Portraits: Narratives of Singapore Arts Educators

P O R TRAIT S

Narratives of Singapore Arts Educators

PORTRAITS

Narratives of Singapore Arts Educators

This is a publication by the Singapore Teachers’ Academy for the aRts Ministry of Education, Singapore

Copyright ©2015 by Singapore Teachers’ Academy for the aRts (STAR), Ministry of Education, Singapore

All rights reserved.

All parts of this publication are protected by copyright. No part of it may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from Singapore Teachers’ Academy for the aRts. Published in Singapore.

Designed and printed by Design Fusion Pte Ltd.

ISBN: 978-981-09-3971-7

National Library Board, Singapore

Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

Identity Narratives

Arts Teaching Fraternity

Teacher Identity

Arts Education

Art Educators

Music Educators

Singapore Ministry of Education, Singapore

Singapore Teachers’ Academy for the aRts

In Celebration of SG50

Low Joo Hong

“There’s a child in everyone. And in a way, creating such books helps me to reconnect with the child within me.”

09 Anwara Khatun

“The lessons must be student-centred and these art experiences must allow them to have their personal voice.”

15 Jessica Chaw

“It’s about being able to relate to the kids. We must know what’s suitable for them.”

21

Ee-Chek Yui Hong

“It’s the willingness to be open, and allowing them to guide you as much as you guide them that will bring the quality of learning to the next level.”

29 Zaki Zulfakar

“I don’t think I should find excuses not to make art. If I have time to go shopping or drink kopi, I should have time to make art too!”

35 Ng Eng Kee

“The benefit’s not just in the content, but the way the teacher role models music making, demonstrates musicianship and how a musician behaves.”

41 Chee-Tan Ee Sin

“Music provides a means for one to express his thoughts, an idea, a feeling or simply a reason to come together to play.”

47 Chia Wei Hou

“I wanted them to discover that drawing is not just about sight – it’s a multisensory experience.”

55 Faridah Hajarmustika

“I wouldn’t have been able to give more in my lessons if I didn’t improve myself.”

61 Charlotte Tan

“What I get is more than what I give out. Every new batch of students pushes me to want to become a better teacher.”

67 Victoria Loy

“We want teachers to step forward and be leaders to share their knowledge with the community.”

73 Li Yen See

“If we’ve learnt anything from ‘superheroes’ it’s that all great things come with big responsibilities.”

81 Elsie Poey-Tan

“If they have the discipline, they’re not about to look for the easy way out because they are used to the rigour of practice.”

87 Pradeep Rhadakrishnan

“I want them to know that they can transfer that same belief into anything else they do in their life and achieve success at it.”

93 Fatimah Sawifi

“Arts education is not about teaching the technical skills, it’s about teaching them life.”

99 Irene Chin

“Music matters because it builds confidence, creativity, and it can even change lives.”

FOREWORD

Rebecca Chew Principal, Singapore Teachers’ Academy for the aRts

Arts educators breathe life and give voice to many young people in their art and music classrooms.

They command our attention, point us to uncover life’s dissonances through the arts, and teach us to make sense of life’s experiences. We admire them and sometimes they even become heroes in our lives.

Last year, I challenged my colleagues to gather personal narratives from these artistic teacher heroes who make meaning and give purpose to life. The Singapore arts educator has a unique identity in our teaching fraternity. It also encouraged the start of a narrative inquiry process to research and examine what constitutes the uniqueness of the Singapore arts teacher identity.

Organised in four leitmotifs, these personal narratives belie a strong teacher belief where self is expressed through love and care in their teaching philosophy. Much of what they share gives courage to live life, make meaning in today’s constantly changing world, and provide a strong ballast in a young person’s growing years.

This edition of stories has taken more than a year to piece together. It speaks volumes of the relationships built over time for an account to be encapsulated. The process of writing was a deeply reflective journey for not only the writing team, but also these 16 arts educators. For some, the journeys touched such a deep core of being, that tears were shed as the stories were retold. These genuine and authentic voices of our arts educators can go unnoticed even as they work tirelessly beneath the business of art and music classrooms in schools.

STAR is thus pleased to present to readers the extension of our arts educators’ inner selves constructing their teaching experiences. The narratives are a part of a continuum on a spectrum of many voices we have in our arts fraternity. As we commemorate SG50, these stories are part of the process of shaping and evolving the unique arts teacher identity even as we write. We hope one day there will be many other narratives captured, be it in image, print or recordings.

A Thousand Conversations ‘on rebirth and recreation’ by Charlotte Tan

Watercolours and graphite on Arches paper, 71 x 51 cm

Collection of Ms Margaret Chooi

IN APPRECIATION

Mrs Elsie Poey-Tan Principal, Bukit View Primary School

Mrs Chee-Tan Ee Sin Subject Head of Aesthetics, Catholic High School (Secondary)

Mdm Fatimah Sawifi Head of Aesthetics, Chestnut Drive Secondary School

Ms Charlotte Tan Pre-School Education Officer, Education Services Division, formerly Senior Teacher, CHIJ Secondary (Toa Payoh)

Mdm Jessica Chaw Senior Teacher, Edgefield Primary School

Mdm Anwara Khatun Lead Teacher, Haig Girls’ School

Mdm Faridah Hajarmustika Subject Head of Aesthetics/CCA (Internal), Maris Stella High (Primary)

Mrs Ee-Chek Yui Hong Head of Talent Development, Nanyang Girls’ High School

Ms Angeline Yap Gek Meng Instructor, Legal Skills Programme, Law Faculty, National University of Singapore

Mr Ng Eng Kee Head of Aesthetics, Paya Lebar Methodist Girls’ School (Secondary)

Mr Chia Wei Hou Senior Teacher, Raffles Institution (College)

Mr Low Joo Hong Principal, Siglap Secondary School

Mr Zaki Zulfakar Lead Teacher, Si Ling Secondary School

Mrs Li Yen See Master Teacher, Singapore Teachers’ Academy for the aRts

Mdm Victoria Loy Master Teacher, Singapore Teachers’ Academy for the aRts

Mr Pradeep Rhadakrishnan Subject Head of Aesthetics, Spectra Secondary School

Prof Geraldine Heng Perceval Associate Professor of English and Comparative Literature, Women’s Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, The University of Texas at Austin, Founder and Co-Director, the Global Middle Ages Project (G-MAP), the Mappamundi digital initiatives, and the Scholarly Community for the Globalization of the Middle Ages (SCGMA)

Mrs Irene Chin Senior Teacher, West Grove Primary School

“Teaching provides occasions to share with others your deep affection for what you teach. There is a sense of contagion when your eyes twinkle with delight at the prospect of introducing students to what you love. Your love of what you teach is conveyed to them; it is the sincerest and most powerful invitation you can extend.”

CONNECT THROUGH ARTS

Elliot Eisner

extracted from his 2006 Commencement Talk to School of Education graduands at Stanford University (taken from Larry Cuban’s blog post entitled, ‘A Tribute to Elliot Eisner, 1933-2014’)

There’s a child in everyone.

And in a way, creating such books helps me to reconnect with the child within me.

Low Joo Hong

An Illustrator of Stories A Creator of Opportunities

In the wonderful world of children’s literature, Low Joo Hong is known to his readers as Ye Zi (Coconut).

Working under that pseudonym since 2009, Joo Hong has illustrated for seven children’s publications in Mandarin, and an English book titled ‘Dragon’s Egg’ about a child who discovered a dragon’s egg at East Coast Park. Collaborating with author Caz Goodwin, the book topped the Beyond Words competition organised by the National Arts Council in 2011.

“There’s a child in everyone. And in a way, creating such books helps me to reconnect with the child within me,” says Joo Hong. A genre which he describes as liberating, he says picture books provide him space for the expression of thought and the unleashing of artistic creativity without barriers or restrictions.

Joo Hong helms the leadership as Principal of Siglap Secondary School. A school well-known for its buzzing arts scene since the 1970s, Siglap Secondary was later identified as the East Zone Centre of Excellence (COE) for Visual Art, and the Niche Programme School for Gamelan & Angklung Ensembles in early 2000.

At Siglap Secondary, Joo Hong maintains that his role is to build upon that legacy and carry forward the school’s longstanding identity, culture and strengths. Led by the belief that the arts is for everyone, he wants to steer the school towards being an institution that is committed to developing students artistically regardless of their academic background.

Young Illustrators Awards

Drawing on his experience as an illustration artist, Joo Hong has implemented several flagship programmes that have placed Siglap Secondary at the forefront of arts education. Such is the ‘Siglap Young Illustrators Awards’ (YIA) – the riveting nationwide art competition that has caught the imagination and participation of thousands.

Returning with a Master’s degree in Children’s Book Illustration from Anglia Ruskin University, he was inspired. “Every day, somebody was doing something brilliant and posting it up. It was invigorating seeing the works of so many talented individuals! You could really feel the creative energy going around,” Joo Hong remembers.

Adapting that idea when he came back to Singapore, he wanted to bring together a new generation of artists and give teenagers the opportunity to be inspired like he was. “The bulk of students simply enjoy looking at the works of others. They enjoy being part of a community of like-minded people,” Joo Hong says.

Prototyping it initially as a school contest, it soon mushroomed to become a nation-wide doodle extravaganza. YIA received an overwhelming 4,000 submissions and 200,000 hits on their website within the first three months of its launch in 2012.

