About SOTA

The School of the Arts (SOTA) is Singapores first national pre-tertiary

specialised arts school with a six-year integrated arts and academic
curriculum, leading to the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma or
Career-related Programme, for youths aged 13 -18 years old.
Under the ambit of the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY),
SOTA offers a dedicated development path for those who have interest
and show early talent in the arts, providing a learning environment where
both the artistic and academic potential can best be realised.
With a vision to shape and impact society through an education in the
arts, SOTA aims to identify and groom future generations of artists,
creative professionals to be leaders in all fields, and to be patrons and
supporters of the arts.
A school of the future, SOTA embraces a holistic educational philosophy
that celebrates experimentation, expression and discovery.
School vision: Shaping and impacting society through education in the
arts.
School mission: To create a vibrant environment for learning that is
uniquely anchored in the arts, celebrating experimentation, expression
and discovery, with the aim of nurturing artistic talent and developing
leaders who will draw on their creativity to enrich society.
School values: Humility, Integrity, People-centredness, Passion
Student vision statement: Every SOTA student is a H.I.P. Leader with
Passion

Teaching Philosophy
Our teaching approach is future-oriented with a curriculum that engages
students both academically and artistically. By providing a conducive
environment that celebrates experimentation, expression and discovery,
we seek to:

Value every student and nurture their all-round development

and well-being

Create learner-centred classrooms environments

Develop formative and summative assessments aligned with the

different points in a students learning cycle

Deliver practice that is well-grounded in theory

Academic Calendar
SOTA's academic calendar broadly follows the Ministry of Education
schools' academic calendar with some variations to accommodate the
International Baccalaureate programmes.

Our Teachers
Our academic teachers are trained educators with several years of
teaching experience in other schools. Many of our arts teachers are
practising artists who will offer students insights into the creative
inspirations and perspectives of real-life arts practitioners.

Click here to find out more about our teachers.

The SOTA Logo

The SOTA identity is a blank stencil that is only completed when there is
input. The identity is therefore always different and fresh with the only
constant being the SOTA outline. It supports the school's mission to
celebrate experimentation, expression and creativity, with strong
engagement and space for personal design.

The SOTA Education Experience

At SOTA, all students go through a six-year integrated arts and academic

curriculum. Our holistic approach ensures each student acquires a
valuable set of skills that span the academic, artistic and affective. The
programme culminates in an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma or
an IB Career-related Programme.
The guiding principle of our curriculum is to build connections between
the different subject areas as well as bridge theory with practice to
develop artistic dispositions, critical thinking and heightened creative
awareness. By focusing on the process of learning, we promote
experimentation, expression and discovery in both arts and academic

arenas. Students also benefit from close mentorship by teachers and from
programmes and platforms that develop them into leaders with Humility,
Integrity, People-centredness and Passion (H.I.P.).

ACADEMIC PROGRAMMES

English Language & Theory of Knowledge

Humanities and Social Sciences

Literature in English

Mathematics

Media Education

Mother Tongue Languages

Research Skills

Sciences

ARTISTIC PROGRAMMES

Dance

Film

Integrated Arts

Literary Arts

Music

Theatre

Visual Arts

AFFECTIVE PROGRAMMES

Character and Citizenship Education

Community Service

Experiential Education

You can also view subjects by year by clicking here

SOTA seeks to develop our students to become leaders with Humility,

Integrity, People-centredness and Passion, who will influence and
contribute to the community through their creativity and talents.
In nurturing artistic talents and developing leaders who will enrich society
with their talents, affective programmes such as Character and Citizenship
Education, leadership training and Experiential Education are essential to
our curriculum.

Mentorship

Leadership Development

Education and Career Guidance (ECG)

Social, Emotional and Learning Needs Support

Parent Engagement

What subjects do I study at SOTA? Do they study academic

subjects?
At SOTA, all students go through a six-year integrated arts and academic
curriculum that culminates in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma
or an IB Career-related Programme. Subjects include: English Literature;
Mother Tongue Language; Mathematics; Science (Physics, Chemistry,
Biology); Humanities and Social Sciences (History, Geography, Economics,
Social & Cultural Anthropology); Specialized Arts (Dance, Film, Music,
Theatre, Visual Arts); Theory of Knowledge; the Extended Essay; and
Creativity, Action & Service. Read more about our curriculum.

What subjects do students study during their first year in SOTA?

In Year 1, students do subjects in English Language & Critical Thinking;
Literature in English; Mother Tongue Languages; Humanities & Social
Sciences (Geography and History); Coordinated Science; Mathematics,
Integrated Arts, Media Education, Experiential Education and either
Dance, Music, Theatre or Visual Arts. View subjects studied by year.

