My girl said that on the day of her audition which was the second day, the most number of applicants was from dance with the least being theatre.


Carpe diem, your dd must have a really good voice. Does she always sing at home? It's an amazing feat as there's only a handful of voice students as dasalo mentioned congrats!

I suppose those kids who can achieve 240+ will continue to do well in their post pri years. Kids who score 200 or so definitely have a chance to do better in the later years. As they may mature later in terms of thinking and ability. Some kids perform better while others not as well regardless of their PSLE scores. It would be a pity if we were to give up the chance for our child to enter SOTA unless the passion for their art form is not that strong. Just offering my humble opinion.

Thank you to all parents/students who have shared experiences of life in SOTA. Dasalo is always helpful. May I know which faculty your dd2 is in? You must be very proud of your children. They are talented and fortunate to have a parent like yourself.


I’ll definitely need to ask for more info/advice should my girl get into SOTA next year. I like to read all about life as a SOTA student regardless of their faculty. I think dance intake is roughly 40 students while music takes in ard 30 or so students? No idea abt others though. I guess SOTA has guidelines to follow too on their intake. I think I heard that during the open symposium during the dance talk.

Ragamuffin shinobi:

Heard that as long as you qualify for express...but they did mention that their average is about 230 points.

Wow, your girl must be really good to start ballet in P3 and be in grade 5 by P6! Lol...I really don't know what an open class is. In Summer School, they went by a range of age and grades so she was in a class with kids from grades 3-5, and between 9-12. Guess they didn't quite follow syllabus either coz some girls were doing RAD and others, CSTD. And SOTA has its own syllabus? I really thought ballet is pretty much ballet everywhere...Quite obvious I am clueless!

Think JA is really good for the kids to get a better idea of life in SOTA. As much :snooze: as dd loves dance, I am not sure if she will love it that much!

Thanks so much, Pixie! You have been extremely informative! :thankyou: hope your dd found the oral exam good today!

You're most welcome. She found it ok thanks

When the time comes, look out for news of the JA if any. If they still have it by then, try and get your kid nominated. Nomination should be towards end of P5.

JRLam:

Hi Pixie28, congrats to your dd too! It must be a huge relief to at least get the CO for now... a good morale boaster for today's PSLE Oral

Do you know, what's the PSLE cut-off point for SOTA now that you have the CO?

Also, what do they do in the Junior Academy? What is the duration and frequency of the program? How different is JA from other Ballet classes?

What grade is your dd? Is she doing RAD or CSTD? Were the steps they were required to do during the audition similar to what they learn in their ballet lesson?

Thanks for your advice.

:thankyou:

There's no cut off point for admission. They just need to qualify for the course offered by SOTA which is the express course.

For dance JA, they were given a taste of life as a SOTA student via ballet and modern dance classes. Each session lasted around 3hrs held once a week for a period of 6 weeks. It's more of an open class I think no fixed syllabus.

My girl is taking Grade 5 of RAD. The audition is more like the classes at SDT and perhaps those at summer school (she has not attended any summer school though). I guess summer sch conducts open classes type? A ballet foundation of at least grade 4 RAD is recommended by SOTA. Not really sure how to explain it but based on what my girl told me, the steps are not taken out of RAD syllabus. SOTA has its own syllabus. Most important is the ability to recreate the exercises that they have been taught on the spot. And perhaps natural flair for it.

Ragamuffin shinobi:

My girl is 9 this year and is currently doing grade 4 RAD. We only started looking at SOTA this year after hearing so much about it. We love how happy the SOTA students are and how passionate they are about their art form! Admission sounds hard though.

Wow, your dd must be really good in ballet! She took up ballet in p3? She must be really talented in it to get into SDT course! Haahaaa, didn't even know there was such a course till you mentioned it. Thanks!

The SOTA jr academies must be recommended by the pri sch right? Is your girl in some dance CCA? Is that how she was nominated by school? Was there an audition for jr academy? That seems pretty new coz I haven't found much info on that.

Your girl joined ballet at an early age? She's 9 and she has set her sights on joining SOTA? That's amazing. She's a determined
child

Yes, my girl started ballet when she was in P3 during the year end holidays. I believe her strength lies in her ability to observe and pick up dance steps easily. I guess she is naturally inclined towards it.

The student must be nominated for the JA. My girl is not in dance cca. I
called the school and the teacher in charge of aesthetic nominated her for it. No audition was required. I think it was the first time they had the JA.

All best for your child's preparations!

smurfalone:

My daughter got a CONFIRMED OFFER for music :boogie:

What a relief
Next step is PSLE...GOOD LUCK to all 加油

:congrats: smurfalone

Ragamuffin,


May I know how old is your kid? My girl joined ballet at the end of P3. It was only last year that I really got to know of SOTA curriculum and
started to sort of read up on it.

During the writing exercise, they were given 3 qns. Just select one to answer.

There’s a Ballet Associates Course at SDT. She had auditioned for it and was selected so she’s taking classes once a month there. You can check their website. It’s a yearly intake. She also joined the Junior Academy at SOTA. More info can be found at SOTA website. Other than that, my girl attends her regular ballet classes at CC.

Ragamuffin shinobi:

Pixie28:

My daughter received a CO. She auditioned under Dance (Ballet). When I saw the small envelope in the mailbox, I thought it was a rejection letter. Imagine my relief when I slid the letter out and saw 'CONFIRMED OFFER... '. My girl didn't appear excited as she knows it still depends on her PSLE results. It'll be an uphill task for her as her past exam results had not been good. I told her at least there's a chance

Congrats Pixie28 and dd! :rahrah:

Honestly, I know my kid will enjoy the sch of she ever gets in (hopefully in a few more years) but like you, I am worried about the rigours of IB.
Btw, how was the TA for Dance?

Thanks ragamuffin. Is yr kid interested in dance?

The TA was just as described in the website. They had to attend an hour or so of each class type ie ballet and modern dance. I believe they are expected to be able to pick up the steps quickly. Exposure to open classes is definitely recommended.

dance and theatre:

Pixie28:

My daughter received a CO. She auditioned under Dance (Ballet). When I saw the small envelope in the mailbox, I thought it was a rejection letter. Imagine my relief when I slid the letter out and saw 'CONFIRMED OFFER... '. My girl didn't appear excited as she knows it still depends on her PSLE results. It'll be an uphill task for her as her past exam results had not been good. I told her at least there's a chance

Congratulations Pixie 28 !! Encourage your girl to try hard for the PSLE, keep positive as she will enjoy the SOTA school culture and dance. It's tough, not kidding here, but my daughter says she would rather be at SOTA than anywhere else, even with the ups and downs of school life, teen angst, peer issues.

Thank you dance and theatre. It's really great to know that SOTA students love the school. Whenever I see SOTA students, I'll take a second look at them and admire them haha.