Summer Class Fun

Since 2013, Siglap students have gone on yearly experiential art learning journeys to the United Kingdom. Called the ‘Siglap – United Kingdom (UK) Summer Class’, they visit London to experience, as an extended classroom, some of the world’s finest museums, and to Cambridge, where Siglap students learn the foundation of illustration from graduate students.

Joo Hong wanted his students to experience the sheer amount of creativity and imagination required for this genre of children’s illustrations. “I thought it wasn’t going to be so hard. Turns out, it was immensely difficult for me to go back to drawing rabbits and looking at ‘kiddish’ drawings from a new perspective,” he recounts of his own experience.

Through his learnt lessons, Siglap’s art students are now given the invaluable experience of witnessing the processes behind the scenes: the complexity of creating a product which the majority would brush off as simple art making. “They get to see how seriously these artists take their illustration jobs and the amount of work that’s poured in. For many of them who have gone on the trip, they’ve shared that it’s a very inspiring experience,” he says.

A Creator of Innovative Curriculum

Joo Hong believes in the same power of innovative curriculum strategies that make learning art fun and relevant through a whole school approach. To him, art is part of the quality of life that is experienced daily.

One recent project which had everyone buzzing was the interactive learning journey called ‘SiglapArt@MRT Trail’. Capitalising on the Singapore Mass Rapid Transit‘s ‘Art in Transit’ initiative that curates contemporary public artworks by prominent artists along the North-East Line, Joo Hong and his teachers pioneered a smartphoneguided trail that allows students to independently learn about the works when they move around Singapore.

For example, if they were to stop at Clarke Quay station, the phone application would prompt them with activities, for instance quizzes, art tasks or games related to the works of late local artist Chua Ek Kay, whose mural titled ‘The Reflections’, can be found on the station walls and floor tiles.

“There’s a connection between the location of the artwork and the history of the location. I think making them see the context behind the artwork is important, and they get to learn about the artists as well,” says Joo Hong.

“Without the app, chances are they might miss the artworks when they move around the MRT stations. Even if they do see it, they might not have the same level of appreciation for the works.”

Whether as a children’s book illustrator, an educator or a leader, the man wearing many hats reckons the greatest reward is in knowing that he has positively impacted people. Joo Hong creates in his personal and professional spaces a sense of exploration, layering perspectives which deepen learning through sensemaking in art. Through his artistic disposition, he has slowly anchored the Siglap legacy as an extension of his imagination. A sea change indeed, with keen insights and creative experiences.

The lessons must be student-centred and these art experiences must allow them to have their personal voice.

Anwara Khatun

Anwara Khatun confesses that she found art lessons during her own schooling days sometimes tedious to attend. Back then, she would sit in class and ritually weave long, supple strips of rattan into handy baskets; otherwise she would squint the hours away trying to perfect cross-stitch patterns. Spending large amounts of time learning embroidery and other crafts, she recalls that the lessons were sensible but uninspiring.

“It wasn’t fun. Yes, you pick up the skills, but I found it dull and wearisome. What was a child to do with baskets? It was of no use to me!” says Anwara.

Ahead of the Curve

An experienced educator who was honoured with the 2012 President’s Award for Teachers, Anwara understands that class activities must encompass meaning in order to inspire.

“My school days have definitely impacted my teaching approaches today. The scheme of work must be relevant and resonate with the kids. They must enjoy it, want to improve their learning, and achieve some sense of accomplishment in art. That success could then translate into other areas of their studies.”

As the Lead Teacher in Visual Arts at Haig Girls’ School, Anwara has boldly brought learning to the museum. The programme titled TIMEOUT (The Inspired Museum Explorers: Our Unique Travels) began in 2011 as part of Haig Girls’ School’s Integrated Project Work (IPW), where over six weeks, Primary Four students spend two hours weekly at the museum on interdisciplinary learning experiences that integrate Art, English and Social Studies.

“Both museum education and school education are part of lifelong learning. Museum-school collaboration complements each other’s focus as it gives students an enriching immersion in ideas, discovery, challenge, and enjoyment,” says Anwara, a selfconfessed museum-buff who has visited some of the world’s most renowned museums.

Drawing on Singapore Art Museum’s (SAM) contemporary art collection, the students were engaged in an exploration of issues connected to the themes of Identity, Heritage, Nationhood and Globalisation. Activities for postmuseum visits included students’ involvement in creative writing and art tasks in response to the artworks or artists studied.

The Appeal of the Museum

She explains that looking at the original artwork creates an impact which digital reproductions can never replicate.

“In the museum, the conducive setting makes learning appealing. There, the students are able to examine and appreciate the beautiful textures, shades or tones of the artwork. Downloaded images projected in class can never do justice to the originals.”

At the end of each cycle of TIMEOUT, Anwara notices her students becoming more “gracious, refined and cultured”. She is encouraged that they have become more civic minded and seek to understand the artists’ intent before evaluating the contemporary artworks.

Anwara and her team obtain feedback from the students through their weekly reflection, written artist statements, art journals and surveys. She shares the thoughts of one Primary Five student, Tanisha, who wrote that lessons in a museum setting had “reawakened her senses” as the past, present and future were brought to life through the artworks.

The success of TIMEOUT is evident from schools expressing interest in running a similar programme. In October 2014, Haig Girls’ School, together with four other schools, held a joint THINK! Contemporary Exhibition at SAM showcasing the artworks students created during the post-museum sessions.

“It makes you feel like you have done something meaningful. Something which other schools and students can benefit from,” says Anwara on how far TIMEOUT has come.

Fresh, Daring and Inspiring

Describing herself as ‘adventurous’ because she likes engaging in new and innovative enterprises, she talks about the first person who inspired and challenged her.

“He said always to do something different. What others have not done, you should try,” recalls Anwara.

‘He’ refers to Mr Namasivayam – her shifu (master). Anwara shares how Mr Nama taught her figure-drawing back when she was attending LASALLE College of the Arts.

Initially thinking she had signed up for a still-life drawing course, Anwara was white-faced when it turned out to be a class for figure-drawing. Not having been exposed to any artistic study of this nature before, she was justifiably apprehensive at first. It was with the encouragement of Mr Nama that she stepped out of her comfort zone and went through with the class.

“It pushed me to the limits, and at the end of it, I was happy I could draw quite well! It boosts your confidence if you can break your fear and overcome the challenge,” says Anwara.

Her personal belief in life and art that “standards must be set high” is analogous to her teaching philosophy. She believes that art projects must be challenging and interesting to draw out the students’ best efforts and abilities.

“It is important to adapt and re-design the lesson plan when necessary so that the pupils receiving the planned syllabus do not become tired,” says Anwara. “The lessons must be student-centred and these art experiences must allow them to have their personal voice.”

It’s about being able to relate to the kids.

We must know what’s suitable for them.

Jessica Chaw

“I want to teach them to persevere. With perseverance, they would know never to give up when faced with challenges. This is something by which I live,” says Jessica.

Almost Within Reach

Three years ago, Jessica Chaw’s career-defining moment appeared. After nine years as a generalist teacher who also taught music, she was identified by her Principal to be the school’s first-ever music specialist, and she was overjoyed, thrilled to say the least. With that goal in sight, she even took up piano lessons to prepare herself.

All she needed, she told herself, was to pass the audition to qualify for a four-month Advanced Diploma in Primary Music Education at the National Institute of Education. Jessica went for the interview and audition where she had to play two pieces of music and sight-sing but what followed saw her self-esteem plummet.

She received the devastating news that she did not clear it.

“It was bad. I felt that I had chosen the wrong path to be a music specialist. Maybe I shouldn’t even be doing music at all! I couldn’t answer to anyone, not even to myself,” shares Jessica.

A Blessing in Disguise

Taking some time to re-evaluate her situation, she later turned to her colleague-and-mentor to explore other options. Not about to give up being a subject specialist in music, Jessica re-mapped her journey and decided it would be beneficial to first attend the Music Teacher Practitioner Programme (MTPP) at the Singapore Teachers’ Academy for the aRts (STAR).

Through the MTPP, she got a clearer understanding of what the fourmonth Advanced Diploma course entailed. In retrospect, Jessica says it was a blessing in disguise, for had she qualified the first time round, she might not have survived the intensity of the course.

Rejuvenated, Jessica pushed for a Grade 3 in piano practical and a Grade 5 in theory examinations that year. Besides going for MTPP and private music lessons, she had to attend to the school’s Singapore Youth Festival (SYF) participation, design lessons for her classes, and balance her role as a mother to her two young children. All her free time was spent tinkering on the piano or working on music theory. Jessica was determined not to let the challenges dampen her passion to pursue music specialisation. Her boundaries were not to be defined by setbacks.

Her efforts paid off. Jessica qualified for the Advanced Diploma the second time round. Within the 16-week course, the Senior Teacher (Music) of Edgefield Primary School picked up the requisite pedagogical skills and knowledge necessary to deliver an effective music education. “We were taught how to see the whole framework of the music curriculum,” says Jessica gleefully of her newfound understanding.

Renewed and Refreshed

Returning from the course refreshed and brimming with new ideas, Jessica, together with her music colleague, led an overhaul and re-design of the school’s music curriculum.

“This year, especially, after making changes to the curriculum, I see the children practise their singing and performing skills around and outside school more frequently. They’re also starting to discuss what I have been playing during the Music Appreciation Time every Tuesday and Friday,” says Jessica, on how the students are taking to the changes.

Confessing that she is a big child at heart, Jessica finds that her ability to identify with her students makes for more effective teaching. “It’s about being able to relate to the kids,” says Jessica, “we must know what’s suitable for them.”