Where do the students go to after their education in SOTA?

SOTA graduates have gone on to further their education in illustrious

schools both in Singapore and abroad. Graduates have also been
recognised for their achievements in a spectrum of fields. View the list of
schools and scholarships.

What if I am exempted from taking Mother Tongue Language? Do

I need to re-apply for exemption?
If you have received approval for exemption from Mother Tongue
Language from the Ministry of Education (MOE) while you were in primary
school, please indicate this on the online application form, and provide a
photocopy of the MOE Mother Tongue Language Exemption Letter when
you submit the supporting documents for Talent Academy applications.
You do not have to re-apply for the exemption upon joining SOTA. Read
about SOTAs Mother Tongue Language Programme.

What if I am offered to take up Foreign Language in-lieu of

Mother Tongue Language?
If you are taking up a Foreign Language (Japanese, German, French), you
are to attend lessons at the Ministry of Education Language Centre
(MOELC). SOTA currently offers only Hindi. If you are taking up Non-Tamil
Indian Languages (NTIL) (i.e., Bengali, Urdu, Gujarati, Punjabi), you are to
attend lessons in the respective NTIL school. SOTA will reflect the marks
and grades awarded by MOELC/NTIL schools in your progress report. If you
are taking language in-lieu, you are required to obtain a sub-pass at GCE A
Level Foreign Language H1 examination in Year 5 to be eligible for
admission to a public-funded, full-time undergraduate programme at a
local university. In Year 5, if you are taking Foreign or Non-Tamil Indian
Languages in-lieu of Mother Tongue Language, you will have to offer
Language Ab Initio (Malay or German) in preparation for the IBDP. Read
about SOTAs Mother Tongue Language Programme.

Is a third language available at SOTA?

SOTA offers a rigorous Arts and Academics curriculum. If time permits, you
will be able to attend Third Language courses at Ministry of Education
Language Centre (MOELC). The Third Language result cannot be used to
replace any subject in school. To be eligible for taking a Foreign Language
as a Third Language, you must satisfy all three criteria:

Be ranked in the top 10% of the Primary School Leaving

Examination (PSLE) cohort;

Be a Singapore Citizen (SC) or Singapore Permanent Resident

(SPR), or the child of a SC/SPR; and

Have been offered a Mother Tongue Language at the PSLE

Students who are eligible to take up a Foreign Language as a Third

Language will be notified of their eligibility upon release of the PSLE
results. Read about SOTAs Mother Tongue Language Programme.

How is SOTAs Music programme different from schools with Music

Elective Programme (MEP)?
The approach to the programme is different with music at SOTA developed
as an art form, not just as a subject. Read what the SOTA music
programme covers and how it differs from other MEPs.

Will SOTAs programme prepare me for professional examinations

(eg. ABRSM)?
The purpose of the music programme is not to prepare students for
examinations such as ABRSM, but to develop the students musical and
intellectual capacities. However, students can take ABRSM exams if their
Instrumental Study teachers deem it useful for their learning as external
assessment can be a useful learning tool. Read what the SOTA music
programme covers.

What are the options for Music students?

Based on their admission auditions, music students may be placed into
either Creating or Performance Tracks to better support their musical
talents. Students in Creating Track will still attend Instrumental Study
lessons, but will also attend and be assessed on a creating module
focused on compositional tools and processes. Students in the
Performance Track will have a more focused Instrumental Study, which is
one of the main components of assessments. They will commence with
the creating modules from year 3. Students who begin in the Creating
Track may switch to Performance Track in year 3 depending on their
performance in years 1 and 2.
Students with an interest in Jazz and Pop music have the opportunity to
apply to start in or switch to the Jazz and Pop track. Emphasis will be
placed on jazz (this is a broad definition of the term that will include areas
of pop, fusion, blues, funk, music from Latin American and so on).
Percussionists are not currently being considered for a switch to drum-set
in jazz. The combination of mallets, snare and drumset offers the best
possibilities in development and already covers jazz and pop.
Furthermore, the chamber music groups further augments these
possibilities.

Are there Co-Curricular Activities (CCA) in SOTA?

