decide whether to enrol her for English and Math tuition. Is tuition in English/Math necessary or rather would the syllabus taught in tuition centres be suitable for sota students?

[dasalo]

Pixie28:

Carpe diem


Not sure abt yr first qn but I think yr 5 & 6 students get air conditioned classrooms.

I need advice regarding tuition. I'm hoping my dd will be able to obtain a psle score that is enough to get her into sota. In the meantime, I need to decide whether to enrol her for English and Math tuition. Is tuition in English/Math necessary or rather would the syllabus taught in tuition centres be suitable for sota students?

Currently Y1,2 and 3 not airconditioned.

As long as you are in the express stream, you will be in. I would not advise tuition at this stage. It may not be necessary.

[Pixie28]

Thanks dasalo.


My girl’s academic results haven’t been good. I guess I’ll put off the tuition and wish for the best.

[CuriousFrog]

Hi,


I’m currently a Secondary 2 student and I’m considering transferring into SOTA next year.

I am keen on playing the cello but I’ve only been taking formal lessons for a few months, and I haven’t taken any exams yet although I will be taking the Grade 2 ABRSM practical exam next March.

When they say they are looking for ‘talented students’ does it mean that the student’s technical skills need to be quite good? I really enjoy playing the cello and am willing to work hard to improve, but I want to know if SOTA will accept students even without ‘talent’ but are willing to work hard and have passion. In terms of skills, I’m definitely not a prodigy and such, and I’m not the easiest to teach (I forget frequently and have to be reminded a lot because of my ‘thick head’ haha) but I definitely at least try.

I was in my primary school’s Chinese Orchestra for around 4 years, majority of which I was playing cello but got transferred to Double Bass for the last 1.5 years in CO. My CCA is a Uniformed Group though, and I was only recently able to start playing cello again.

If need be, I can put in as much effort as needed to get up to par with the other students. but still… just wondering if my lack of skills would be accepted if I passed the Talent Academy or if it would put me at a disadvantage.

Thanks for taking the time to read and answer my questions. I wanted to audition when I was P6, but lack of confidence landed me in my current Secondary School. Actually I still don’t think I have the skills haha!

[Carpe diem]

deleted

[dasalo]

CuriousFrog:

Hi,


I'm currently a Secondary 2 student and I'm considering transferring into SOTA next year.

I am keen on playing the cello but I've only been taking formal lessons for a few months, and I haven't taken any exams yet although I will be taking the Grade 2 ABRSM practical exam next March.

When they say they are looking for 'talented students' does it mean that the student's technical skills need to be quite good? I really enjoy playing the cello and am willing to work hard to improve, but I want to know if SOTA will accept students even without 'talent' but are willing to work hard and have passion. In terms of skills, I'm definitely not a prodigy and such, and I'm not the easiest to teach (I forget frequently and have to be reminded a lot because of my 'thick head' haha) but I definitely at least try.

I was in my primary school's Chinese Orchestra for around 4 years, majority of which I was playing cello but got transferred to Double Bass for the last 1.5 years in CO. My CCA is a Uniformed Group though, and I was only recently able to start playing cello again.

If need be, I can put in as much effort as needed to get up to par with the other students. but still... just wondering if my lack of skills would be accepted if I passed the Talent Academy or if it would put me at a disadvantage.

Thanks for taking the time to read and answer my questions. I wanted to audition when I was P6, but lack of confidence landed me in my current Secondary School. Actually I still don't think I have the skills haha!

Hi Curious frog,

I don't think anyone parents here can answer your question directly. Perhaps you should go to SOTA, student affairs and express your concerns on admission.

Btw, I did not know Cello is also an instrument used in Chinese Orchestra. :oops:

[jce]

By "talent" they mean someone whom they see potential in. He/She may not be technically proficient at the time of audition but they need to see musicality and the potential to grow. Of course one is at advantage if technically sound.

[Carpe diem]

jce:

By \"talent\" they mean someone whom they see potential in. He/She may not be technically proficient at the time of audition but they need to see musicality and the potential to grow. Of course one is at advantage if technically sound.

i agree completely with the above statement. In truth, \"talent\" and \"potential\" are quite subjective and it is difficult to identify exactly what SOTA is looking for. For example, there were probably many talented applicants who did not receive a confirmed offer. This means that talent is just one criteria, they are likely looking beyond that during the audition, such as personality, resilience, likeability and also not forgetting academics.

[Carpe diem]

CuriousFrog:

Hi,


I'm currently a Secondary 2 student and I'm considering transferring into SOTA next year.

I am keen on playing the cello but I've only been taking formal lessons for a few months, and I haven't taken any exams yet although I will be taking the Grade 2 ABRSM practical exam next March.

When they say they are looking for 'talented students' does it mean that the student's technical skills need to be quite good? I really enjoy playing the cello and am willing to work hard to improve, but I want to know if SOTA will accept students even without 'talent' but are willing to work hard and have passion. In terms of skills, I'm definitely not a prodigy and such, and I'm not the easiest to teach (I forget frequently and have to be reminded a lot because of my 'thick head' haha) but I definitely at least try.

I was in my primary school's Chinese Orchestra for around 4 years, majority of which I was playing cello but got transferred to Double Bass for the last 1.5 years in CO. My CCA is a Uniformed Group though, and I was only recently able to start playing cello again.

If need be, I can put in as much effort as needed to get up to par with the other students. but still... just wondering if my lack of skills would be accepted if I passed the Talent Academy or if it would put me at a disadvantage.

Thanks for taking the time to read and answer my questions. I wanted to audition when I was P6, but lack of confidence landed me in my current Secondary School. Actually I still don't think I have the skills haha!

Hi Curiosfrog,

Do not be discouraged with having little formal lessons or lack of ABRSM certification. What is important is how you perform during the audition. My daughter applied for Music without any theory or formal background but got a confirmed offer anyway. That proves it is possible. Once you decide to apply, then work hard on practicing, ask your music teacher to give feedback for improvement, prepare for the performance delivery and interview, be confident but not over-confident. Good luck.

[blitz]

Any idea who is the new incoming principal? I hope she.doesn’t take the fun out of Sota. There were new incoming principals in other schools that changed alot of rules and generally no one was happy.