In introducing the music concepts of beat and rhythm to her Primary Two students, Jessica would lead them in a circle, and help them identify a song’s pulse through singing and movement. Kueh Pisang (Banana Cake), whose lyrics never fail to tickle the children,

is one of her favourite songs to use in class. Rocking back and forth together to Kueh Pisang’s beat, Jessica would strike a pose at the end of each phrase for them to imitate, usually drawing roars of laughter from her students.

Believing that music can reach the heart and soul of people, Jessica feels that music is a practical avenue for them to express their emotions. Sometimes, her young students are given an instrument and are instructed to explore their instruments by making as much noise as possible. While the dissonance would be jarring to most, in Jessica’s music class, that noise is a constructive form of expression which lends a voice to students.

Teaching through the CCA

Her journey towards becoming the educator she is today has no doubt strengthened her never-give-up philosophy. As a teacher, she practises it by always finding ways to bring out the best in each student and never giving up on them.

While some students have private music lessons these days, she says a substantial number do not have the opportunity to gain that early exposure. Jessica, who learnt to read music and play instruments through her school’s programmes, wants to provide opportunities in areas which she can impact and influence.

Believing in a total music curriculum, she creates music experiences through Co-Curricular Activities (CCAs) like Dancesport to impact 120 students learning different dance styles, for instance, Waltz, Samba, Tango and even Jive. “The satisfaction of seeing them develop and coming back to you after their primary school years; witnessing how they’ve grown and achieved so much in life… it spurs me on as an educator, knowing that I’ve done something right.”

For Jessica, the spirit of perseverance has helped her overcome the odds along her professional development journey, becoming a better educator for herself and for her students. Considering her initial setback as a worthwhile struggle, she reflects: “Becoming a music specialist teacher has allowed me to work out a music curriculum that is best for my students. I’m glad to be the one teaching and influencing them on how they connect to music, to themselves and to the world.”

It’s the willingness to be open, and allowing them to guide you as much as you guide them that will bring the quality of learning to the next level.

After several weeks of cold calls and a trail of dead-end emails, a group of students at Nanyang Girls’ High School were beginning to feel downhearted. As part of the school’s Student Initiated Assessment (SIA) for music students, they had been specifically tasked to contribute back to society through music, in creative and meaningful ways they could think of.

Ee-Chek Yui Hong, the Head of Talent Department, conceived the SIA for music students with a distinctive teaching approach in mind. She says: “My main strategy is to teach as little as I can and let students explore and construct their own learning as much as they can. On my end, I try my best to design activities that provoke critical thinking.”

Under the SIA, students are given the autonomy to conceptualise and direct their own projects, and are responsible for seeing their projects through to fruition. Yui Hong believes that a perceived stumbling block actually trains students to be creative and resourceful when searching for alternatives. For the group of music students, their resilience ultimately paid off with a well-received collaborative recital created with a special needs school.

Meaning Beyond Music

A strong believer that teaching music is teaching beyond content, Yui Hong says it is about teaching dispositions like creative and critical thinking, and leadership using music as the means to agenda.

At Nanyang Girls’ High, Yui Hong teaches the school’s Higher Music Programme, the ‘A’ Level Music Programme and the school’s General Music Programme. She also leads and conducts the school’s Chinese Orchestra where she is responsible for putting the music together, guiding students in realising its aesthetic potential, and developing team work.

A practicing musician herself, she has performed extensively as a soloist and in ensembles and orchestras including the Singapore Youth Chinese Orchestra and the Singapore National Youth Orchestra. A significant portion of performances she used to give growing up were for the community. Honing her skills in varied environments like community centres, elderly care homes and in parks, she recalls that her music experiences in the early days remain some of the most purposeful and memorable ones to her as a musician.

While public performing opportunities are precious in helping students gain experience, Yui Hong feels that more could be done to make them more meaningful. “These performances are mostly instances where we go in, rehearse, perform, and then we leave! The audience may love it and what the girls get is a platform for authentic exposure, which is great. But if we want to give back to the community, it has to be more than that,” says Yui Hong.

Educator, Conductor, Leader

Nominated in the Singapore Women’s Weekly 2013 “Great Women of Our Time” honour roll for her leadership and achievements in the Arts & Media category, Yui Hong’s music journey saw a gradual transition as she evolved from being a performer to an orchestra conductor.

“As a conductor, you are moving through the leadership spectrum continuously,” she says. “On the extreme end of the spectrum, you have the ‘dictator’. You tell people what to do and why something must be done. It’s a lot of charisma you need to have in order to influence people and to have them listen to the leader in you.”

Yui Hong believes that effective leadership requires fluidity. Her open, two-way communication approach has nurtured a healthy foundation of trust that allows her students and teachers to share their ideas freely. She also believes that it is important to respect the students as learners with diverse needs.

“As a teacher, no matter how experienced you are, the students and their needs are always changing. It’s the willingness to be open, and allowing them to guide you as much as you guide them that will bring the quality of learning to the next level. This is how I conduct the classes and how I coach my teachers.”

Why World Music Matters

Yui Hong’s student-centric approach to teaching is also evident when asked what could be done to inspire students who were resistant to learning the different styles of music. She stresses that it is not about getting students to acquire music content. It is about teaching students through music. In the case of world music, it is about nurturing in students fundamentals such as the acceptance and appreciation of differences, cultural or otherwise.

“The key is their view of living. Don’t impose your values on the child. Explain to them that with their understanding in African music or any other music, they may now be better predisposed to connecting and making friends with people from all over the world. Only then will the child sit up because they have never thought about music that way,” she says.

A passionate advocate of world music, Yui Hong’s parents are both music practitioners and she cites them as major influences in her life. Equally comfortable with both Chinese and Western Classical music, it was her parents from whom she learnt the value of learning more than one music tradition.

“I never dreamt that their influence would have life-long impact on my career. It has helped me tremendously in interpreting and enacting the MOE music curriculum, in interpreting music for the Chinese Orchestra, and in understanding the perspectives of foreign colleagues,” the harpist, pianist, yangqin, pipa and guzheng player reflects.

Yui Hong believes that music is a universal form of communication because it engenders feelings, emotions and a common identity; and is certain that the beauty of the arts can be experienced by anyone. A medium accessible by all, the arts cuts across all racial, cultural, social, educational and economic barriers.

“What drives the passion for my work is simply the opportunity to engage positive emotions, to connect with people and to help others develop life skills through music.”

EXPRESS

ARTS

by Angeline Yap Gek Meng

A blue willow bent in the wind to catch the gossip from the blue air and the white clouds in the blue sky looked down upon the blue river meandering across a blue plain toward the blue bridge over the blue waterfall splashing white spray on the blue boy by the blue hut where the blue willow bent in the wind on a blue plate.

This poem, inspired by the artistic blue and white of porcelain designs, was set to choral music by Professor Bernard Tan, a Singaporean composer.

Blue

I don’t think I should find excuses not to make art.

If I have time to go shopping or drink kopi, I should have time to make art too!

Imagine.

A family of three eggs having an afternoon of fun at the playground. An egg sits proudly atop a shiny new motorbike.

Eggs donning trapper hats and scarves gallivanting in a foreign land.

“As I always tell them, we must learn to look at something and not get distracted. These sketchbooks encourage me to keep thinking and pushing myself.”

A Culture of Respect

These whimsical illustrations belong to a collection of personal sketches Zaki Zulfakar, Lead Teacher (Art) of Si Ling Secondary School, has been working on. Humorously titled the Totally Fried Up, But Absolutely Delicious! series, these drawings are inspired by observations Zaki makes in school or elsewhere.

Producing a sketch a day, it takes tremendous discipline and thought to create something fundamentally similar yet completely different every day, especially since he has been working on the same theme for more than half a year. Yet, it is this same rigour and focus that he wants to impart to his students.

Every week without fail, he gathers with his art teachers for a session of art jamming where they make art together for professional practice and construct prototypes for lessons. The teachers are driven by the gotongroyong spirit of mutual support and cooperation where they work closely for the benefit of their students. Zaki is proud to say that it is the same spirit and camaraderie that forms the identity of Si Ling Secondary’s art community.

With a love for travel, Zaki journals his experiences through photography and finds opportunities to have them published. He is also a regular artist exhibiting in ‘a-edge’ – an annual art exhibition organised by the Singapore Teachers’ Academy for the aRts (STAR) for art educators to showcase teacherartist works.

“I don’t think I should find excuses not to make art. If I have time to go shopping or drink kopi, I should have time to make art too!” smiles Zaki with his infectious grin.

What many would not know though, is that Zaki is an alumnus of Si Ling Secondary. Growing up in the heartlands and coming from a humble upbringing, he understands the challenges and burdens these students carry.

“I basically see myself in each and every one of them,” he shares. “That’s why I have a soft spot for children from the heartlands.”

Zaki believes that students must develop and practise selfdiscipline to be successful in their learning journey. Teachers who observe his lessons sometimes marvel at how wellmannered his students are, but he reveals the secret is nothing more than teaching the students to respect the subject and the work they produce.

“I always tell my students their work is a reflection of themselves – what they do is who they are,” he says.

The respect Zaki receives from his students comes from him leading by example, which is why he says it is necessary to be a practicing artist so as to be an effective art teacher. In class, he regularly shares his works with his students to inspire them.

Remembering 10 years ago how his students mischievously challenged him to show them what he could produce, he took up their request and began making art with them.

