Sam02:

Hi Alicorn,


Yes that certainly helps!

We did not make the shortlist this year and were told that we have to wait to see if there is an opportunity at the beginning of Y2 in 2016. So it would be interesting to know if anyone joined the theatre program in Year 2?

On another note how many foreign students are there in the group? Does sota restrict the no of foreign students?

thanks a lot!

Hi Sam02,

I'm so sorry to hear that! Your child is a gem in their own right and please remind them that this is merely a setback in their life and should not affect their self esteem! Though, my classmate actually took 3 tries to get in so maybe try auditioning again at the end of year after PSLE to get in via ad hoc basis I think there's a chance to get in again during Year 1 still, I sadly can't remember.

Hmm they don't control the amount of foreign students, like there are around 4 foreign students in my class.

Good luck, and hope this helps!
Alicorn

Sam02:

Hello,


From reading the thread, I gather that it is best to get admitted Sota for year 1 and if that is not possible to get admitted by year 2 and certainly not later than year3.

So is there anyone from theatre who can tell me over the recent years:

i. How many year 1s and year 2s transferred out of theatre at the end of the year ?
ii. How many year 1s were admitted through the non-DSA admissions after PSLE over the last couple of years?

Any insight will be much appreciated!

Hello!

So far, only one student transferred out of theatre in year one this year

Hope this helps!

Alicorn

AysheeMei:

Hi! So I am a year 1 theatre student in SOTA and I am making this topic to help out people who have questions about Year 1 theatre here in this school. So shoot me questions you have about theatre in year 1 and I will try my best to answer! :rahrah:

HAI ASIA!!!!!!!!!

Wow so many R4 students here hehe :rahrah:

Alicorn

Regarding the open house, I think the student helpers were booming with vibrancy and positivity. A school's greatness is shown through its students, and seeing that many of the Year Ones were volunteering to help out with the exhibition booths and showcases in the open house is no mean feat. Despite only being here for a short 3.5 months, they were excited to welcome new students-to-be, and were ready to promote their school, spreading the open house news on social media to their families and juniors. This shows how loyal they are to their school and how much they enjoy school.


This is my mere opinion, please feel free to correct me in any way

Alicorn

MMM:

Thanks for sharing. Can you pls share more about the open house on 12th April.

Hello MMM!

http://postimg.org/image/84lptu1r1/

It will be held from 9.30am to 4pm. There will be an Open Symposium for you to find out more about the integrated curriculum leading to the IBDP at 9.30am to 10.30am or 1.30pm to 2.30pm at the MPH. Guided campus tours are also available and you can visit the Arts and Academic Curriculum a Exhibition at the Level 5 open space area for more information on the different subjects offered here.

Then, there are the arts showcases. For Music, there will be several showcases held at the ORS from 1030 to 1630. Please refer to the programme table included for specific times of each showcase.

For more information, please visit the website at http://sota.edu.sg/Buzz/WhatsHappening2014/OpenHouse2014.aspx. Also, do register before coming at https://www.eventbrite.sg/e/sota-open-house-2014-tickets-10731559383.

Hope this info helps you and see you there!

Thank you!
Alicorn

MMM:

Dear All,


My ds (P6 this year) is very interested in symphonic band and plays a brass instrument. He is very passionate about his instrument. For me, if he wants to be a conductor or further in this area one day, I think I will be supportive.

We have intention to let him DSA under symphonic band to selected schools that are strong in band. Frankly, we are hesitating about SOTA as we feel that we do not want him to pursue such a specialized route at this stage in life. So yes, I am still contemplating.

On the other hand, I also feel that if he really wants to pursue the band route in the future, maybe going to to SOTA and the future progression path might be more beneficial in training him.

I wanted to hear views from other parents and students particularly in the music area. Thanks !

Hello MMM!

If you dig deeper, the diploma (IB) that you receive at the end of your 6-year tenure isn't actually specialized in the Arts, so your DS can still go for other courses in university than the Arts.

Regarding DSA, I personally feel that normal secondary schools will not have the state-of-the-art (no pun intended) facilities and experienced teachers like SOTA. If you want your DS to be able to develop his musical talent yet still have an element of academics with it, I think SOTA is the right place for him.

Hope this helps in your contemplation! Also, please do come to the open house next Saturday if you have further enquiries! Thank you!

Alicorn

mamabung:

KiasuNewbie, may I also ask what LCD is and why it is so \"precious\" and \"less attainable\" compared to the other art forms?

Hello mamabung!