There is no CCA offered in SOTA. Students specialize in their chosen art
discipline and they usually spend their time after school hours practicing
their art discipline, attending rehearsals for their various performances.
Sumber http://www.sota.edu.sg/about-us/faqs#sota_curriculum

School of the Arts Singapore

Visual and Performing Arts Building design by WOHA, Architects
9 Aug 2010

School of the Arts, Singapore

Category: Learning
Location: Singapore, Singapore, Republic of
Architect: WOHA, Singapore, Singapore, Republic of
WAF Entry: 2010
Award: World Architecture Festival 2010 Category Winner

photos : Patrick Bingham-Hall

School of the Arts, Singapore

This project is a specialist high school for the visual and performing arts, part of
Singapores national strategy to focus on the arts. The school is located in the heart of
the Civic district, at the gateway to the Arts and Entertainment district. It is flanked on
either side by 20th century heritage buildings, while highrise retail and office buildings
form a backdrop to the project. The school is unique in that it combines a high-density
inner city school with a professional performing arts venue. The design was won in a twostage open competition.
The primary design strategy for this inner city school creates two visually connected
horizontal strata, a space for public communication below, and a space for safe,
controlled interaction above. This strategy solves the twin objectives of porosity and
communication with the public and wider arts community on the one hand, and a secure
and safe learning environment on the other. The two parts were called the Backdrop and
the Blank Canvas.
The Backdrop is the podium that contains a concert hall, drama theatre, black box
theatre and several small informal performing spaces. Against this backdrop, the school
communicates with the public realm in a variety of ways. The formal performance spaces
host professional and student productions, allowing students to both observe and
participate in both performance and backstage and support activities. The informal
spaces in between the performance spaces are designed around an urban short-cut,
maintaining a busy informal pedestrian route that used to cut across the empty site
leading from the underground train station at Dhoby Ghaut. Along this route are display

areas and informal performance and gallery areas, allowing the public to see the
activities and productions of the school.
To enhance the vibrancy of the city, commercial spaces are provided along the external
covered walkway, and a large civic amphitheatre has been created under several large
conserved trees. This space has already become popular with the public as a meeting
place, as it has shady seating for people reading newspapers, drinking coffee and waiting
for their friends.
Architecturally, the Backdrop is designed as a faceted sculptural space, which frames the
surrounding city views in new and interesting ways, as a metaphor for the school
cultivating a creative way of looking at the world. The internal spaces are dramatic
angled volumes, recalling the expressionist spaces of the 1919 silent film the Cabinet of
Dr Caligari, and are treated in rough coloured concrete cast from recycled formwork for
angled surfaces, contrasted against smooth-painted, vertical surfaces. The smooth
surfaces are designed for display. The rough and smooth surfaces were inspired by
Michelangelos Captive sculptures.

photos : Patrick Bingham-Hall

The Blank Canvas is the secure school area, and is conceived of as a simple, flexible
space where the school can create their own environment. The metaphor suggests the
open possibilities and focus on the educational content rather than the architectural
frame. Three long rectangular 6-storey blocks span across the Backdrop podium. This
level is controlled through a single point of access (the lift core, and the escalator), yet is
visually connected from all the circulation spaces, to the public areas below. This
environment is simple, practical, bright, airy and is designed for maximum flexibility and
sustainability.
Classrooms and studios within these blocks are designed for natural ventilation and are
well-proportioned and cross-ventilated, with dynamic visual and physical links between
blocks. Classrooms are designed in 9m X 9m modules with operable end walls so that
room sizes can be flexible for future needs. The green faades provide environmental
filters, cutting out glare and dust, keeping the rooms cool, and in combination with the
acoustic ceilings, absorb traffic noise.
The breezeways in-between the blocks are designed for maximum comfort and
interaction, allowing students to observe activities happening across the voids, and
providing spaces for different sized groups to interact and relax, without leaving the
secure environment of the school. The section is designed to catch the breezes and
direct them to gathering spaces, while providing shelter from sun and rain. Facilities
which are suspended between the classroom blocks include the gymnasium, lecture
theatre, canteen, dance studio and resource library. Their positioning gives them visual
prominence, and reinforces the connectivity between the three blocks. The wind-directing
design has proved to be successful and extremely comfortable, with constant cooling
breezes even in Singapores low wind environment.

The rooftop is designed as a large recreation park in the sky, complete with a running
track and shady trees. It allows the students to take full advantage of the views afforded
by the Arts Schools unique positioning within the Civic District, and provides a
substantial play area in the built-up neighbourhood.
The palette of off-form coloured precast and in-situ concrete, painted walls, and metal
railings is robust and cost-effective. Walls of living creepers bring softness and carbonfriendly life to the inner city neighbourhood. The design of the creeper screens was
inspired by a musical score.

photo : Tim Griffith

Singapore School of the Arts images / information from FD

WAF Awards
School of the Arts Singapore design : WOHA

Sumber : http://www.e-architect.co.uk/singapore/school-arts-singapore