“They challenge me,” he says. “When they see you making art, they want to learn more from you. I think it’s a blessing to work here because they push me to think.”

Giving Every Student Individual Attention

In his class, Zaki establishes a foundation of rapport which allows a safe and open environment for the sharing of ideas. He says respecting the ideas of students makes it easier to work with them, and one way he fulfils this belief is by encouraging them to choose their own themes for their projects.

In that way, it also allows them to take responsibility for their artworks. His student-centric approach also means putting the needs of students at the forefront of all he does. Zaki and his art teachers will ascertain the interests of the students, before developing learning activities that will match their inclinations for a fun, relevant and meaningful lesson.

Through surveys, actively engaging them in conversations and through his own observations, Zaki is able to get a sense of what is current amongst them. Recently, he took a cue from the ‘selfie’ phenomenon and conducted a photography module where he taught his Secondary Three students to take self-portraits using their smart phones.

The innovative lesson taught students the importance of perspective through a deceptively simple idea. Zaki taught them to redefine selfies by taking pictures of anything else – hands, feet, ears or mouth – but their impish mugs.

“It was a hit!” he relishes. “They went around the school taking photos from different angles. I wanted them to know the camera is just the tool, and it’s really about perspective and how you see things.”

Zaki’s focus on student-centricity goes beyond creating relevance for learning. He believes in setting time aside for his students and makes a concerted effort to foster his relationship with them. “It makes a world of a difference knowing that somebody is there looking out for you,” he says.

To reach out to his students, he creates specialised consultation sessions with them after school. On a one-to-one basis, they discuss about the progress pertaining to their coursework and also talk about other things like music, food and fashion to lighten up. Zaki shares that even if there were 20 students queuing an imaginary line to see him after school, he would make sure every single one of them gets attended to, even if it is just for a few minutes.

A Reflection of Himself

Seeing plenty of potential in his students, Zaki wants to develop them by providing them with exposure platforms in the form of exhibitions as well as competitions. Currently, his students proudly hold art exhibitions at libraries and some have also gone on to win national and international art competitions. “Such successes validate and celebrate what they’re good at,” he shares.

His abiding belief in his students also pushes him to create opportunities for them to build their sense of responsibility and self-confidence by letting them run workshops for primary and pre-school kids at the library. Called the ‘Little Fingers Workshop’, the students have shown immense patience and conscientiousness in teaching the young ones to do simple print making and batik on paper.

Ultimately, Zaki goes all out for the students because he sees them as “hidden gems waiting to be discovered and polished”. His love and concern for them shines through from the way he plans his lessons and interacts with them. The support he gives his students inside and out of school nurtures their innate brilliance and allows them to reach for the stars.

Like art, teaching is also his passion. “Teaching is something that I love,” he says. “And I’ll always be happy teaching art and being an art teacher.”

The benefit’s not just in the content, but the way the teacher role models music making, demonstrates musicianship and how a musician behaves.

If the collective music learning journey of Ng Eng Kee were to be summed up in one word, it would be unconventional. The Head of Department (Aesthetics) of Paya Lebar Methodist Girls’ School has an extensive repertoire of music experiences and professional achievements under his belt, but they did not come fast or easy. The success he reaps today was earned through hard work fuelled by passion, sincerity and serendipity. This is Eng Kee’s story.

AnUnconventional

Start

Born into a family of humble means, Eng Kee never had the opportunity to take up private music lessons as a child despite his flair for it. He remembers not even knowing what a piano was. Unlike many music students who have been exposed to music training through private tutoring, Eng Kee discovered the joy of music through the General Music Programme (GMP) and Co-Curricular Activities (CCAs) of the schools he attended.

Eng Kee learnt to sing as a member of his primary school choir. Later, he picked up the trumpet playing in his Secondary school’s military band. Through the rigour of the CCA programmes, he played the erhu (two-stringed fiddle) in his Junior College Chinese Orchestra and was also actively involved in the Chinese Language Drama and Debating Society (CLDDS).

There was a significant moment in his young life which cemented the belief that music was a friend and companion. As a Primary Four student, he was identified by his teacher to join an external choir at a Community Centre. One Sunday after a performance, Eng Kee and a selected few were publicly commended by their teacher. Eng Kee recalls the pride he felt and it left an indelible mark in his memory as a young boy.

Fortune

Favours the Bold

Eng Kee’s admission to the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) was, in its own right, rather remarkable too. Undeterred by the fact that he did not have the pre-requisite music qualifications, he went for the audition and met Mdm Soh Eng Keng, the programme’s Head of Department. Though he did not meet the entry requirements for the diploma programme, she offered to take him in as a private student after assessing his interest and intent.

“My thoughts were quite naive then,” says Eng Kee. “I just really wanted to take up music, and I think that sincerity moved her.”

It was a leap of faith on both their parts as neither knew how this unusual arrangement would eventually pan out. He spent half a year at NAFA with Mdm Soh, and soon enrolled as a full-time student and began his formal music training at 22 years old.

During his years at NAFA, Eng Kee had the privilege to study under two of Singapore’s prolific composers, the late Mr Leong Yoon Pin and Mr Phoon Yew Tien. In addition to being Eng Kee’s choir teacher, he also took private composition study with the former. He remembers his initial inability to appreciate studying the styles of different composers. “I was bored stiff!” he laughs. However, through composition study, he was deeply intrigued by the way Mr Leong combined the Western technique of composition with Chinese idioms. “If there were a person who really influenced me in terms of music, it would be him.”

Under their tutelage, Eng Kee matured as a musician and moved on to undertake his degree in the United States. While he was confident about his choices, his decision to further his studies was largely unsupported as many felt his future in music was bleak. Not disheartened, he forged forward and majored in Vocal Performance, specialising in concert performance.

Teaching: A Vocation in the Making

Armed with rich learning experiences, 30-year-old Eng Kee began relief teaching at Ghim Moh Secondary School when he returned to Singapore. In his short stint with the school, he helped the band achieve a merit in their marching assessment.

Despite his busy life as an educator, he was actively involved in the choral scene in Singapore. When he returned from his studies, he was asked to join the Metro Philharmonic Society Choir, of which Mr Leong was the founder. Upon noticing that the choir was ageing, he got permission to set up the Metro Philharmonic Youth Choir (MPYC) and has played a large part in igniting the passion in choral singing amongst young people, as well as creating a vibrant music culture in Singapore.

Having been an educator for 17 years, Eng Kee has seen his own attitudes change towards teaching. He advises the younger teachers to keep up with their own music practice and be passionate about the subject.

“The benefit’s not just in the content, but the way the teacher role models music making, demonstrates musicianship and how a musician behaves. These are all part and parcel of music learning. It’s beyond what the teacher says, but what the teacher does.”

Today, teaching has become a vocation for Eng Kee. Other than being able to use his passion, gifts and talents in a gratifying way, he knows that his work has an impact beyond himself.

“I teach because I’m interested in making changes in other people’s lives,” says Eng Kee. “Teaching is my vocation, and this is something I can do for the rest of my life.”

Music provides a means for one to express his thoughts, an idea, a feeling or simply a reason to come together to play.

Music has always been a part of Chee-Tan Ee Sin’s life. Having learnt the piano from her mother – a piano teacher – she quickly went on to pick up the violin at seven, and the dizi (bamboo flute) later in Secondary school. Growing up, Ee Sin had a ball playing with the Singapore National Youth Orchestra, formerly known as the Singapore Youth Orchestra. She was the President of her school’s Chinese Orchestra, and also accompanied a community choir on the piano. It was when she played with other people that her musical horizons widened. “I really enjoyed making music with people,” she says.

Music Education for Teamwork …

The Subject Head of Aesthetics believes that music education benefits students beyond just music skills and knowledge. While acknowledging that not all her students actually go on to pursue music as a career, she says: “It’s the skills they pick up from their music education and later applying to their lives outside of school that is more important.”

With that belief, Ee Sin develops her students to be better musicians by often having them play in duets or as an ensemble. Through collaboration, she wants to develop their appreciation and respect for different music, and develop respect for one another within the ensemble. By playing together, the students will learn to work collaboratively through active music making. “The lessons learnt from forming social relationships while playing as an ensemble can be easily applied outside of music,” she says.

… for Heightened Sensitivity

From her experience playing in orchestras, Ee Sin built up her listening repertoire and learnt to appreciate different instruments and how they come together in harmony. Through learning music and playing with other people, she has honed the ability to listen introspectively and learnt to make connection with the environment around her. This is something she tries to develop in her students.

In a recent assignment for her students, Ee Sin got her students to compose music to accompany photographs for a photo-essay competition. Instinctively, her students questioned the link between music and the photographs. “I told them, ‘To become better, thinking musicians, we need to make connections between what we hear and what we see’. It’s that sensitivity that I hope to develop in the students,” she explains.

… for more Confidence

… for Critical Thinking

As musicians, the ‘voice’ of the students in the programme is represented by the music they create. In addition to their musical voice, Ee Sin often encourages her students to articulate and make visible their thinking about their music, their compositions and their respective instruments. “It’s really about communicating,” she says. “The students spend so much time honing their craft and it would be great if they could explain why they do what they love, and love what they do.”

To encourage such a culture of communication, Ee Sin creates a safe environment for students to share, especially in the lower secondary classes. She begins by asking them to share about their instruments and the pieces that they play. “We make it comfortable for them to open up. Because it’s just within the class and they’re speaking to a group of friends, it’s intimate and less threatening,” she says.