I'm not KiasuNewbie but I hope I can still answer your question

LCD is the school's system to keep track of your out of classroom workshops, activities or performances, just like a portfolio, for reference's sake and it can be used for anything like scholarships and entrance to university like an actual portfolio

From my VA classmates, I heard that VA workshops are not held as often as other art forms so that may be why it's more precious and less attainable compared to the other art forms.

Hope this helps!

Alicorn

nightcore:

Hi guys usually I thought for a sec 2 student to transfer in this year, we can attend an audition during the march holidsys and if we are successful we can transfer in in april? But apparently my friend who also wanted to transfer in's mother called the school and they said that the transfer in program was at the start of the year and it is already over, the next transfer will be NEXT YEAR. I can't seem to find any information about the march holiday audition on the website and I'm very scared that I have missed my only opportunity to transfer in this year.

Hi nightcore,

I think what you wanted to go for is the Talent Academy. However, it is only available for DSA-Sec and DSA-JC.

Unfortunately, it is true that you have missed your only opportunity to transfer this year.

Alicorn

yip33:

Ragamuffin shinobi:

[quote=\"yip33\"]Hello, I'm a Year One dance student (I got in through dance non-ballet).

Please feel free to ask me questions, although I might not be able to answer some of your queries.

PS. SOTA rocks!

So what's a typical day in SOTA like for a dance student? I keep hearing that the school is so fun...something I want my girl to enjoy too if she can get in. What's the dance assessments like for year 1? I can only imagine it to be difficult since everyone must be great dancers there.

For Year Ones this year, we have dance classes 4 times a week. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, the classes are in the morning, before academic classes. Dance classes on Thursdays and Fridays are after acads and end at 6.30pm, although some might choose to stay back to practice or work on dance assignments.

SOTA is definitely fun; I can't imagine myself anywhere else. It's hard, but I love it.

For dance assessments, we do not have much yet as compared to theater and VA, but we'll be having a movement and improvisation assessment next week. We have to choreograph a movement exploration and perform it to the other dancers. (FYI, we take Classical Ballet, Movement and Improvisation and Dance Contextual Studies for dance).

SOTA dance IS difficult, but not because the others are so much better. From what I know, SOTA does not really look at how well someone dances when auditioning, but rather how much potential he/she has and the passion for the art form. From my own experience, I actually have the least ballet background in my whole class, even less than those who came in through non-ballet. But I think that as long as one perseveres, one will eventually reach the top.

I hope this helps!:)[/quote]So inspirational my class chairman :udawoman:

Being in SOTA though is really all about your time management. Assessments will be scattered around and not crammed into one single time period, so we have to keep track of our progress to make sure we are on time :rahrah:

Alicorn
(Pegasus with horn or unicorn with wings and secretly a guy in real life :rotflmao: )

Song22:

Alicorn:

[quote=\"Song22\"]Hi! Anyone can share more about theatre in sota?

1) What is the cohort size for last year's batch for theatre?
2) how was the audition like?
3) how is the life in sota theatre like?
4) are you / ds / your friends enjoying the the school (theatre)?

Thank you!

Hi!

My Y1 cohort has a total of 45 students. The audition was like two or three judges sitting on a table in front of you. Other than reciting and acting out the monologue to them, they may ask you some questions albeit expected e.g. why do you want to come to SOTA. So far in these one and a half months it's been a lot of learning experiences and our assessments are coming up this and next week. Yes, my friends and I are enjoying the theatre classes. It's hard, very hard, but we ourselves have chosen this decision and we're still doing what we're passionate about, only now it feels like your life when it was previously just a hobby.

Just my opinions - others may feel different from it

Alicorn

Thanks alicorn for sharing
So are the 45 students being grouped to the same one or two classes for the acad portions?
Is sota your first choice and why do you choose sota theatre if you don't mind me asking, my daughter is quite interested in sota after hearing a lot from one of her friends, thanks a lot![/quote]Song22,

The 45 students are mixed into different academic classes through streaming by their PSLE t-score. The 45 students are made up of two theatre classes.

SOTA was my dream school since P5 and it was definitely my first choice, as I found the environment quite relaxing and I liked that we still got to pursue our passion while still taking academics into focus, otherwise my parents wouldn't allow me to pursue SOTA haha :imcool: :imcool: After all, we still need an academic degree to survive in this world right? :roll: :roll:

I've been passionate in drama and theatre for a few years thus I chose SOTA theatre, and i'm really not good at any of the other art forms :gloomy: :gloomy:

Do encourage your daughter if she really wants to participate in the TA as it really is a great exposure to the arts during the workshop even if she doesn't get in. At this time encouragement is really critical to your DD, as I felt very demoralised when my parents originally didn't support my decision to pursue SOTA.

Good luck to your DD, Song22!

Alicorn