To Ee Sin, music education is also a powerful tool to develop critical thinking in students just as in their process of composing music. “I don’t like to hear answers like ‘it sounds nice’ or ‘I don’t know what else to do’,” she says. Her students are encouraged to explain why they have chosen a certain arrangement or how they picked out the one idea out of the many that they have had. “I want to hear about their thought processes and why they took a certain course of action.” Through critical thinking, her students in the programme learn to understand problems, identify solutions, as well as test out the solutions to see which one works best.

Music Education for a Lifetime

“Music provides a means for one to express his thoughts, an idea, a feeling or simply a reason to come together to play,” she says. “Music is an alternative mode of expression, away from words and visual interpretations.”

Ee Sin hopes that the Music Elective Programme (MEP) which she leads in school provides her students with the grounding and dispositions for them to continue as advocates, leaders and practitioners of music. “An MEP graduand may choose a different path – like becoming an engineer or a doctor – but it is our hope that their passion in music continues to be strong,” says Ee Sin. “That itself is a display of success for the programme,” she adds. She noted that a number of the local orchestras which sprung up recently were founded by MEP alumni, not all of whom are professional musicians.

She has one simple wish for her studentsto use music to help others, to bring music to other people, or to create opportunities for others to play music. “They don’t need to become musicians, but I do hope that through an enjoyable music education, they will continue to have music as part of their lives.”

I wanted them to discover that drawing is not just about sight – it’s a multisensory experience.

Chia Wei Hou

Art is Life

Since young, Chia Wei Hou has always been fascinated with floor plans and architectural drawings, and noticed how the environment can influence a person’s mood, thoughts and behaviour. At Raffles Institution (College), Wei Hou has cleverly designed his art studio to express the fluidity of art with an atmosphere of “openness and possibility” for his students. With desks and chairs that can be configured freely, the studio can easily facilitate different experiences in art making.

Despite the studio’s ability to transform, the Senior Teacher feels that the environment must remain familiar – stimulating yet safe – for his students to learn and experiment well. Believing that art is a highly paradoxical subject, he feels the art studio must reflect the similar sentiment where it is “open, yet closed” at the same time. Creating a conducive workspace is but the first step in helping his students understand the abstract ideal:

Art is for Beauty, for Truth and for Kindness.

Forming the core of his personal life philosophy, these are the three values that guide him.

Encouraging Diversity

“As artists and as people, we’re always trying to chase this fleeting sense of beauty. It’s transient, precious and fragile, and we can only catch a glimpse of it before we have to try again. It’s like trying to catch a butterfly by its tail. But beauty can’t be retained. You see it and it’s gone. But, it makes you yearn more of it. It’s something that must be worked for and it must be learnt.”

Using the analogy of a three-strand braid, he explains that each strand embodies a value. “Truth represents our endowed capacity for intelligence and thoughts. Beauty refers to our innate sensibility to feel and tune into our feelings. Kindness is our inherent nature for doing good, and sensing our minute yet enduring role in the wider scheme of things,” he says. On their own, they are weak and fragile. Once woven together, they form one strong entity that represents what he believes to be Humanity.

Wei Hou wants to use art to make better sense of the world and to re-construct reality in a variety of meaningful ways. “Art education is not about teaching students how to draw or paint. It has its rightful place in the grand scheme of holistic education,” he says.

Driven by his underlying belief that Art connects us to the continuum of “beauty and human imagination”, Wei Hou motivates his students towards finding their own versions of beauty, truth and humanity. He recognises that art should be a subject which celebrates the diversity of creative expressions. With that, he keeps an open mind and adapts his methods according to students’ needs. “If you cannot celebrate the subjectivity of the individual, there is no art,” he says.

Embracing

Failure for Success

Wei Hou also hopes to mitigate students’ fear of failing, through the provision of a supportive learning space. He sees mistakes as learning opportunities that strengthen the students’ ability to overcome setback and nurture their resilience.

“I insist that we learn to learn from mistakes,” he says, “I’d rather they make mistakes earlier so we can learn from the experience, and we can work together to achieve success.”

Indeed, it is this process of learning and unlearning, trying and failing, which Wei Hou reckons as important, more so than the art product itself. Keeping art journals is a habit he has acquired since his own secondary school days, and a practice he has diligently continued till today. Using his own journals to demonstrate and lead the way, he gets his students to

do the same where they record their inspirations, their discarded ideas, trials, and even failed attempts.

To demonstrate that there is often no “correct” in art, he favours employing somewhat unusual activities to encourage students to see things from different perspectives. “As the students got ready to draw with their pencils, I told them to draw in response to the scratches and knocks from their pencils as they are drawing,” he recalls. The unusual task naturally incited confusion and forced the students to think about how to interpret the instruction imaginatively. “I wanted them to discover that drawing is not just about sight – it’s a multisensory experience,” he says. “As they paid attention to the sounds, what initially seemed strange, suddenly became insightful.”

Student Learning and Art Teaching: A Continuum

“I always believe that all students come in with a “bag”, though not literally!”

Full of items, he says the contents in the invisible bag refer to the prior skills, knowledge and experiences, strengths and shortcomings each student has acquired over the years. Throughout the two years with them, he coaches these budding artists to “unpack their bags”, examine and analyse the contents. Along the way, they may toss aside certain items whilst adding new ones like the fresh insights and experiences gained. Once they are ready to move on, Wei Hou helps them to repack their bags, zips them up, and nudges them along towards their next learning destination.

Much like teaching, he sees learning as a continuum and actively contributes to the art teaching fraternity and helps elevate the level of professionalism of art educators through sharing and mentoring. With an already hectic schedule, many wonder why he chooses to spend his remaining pockets of free time facilitating professional development sessions at the Singapore Teachers’ Academy for the aRts.

“I share because I know it’s not easy to teach, and it’s even more difficult to teach art. Art teachers face unique challenges, so coming together to exchange ideas is necessary to contribute to the larger field of art education,” says Wei Hou.

Adding on, he says he forms partnerships with fellow teachers because it makes walking down the teaching journey less daunting. “I’ve benefitted from predecessors who have contributed their wisdom and knowledge. It’d be a shame if I don’t share what I know so others can be equally transformed.”

GROWING WITH THE ARTS

“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.”

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

I wouldn’t have been able to give more in my lessons if I didn’t improve myself.

Faridah Hajarmustika

A Teacher’s Learning Curve

Like other 14-year-olds advancing on to Secondary Three, Faridah Hajarmustika had to select her subject combination for her next two years of Secondary school life. While she loved doing art, she was unconvinced about the prospects of an artist and eventually chose to pursue a more conventional academic route. Even though she never forgot her passion and continued to stay creative, the head over heart decision to forgo studying art came with a lingering cloud of regret. “Studying art would have given me a strong technical foundation that’s necessary for my teaching,” explains Faridah. From that experience, she learnt the importance of staying true to one’s own passion.

Faridah’s path towards becoming the Subject Head of Aesthetics/ CCA (Internal) at Maris Stella High (Primary) was filled with learning points. After six years of teaching art, she felt herself stagnating as an educator and believed she could do more for her students, if only she knew how. With neither approaches nor strategies in place for teaching art, she was restricted by her own limited understanding of art and art pedagogy. At her own behest,

Faridah enrolled into the Art Teacher Practitioner Programme (ATPP) in 2011 as a first step towards becoming a qualified art teacher.

Before ATPP, Faridah thought that teaching art was all about working towards a final art product for each lesson. Going through the programme, she later learnt that this could not be further from the truth. ATPP helped her re-examine her previous beliefs on what makes for a meaningful art education and redefined her role in the classroom.

More importantly, she was equipped with teaching strategies that enabled her to develop her students holistically through art.

It was also during ATPP that Faridah began picking up studio skills which she previously did not have in the absence of a formal art education.

The programme fuelled her thirst for learning, and served as a launch pad to further her professional learning as an art educator. After ATPP, she went on to pursue an Advanced Diploma in Primary Art Education and upon graduation, formally became a qualified art teacher.

Putting Learning into Practice

Through the various professional development opportunities, not only did Faridah manage to take away useful strategies for designing relevant and meaningful art making tasks, she also learnt the importance of art discussion in enhancing students’ critical thinking and appreciation of artworks. Now besides art creation, Faridah also engages her students in art discussions which she believes provides another platform for her students to have their voices heard. Reserved at first, her students have now matured into confident young people with their own views, yet remain respectful of their peers’ opinions.

500 Colour Pencils.

While nurturing personal expression is essential, Faridah also recognises the merits of group learning and makes a conscious effort to create those learning opportunities. For instance, her Primary Five students had to work on a collaborative project as part of ‘A is for Art’, a programme organised by Singapore Teachers’ Academy for the aRts (STAR) in partnership with the Asian Civilisations Museum. This 14week programme included museumbased lessons which gave the students exposure to local and regional cultures through the study of museum artefacts. When they were back in school, students in their teams were given an interesting and challenging art task: design a life-sized “Seat of Honour” for a special guest based on the theme of school identity!

Over a four-month period, the students worked on small art tasks exploring the elements of art –colours, textures, shapes and patterns – and these progressively contributed to the final product that is the chair. Flipping through her teaching journal that is delightfully filled with pictures of her happy students and their works, Faridah shares that during the lesson on ‘textures’, they had to venture

outdoors to find elements from nature that could give varying textures to their prototype chairs made out of clay. Her photographs capture the boys crouching beside shrubs, fiddling with soil, leaves and flowers, and conceiving its suitability for their clay chairs.

Through exploring a variety of materials and experimenting with diverse art techniques, the groups of students developed a range of innovative creations. One of the chairs, which was voted by the whole school population as best representing the school identity, was made out of countless colour pencils and paper clips, and it took the teachers and a group of six dedicated students seven days to construct.

In her reflective journal, Faridah points to the list of student feedback that she has recorded. One comment reads “we really stretched our minds to the fullest”, and another says “enjoyed combining ideas as a team”. For Faridah, art lessons are not only about making art products. The journey of art making is equally, if not more, important. She explains, “I hope to provide opportunities for students to discover more about themselves and others through the process of art expression.” Indeed it is through such lessons that she teaches her students to respect others, persevere, experiment and be curious while finding their voices in art.

Growing through Learning

Reflecting on her involvement in the ‘A is for Art’ programme for the past two years, Faridah says, “I realised the most difficult thing about designing a good art lesson is coming up with a meaningful art task – one which the students can make a personal connection to.”

Developing two different thematic modules for the ‘A is for Art’ programme has pushed Faridah to see broader and think deeper in terms of lesson design, and she is constantly seeking ways to make art learning engaging and relevant for students in all her art lessons. She understands that this is only possible if she keeps learning and applying her newly-acquired knowledge into her classroom practice.

The growth in this young teacher’s teaching capabilities can be attributed to the significance that she places on sustained professional development. Faridah hopes her students will see the value of a continuing education as much as she does. “I wouldn’t have been able to give more in my lessons if I didn’t upgrade myself,” she says. “I hope that the values I share with my students daily – appreciation, perspective and reflection – will inspire them to want to learn something new every day.”

Charlotte Tan

What I get is more than what I give out.

Every new batch of students pushes me to want to become a better teacher.

Charlotte Tan, Senior Teacher at CHIJ Secondary (Toa Payoh), enjoys going out of her comfort zone so much she ended up making art in a desert. Together with some 20 artists, she spent days traversing the parched and barren land known as Fowlers Gap in New South Wales, Australia, to seek beauty in a landscape seemingly full of imperfection.

Yet, it was in the harsh weather conditions that inspiration bloomed. Charlotte found her subject – trees – which she describes as the last vestiges of fragile beauty in the hostile environment. The works born from this experience eventually led Charlotte to her first solo art exhibition in 2009, titled The Erosion of Memories

Raising the Bar

“As an artist, I am always looking to push the boundaries in my work so that I can find new ways of expression,” she says. Working on tree-inspired pieces over the last seven years, she continues to find the subject invigorating and chooses to push herself through the use of various mediums. “I like to be a little experimental when I am working out my ideas.”

Charlotte’s idea of ‘pushing boundaries’ however, transcends the physical form of art making. She believes strongly in the need to make meaning of her works, and characterises meaningful art as something that expresses personal ideas and beliefs, instead of it simply being an object of art.

That is her philosophy as an artist, and as a teacher, she too hopes to nurture the same disposition in her students. In class, she has observed that her students are prone to making art that might sometimes lack context and insight. She wants to inspire them to think more deeply about issues and to work on themes they personally believe in. Charlotte maintains that there is no

right or wrong in art and supports their creations fully. “I always tell them whatever they have done from their heart will be unique and beautiful,” she says.

As a practicing artist, Charlotte is also able to use her rich experience to guide her students, and explains how being one informs her teaching: “I go through the same roadblocks a student goes through when they are trying to come up with original ways of connecting their work with their own issues and beliefs. So in a way, I can be more effective in helping my students come up with creative solutions because I constantly walk down that path myself.”

“Art helps people reach into the creative recesses of their inner self to connect with themselves on a deeper level. That is one of the key values art brings to anyone,” she says. “I feel a great sense of satisfaction when I see a student relate to an artwork and its meaning.”

Making Art Meaningful Keeping the Classroom Experience Fresh

Having exhibited locally and internationally in both solo and group settings, Charlotte recently took her artistic contributions to greater heights through her active community involvement. Participating in a 2013 breast cancer awareness campaign, Charlotte and three other selected local artists painted an artwork each to raise funds for the cause. The ‘Circle of Strength 2013’ campaign, which aimed to shift public focus from ‘awareness’ to ‘increased action’, eventually raised a stellar amount that went into sponsoring 2,000 mammograms for women from lowincome families.

Not satisfied simply with donating her artwork for auction, Charlotte decided that it would make for a more meaningful project if the volunteers – women who were survivors of the disease – were involved in the creative process as well. So under her lead, they pieced together a beautiful collage of their collective experiences, conveying the message of hope, and presented the mural to the Breast Cancer Foundation.

Charlotte is a firm believer that art is for everyone, and eventually hopes to reach out to children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Her intentions are simple and genuine – she would like to give underprivileged children access to the arts.

“There are many talented kids out there who don’t have the opportunity,” says Charlotte. “With that added help, they will be able to apply for scholarships, apply to schools with a portfolio, get into auditions, and so on. Even if they don’t become artists, it doesn’t matter. They can just enjoy art for art’s sake and I think their lives will be enriched. ”

With over 30 years of experience in the classroom, one of the cornerstones from which she works is making sure that the learning environment is safe for students to express themselves freely. Charlotte shares that this is to allow the students to feel that their opinions are respected and valued, which will hearten them to be active learners. At the same time, she has to tread the delicate line of being a friend and a disciplinarian to the students, something which the Senior Teacher notes, poses a challenge for many young teachers.

“I think that the new teachers need a lot of help in classroom management. When they are Beginning Teachers, most of them tend to want to be friends with the students because they want a lively and engaged class. However, they might end up with discipline problems that may eventually escalate negatively and they end up disappointed and disillusioned,” says Charlotte.

But she believes that experience will be their best teacher, and the young educators will eventually acquire that right balance between being strict yet personable in the classroom.

and this makes it an exciting and creative process. Seeing how my students develop over time – from not understanding art and with developing art skills, to being confident and articulate individuals who enjoy the subject – has kept me motivated to continue in this profession,” says Charlotte on what keeps teaching fresh.

When Giving is Receiving

While she is helping her students reach their fullest potential, she says teaching is actually a mutually rewarding experience that has enriched her enormously too.

“I get a lot back from teaching. When I first started, I initially thought I had much to give and help the students, but actually, the pleasure is all mine,” says Charlotte. “What I get is more than what I give out. Every new batch of students pushes me to want to become a better teacher, to learn more, so that I can bring more enriching experiences to the classroom.”

“The classroom experience is never repetitive. Every class is different

Charlotte, who through the years has found teaching to be “an incredibly amazing experience”, encourages those who want to help the community to join the fraternity. “If you have the passion for giving, teach. Teaching is one way that you can give back in the most meaningful way.”

We want teachers to step forward and be leaders to share their knowledge with the community.

Loy

Victoria

Ask any seven-year-old about their ambitions and they will give you an array of the most colourful answers ranging from doctors, astronauts, dancers to even mermaids. Most of them eventually grow out of their childhood aspirations, but some actually do follow through and become what their younger selves wanted to be. One such person is Victoria Loy, Master Teacher in Art.

She often admired her own teachers as “heroes”, whose caring endeavours etched deep impressions that reinforced Victoria’s decision to want to become like them.

Renewal and Transformation

Working at the Singapore Teachers’ Academy for the aRts (STAR), Victoria and her colleagues mooted the idea of the Art Teacher Practitioner Programme (ATPP) three years ago after realising there were actually many teachers passionate about teaching art, but were handicapped by the lack of formal training. This is a bridging course that prepares teachers for entry into the Advanced Diploma in Primary Art Education at the National Institute of Education (NIE).

Victoria describes the experience of one teacher-participant of the ATPP who used to think of art as merely a subject for “entertaining” students and would rely on simple art tasks to get by. Having gone through the ATPP, the teacher realised the enormous potential of art in shaping lives. She began to redesign her lessons with greater confidence. Victoria proudly recalls that this teacher later went on to become a primary school art specialist teacher and now contributes as a STAR teacher-leader.

“As teachers, we ought to lead learners, adopt a growth mindset and take ownership of our own learning.”

Victoria also mentors teachers at the STAR Senior Teacher Programme.

Senior Teachers have the responsibility of mentoring other teachers within their own school and sometimes other schools in their cluster. Victoria works closely with them to deepen their pedagogical understanding and empower them to take on the ownership of building the fraternity. They serve to lead, and lead to serve.

“The teacher-leaders are very precious because one person’s impact and influence is very limited. If you’re able to inspire a group of leaders, and the leaders can then inspire further, you can see the ripple effect.”

More importantly, it is through these programmes that Victoria hopes to foster a common mission and identity.

“Art teachers need to feel proud of who they are, and see the meaning, importance and value of art education. As a fraternity, it is important that we keep learning and growing together. Each of us has our unique strengths and we are here to complete one another,” she says.

Relationships: The Secret to Success Paying it Forward

As an art teacher, Victoria believes that every child is precious and can reach his potential and excel in life if he is nurtured with love and care.

In her role as a Master Teacher, she finds great satisfaction in seeing the growth of the teachers she mentors. But what gives her utmost joy is establishing rapport with them, knowing them as individuals and guiding them as a team. The relationship has touched some of them deeply. One, who was on the verge of leaving service, re-kindled her passion as an art educator with the close support given by Victoria.

“Have you heard about the core theory of success by Daniel Kim?” asks Victoria.

“It affirms that the catalyst of any success is building quality relationships. Once that’s been established, it leads to quality conversations, to quality actions, and then to quality results. It’s a cycle which repeats and reinforces itself. ”

Back at Presbyterian High School as a Beginning Teacher, Victoria held the responsibility of teaching art to graduating classes during her first year – to deal with 101 students who had zero inkling that their final project was due in six months. Alarmed, Victoria quickly sought help from different schools with a niche in art. For the next three months, she would visit these schools after work, and diligently learn the various art forms like batik, printmaking, tie and dye and paper-cut from experienced teachers. It was a nerve-wrecking and exhausting six months of intensive learning to better equip herself as a young teacher.

Victoria believes other Beginning Teachers should not have to undergo the same struggles. “Because of the experience I’ve had hopping around and learning from other teachers, I feel strongly that I should bring the current Beginning Teachers to see other teachers’ classrooms,” she explains. Therein lies the genesis of her design philosophy for the Beginning Teacher (Art) Programme.

From the Ground Up

Through these learning journeys, the Beginning Teachers experience different school learning environments. More significantly, these are platforms where Victoria taps on the expertise and experience of the Senior Teachers to engender a supportive teacher-led culture.

“It is a long term culture we are encouraging and building,” says Victoria. “We want teachers to step forward and be leaders to share their knowledge with the community.”

The sharing of expertise is mutually beneficial for both the Beginning and Senior Teachers. While the Beginning Teachers reap from the knowledge shared, Senior Teachers who share gain from refining their teaching and mentoring practice.

“It’s about always working towards better teaching. There’s no such thing as being the best teacher, as one can always strive towards refining one’s lesson,” says Victoria, and adds that the de-privatising of one’s classroom invites collegial conversations and collective inquiry about teaching. In addition, it builds the teachers’ confidence.

It comes right back to Victoria finding ways to bring out the best in people and empowering them. Through the years, students and teachers have flourished under her care, akin to how she describes teaching as a life-giving experience.

“Being able to mentor the students and teachers is both a humbling and enriching experience for me,” she says. “I’m like a humble little matchstick which has the innate potential to bring light, warmth and hope to the world. I’m thankful for being blessed and I hope to be of a blessing to others around me.”

Victoria used to think her teachers were heroes. Her leading light and deep belief for others has made her a hero too.

If we’ve learnt anything from ‘superheroes’ it’s that all great things come with big responsibilities.

Four years ago, an unexpected phone call regarding the formation of an arts teachers’ professional development academy came for Li Yen See. She was persuaded to leave her school and headship to be part of a new organisation. While many would balk at the idea of venturing into new ‘territories’, Yen See relished the challenge.

“I’m not the sort to turn away from a challenge. I suppose people will say that’s very gung-ho, but life is short! So let’s go for it and see where it takes you,” she declares.

The First Music Master Teacher

Yen See also became Singapore’s first Master Teacher in Music in June 2012.

“The first is always the hardest, but not hard in a negative way. There were expectations and I had my share of doubts on whether I could live up to them. If we’ve learnt anything from ‘superheroes’, it’s that all great things come with big responsibilities. It’s also a lot about having faith in myself to grow and to lead the community,” muses Yen See.

“It’s not only about what you’ve done, but also about what you hope to accomplish. The interview panel wants to know your aspirations and dreams, your philosophies and beliefs.”

Yen See’s transition to her current role also saw her responsibilities evolve from teaching students to teaching adults. While the demographic of those she leads has changed, her goals remain the same. At the heart of her work, she develops people, drawing out from within the best in students and teachers alike, in hopes that they will become leaders themselves.

A

Fraternity of Leaders

Since early 2012, Yen See has begun journeying with 56 primary music teachers in the STAR Champions programme, building them up as leaders for a strong teacher-led fraternity.

“After going through their own professional development, they go out and share that knowledge and skills with other teachers.”

Yen See sees the growth of teacher-leaders as being critical to her mission of ensuring sustainable professional development for the arts educator fraternity.

The Heart of Professional Development

Learning together, sharing of practices and the developing of relationships bring out what Yen See describes as the human side of professional development – and is one from which she takes inspiration. She builds others through collegial relationships and she sees herself as a mentor and a friend.

Believing strongly that the STAR Champions programme is more than just about leadership, she says: “They’ve found friendships along this journey. It’s about being in a team, finding a team identity and feeling like you belong to something bigger.” The camaraderie and energy is electrifying. “It’s like a great homecoming!” laughs Yen See.

“That’s the beauty of it and I’m very thankful for this STAR Champions community. I think STAR is where it’s at now because the teachers believe in us. Likewise, we kept faith in them that they would develop in their professional journey as teacher-leaders for the music fraternity.”

“It’s about making progress and understanding the process.”

“Being a ‘Master Teacher’ wasn’t something I aspired to be when I first joined STAR as I was on the Leadership track. But now with the role as Master Teacher, I’ll always bear in mind the noble responsibility that comes with it. The role is still new to me and there’s still very much to explore, but what’s most important to remember is that I’m here to serve the needs of the fraternity. Hopefully, I can still continue to lead the community, to care and to inspire many teachers for many more years to come.”

ARTS LIFE

Little Things

by Geraldine Heng

The poet reminisces her childhood memories of Mid-Autumn Festival.

The poem was set for a boys’ choir in 1983, and later re-scored for Anglo-Chinese Junior College Choir by Professor Bernard Tan, a Singaporean composer.

we were a crooked line of giggling children untidy-happy delight burning on our faces brighter than the muted flickers of light straining to be released from paint-gay lanterns earnest hands tightly clutched bamboo rods from which hung our lives and souls and concentration in kaleidoscopic cellophane and bits of wire and bamboo our hearts weaving excitement and adventure into a tiny red candle and as the minute flame leaped and capered so did we even the dark around us seemed to cheer and clap its hands to lusty singing and laughter-gurgles and today there we are in the streets again our eyes shining in their faces our hearts laughing in small bodies aglow with lantern-light lanterns never go out

If they have the discipline, they’re not about to look for the easy way out because they are used to the rigour of practice.

Elsie Poey-Tan

Exhilaration!

That is the feeling Elsie Poey-Tan, Principal of Bukit View Primary School, remembers when she used to perform on stage as a choral singer. Beginning her music journey as a young singer with the church choir, she progressed to join the varsity choir at the National University of Singapore where she studied under the late Mr Choo Hwee Lim. Later on, joining the Singapore Symphony Chorus, she discovered the immense joy of performing for an audience and the glowing satisfaction which came after.

Considering the voice to be the most natural and inexpensive instrument everybody has access to, Elsie started Bukit View Primary’s choir in 2013 after she joined the school. Through school-based performances, the young ensemble gets the chance to experience the pleasures of making music together.

Aside from the joy and appreciation derived from performing, Elsie says it helps students develop rigour and the motivation for excellence. For one, knowing that they are being scrutinised by the audience encourages them to be conscious of how they present themselves. Behind the stage, that means heightened focus and closer teamwork for an impeccable performance. Furthermore, performance builds confidence and creativity. “It stretches their minds and their imagination,” she says.

Music is a Language of its Own

A strong advocate for the arts, Elsie feels that the arts can bring out the soul in a person. Specifically, the arts allow students to express their burgeoning adolescent emotions appropriately. When Elsie was younger, she found a different form of expression through the piano for her temper flares; and it was through the intensity of her piano playing that her family could discern her feelings. An effective practice she keeps till today, she understands the significance of knowing how to play an instrument, and believes that every child should learn one so they will have an avenue to express emotions both positive and negative.

So it is with her own piano playing experience that she pioneered Bukit View Primary‘s first ukulele programme. On top of the recorder, all her Primary Four and Five students get to learn the basics of the stringed instrument at school. As a bonus, they each get to bring home a personal ukulele for practice. For many, their continued interest in the ukulele is apparent even after the lessons have ended. “They still bring it to school and strum! It’s my dream that every child would have learnt an instrument before they leave the school,” says Elsie.

Moreover, to lead to a better understanding of the instrumental technique and underpinning music concepts, Elsie ensures that every student gets to study basic theory before graduating. “Music is a language of its own,” she says. She explains that with the understanding of basic music theory, they will be able to decipher music scores and use it to their benefit when trying to learn songs independently. “It’s a life skill and a language they can continue to pursue on their own in the future.”

The Convergence of Aesthetics and the Other Subjects

A literature teacher by training, Elsie used to bring her students out for plays like Romeo and Juliet. After which, they would re-enact little scenes in class relating to common teenage themes like romance, and the students saw how the stories truly came alive when they were not just spectators of the subject matter. Taking that experience into Bukit View Primary as a school leader, she generously promotes the use of the arts in the curriculum for an engaging learning experience.

Music, for example, has been used to teach mathematics. Together with her Head of Aesthetics, they came up with the idea of using time signature in music to teach fractions to a class of struggling students. The curriculum innovation has seen significant improvement in students’ understanding of fractions. “It was the best of both worlds!” she says.

One powerful example of purposeful arts-based pedagogy is applying drama’s ‘Conscience Alley’ activity in Civics and Moral Education lessons. Forming two lines, students are responsible for either playing the devil’s advocate or guardian angel to their friend who is walking through based on a given scenario. At the end of the tunnel, that student has to make a decision.

“They’ll throw words of advice (i.e. vocalised conscience) to the friend, but they themselves have to think through the possible advantages and disadvantages of a situation first,” says Elsie. A useful technique in exploring dilemma, this pedagogy gives students the opportunity to analyse problems and develop independent decision-making skills. Furthermore, it aids in character development such as fostering empathy.

Tailoring a Vibrant

Arts Culture

Elsie has harnessed the potential in art, drama and music to develop students in the most holistic way possible. She is continually assessing the equilibrium between the arts and other academic subjects to ensure that students enjoy a well-rounded education. She has also made learning a joyful and engaging process for the children. With that, the kind of student she hopes to nurture is one who has the discipline and the courage to try.

“I hope I can get them to have an open mind, the inner discipline and inner desire to perfect things. They can go a long way because they are not about to give their boss slipshod work – there’s a pride to perfect it. If they have the discipline, they’re not about to look for the easy way out because they are used to the rigour of practice,” says Elsie.

“We’ll be seeing a group of Singaporeans who are far more balanced because of the way they are nurtured at this moment. I see that in ten years’ time, our nation will no doubt change in terms of the appreciation of the arts.”

I want them to know that they can transfer that same belief into anything else they do in their life and achieve success at it.

Pradeep Rhadakrishnan

At Spectra Secondary School, everyone is musical.

Pradeep Radhakrishnan, the school’s Subject Head (Aesthetics), is working from the cornerstone that every student is musically-abled in his own ways.

Having taught Normal Technical (NT) students since the beginning of his teaching career, he was eager to bring his expertise to a new setting and customise a music curriculum that will most benefit them.

Powered by his teaching philosophy, Pradeep wants to discover his students’ individual strengths and maximise their potential. He was inspired by a book he once read, the author – renowned ethnomusicologist John Blacking – asserted the powerful notion that all of us are naturally musical despite what we think or what we have been told. By finding out how they are musical, and what is it within them that is musical, Pradeep hopes to change his students’ views about music.

Teaching Normal Technical Students

Quick to break the misconception that the NT students are difficult to teach, disruptive, and slower to learn, Pradeep says they are instead forthcoming, imaginative and hardworking.

“One thing about NT students is that they’ve been dismissed a lot. Even if they haven’t been told per se, they are socialised to believe they aren’t going to be seen as successful people,” he shares.

“I know these children and I know they have shorter attention spans and can’t sit still in class all the time. Music allows a more natural setting for them to move around and use their hands,” he says.

Valuing What They Value

To make music accessible, he looks into his students’ “non-school” music preferences, and uses them in the classroom as part of school music content. Such informal learning strategies resonate with Pradeep’s own musical journey where he preferred to spend more time learning the songs of musicians like ABBA on the piano, and less on western classical music composers like Bach.

“If I liked something I heard on the radio, I would go to the piano and try to reproduce it. Pop piano helped sustain the classical part of piano which was more rigid. It helped me stay on course and continue learning and practising the piano,” he says.

Pradeep believes in the inclusion of popular culture in his music lessons. One such activity, he tells us, is teaching them the ‘Cups’ song as popularised by the movie Pitch Perfect. It was an innovative way of teaching his students rhythm, coordination and beat through music to which they can relate. Trying to master clapping, shifting and singing all at once, and then together as a class, the students had an enjoyable time learning music concepts through unconventional means.

To further encourage their involvement, Pradeep also gets them to bring in materials – songs and lyrics by their favourite musicians – for sharing. Reserving some time every week to listen to them, he says this is about handing them ownership and “valuing what they value”. The materials serve as an important medium of communication between teacher and students, and create a variety of teachable moments during lessons.

“Through what they bring into the classroom, I can use them as examples to educate the students on the importance of respecting the choices of their peers. It gives them a chance to negotiate the way they respond to each other, to be tactfully critical. It also gives us the chance to analyse the content and context of lyrics,” says Pradeep.

Believing that it is important that students enjoy what they learn in the classroom, Pradeep actively seeks out what their current interests are. After finding out what is engaging or appealing to them, he would then design lessons that incorporate musical skills and knowledge that he wants students to learn.

Recently picking up on one of their interests, computer games, he plans to teach them how to design simple soundtracks or background music for the games. Using software applications like GarageBand, he intends to show them, first, how to recreate the melodies they hear. Once they are familiar with that, he can teach them how to conceive an original piece of music.

“It’s about making (students’ preferred) music appealing enough to be learnt and taught within the school. From there, we can help students make meaning of what they’re hearing,” says Pradeep.

Eight Hours on a Hobby: Accountant Turned Music Teacher

“I have no doubt that they can learn anything. But I do doubt the way we teach them. We need to pay greater effort and attention focusing on the pedagogy in our system, and not worry so much about the depth or the extent of knowledge,” he says.

Driven by that awareness, Pradeep decided to pursue his Master of Education, specialising in Music, to understand how lessons could be designed and delivered more effectively for his students. An accountant for eight years before making a mid-career switch to teaching, he was actually trained to teach Principles of Accounts as his main subject. Music was his second subject.

Moving on to specialise in music at Spectra Secondary, Pradeep cheerfully says it was “an opportunity to spend eight hours on a hobby.”

“I’m glad I’m able to give them the satisfaction that they’ve empowered themselves to be able to play something musical. I want them to know that they can transfer that same belief into anything else they do in their life and achieve success at it. This small success will eventually translate into bigger ones in the future.”

Arts education is not

about teaching the technical skills, it’s about teaching them life.

Fatimah Sawifi

This story is about an energetic teacher who says ‘Just do it!’: Fatimah Sawifi, Head of Aesthetics of Chestnut Drive Secondary School.

“If the child has an interest in arts, these opportunities in school will give them a step-up in terms of experience,” says Fatimah.

Such is the experience with Fatimah’s former student. Local actor and entertainer Ebi Shankara, who has been deeply involved in television and theatre productions like Ah Boys to Men and The Full Monty, is an alumnus of Chestnut Drive Secondary. Ebi was torn between choosing Drama or Engineering as his post-secondary study. While art was not a subject he took at ‘O’ Level, his knowledge and skills gained from an immersive arts culture in school has opened his eyes to the possibility of theatre and drama as a career option. Ebi followed the advice of Fatimah who encouraged him to take “the road less travelled”. His story is an affirmation of what the school has done for the students in terms of providing them with a broad-based arts experience. Fatimah and Ebi have shared pride especially now that he contributes back to his alma mater as the school’s drama teacher.

Fatimah’s life is possibly also “the road less travelled”. Besides work, Fatimah also juggles the duties of being a busy parent of five. In-between spending quality time with her children, she is also an active sportswoman who does half marathons and a practicing artist who participates in art exhibitions. Did we mention she jams regularly, too?

Seeding Success through Collaboration

Carrying that upbeat attitude into Chestnut Drive Secondary, Fatimah oversees the Art, Music, Design & Technology, and Food & Nutrition curricula with similar gusto. Her emphasis is on developing a holistic arts education at Chestnut Drive through the school’s core curriculum and co-curriculum. She believes that the impactful way to grow the school’s arts programme is to consistently nurture and seed inter-department collaboration, engaging teachers from different departments and harnessing their varied expertise.

According to Fatimah, visual art should not be confined within the walls of the art room, and as such, she encourages colleagues teaching other subjects to use art to deepen students’ learning. She championed a recent initiative known as ‘iSTART’ with the aim of integrating art and information and communication technology (ICT) tools into classroom teaching. Taken up on a voluntary basis, Fatimah observes that there has been an increase in participation rate as more teachers are approaching her department for help to design arts-integrated lessons.

“Talent-Scouting”

in Chestnut Drive

The Aesthetics department also collaborates with other departments in the school’s Aesthetics Week – a yearly programme organised thematically. In 2013, it was held in conjunction with World Environment Day with the activities revolving around recycling. Instead of turning the courses over to vendors, Fatimah “talent-scouted” the school and discovered teachers equally capable of conducting these short workshops.

Not only were the students thrilled to see their Science teacher nimbly bending balloons into poodles or witness their Mathematics teacher crooning to a ukulele, Fatimah points out that it was a refreshing change for her colleagues too because it was a chance for them to teach something besides their subject domain. “The teachers are willing and enthusiastic to come on board,” she says, and notes that the success of their current arts programme similarly hinges upon the whole school’s participation and support.

Building a Generation of Arts Patrons

Apart from nurturing arts practitioners like Ebi, Fatimah has also seen a handful of her students join her in the arts teaching fraternity while others have gone on to manage their own arts schools. Smiling, she says: “It’s a nice feeling to see how your students have progressed from doing basic art in the classroom to something much greater. It’s wonderful to know they are giving back to society by sharing their expertise with the younger generation.”

Fatimah, however, wants to educate for more than just a new generation of artists or practitioners. She wants to build up a generation of appreciative audience, and to develop an upcoming generation of arts patrons.

Essential for all students, a holistic arts education develops in them the competencies necessary for the 21st century such as a critical and inventive mind, regardless of whether they choose to continue with the arts in the future. “From their arts experience, they learn to see things from the artist’s point of view. For example, if they watch television and view advertisements, they are able to build an opinion about it and understand nuances,” says Fatimah.

The belief that art is not merely a subject stands as a strong personal teaching philosophy. “Arts education is not about teaching the technical skills, it’s about teaching them life. Amongst other things, you teach them to commit and to persevere. Most importantly, you teach them to be confident young people.”

Irene Chin

Music matters because it builds confidence, creativity, and it can even change lives.

A Mother’s Influence

“I’m very heartened to say that I get children who are very enthusiastic,” beams Irene, whose energy is as infectious as the ones she teaches. “After class, one or two would exclaim ’Oh, Mrs Chin! I love you!’ Those are really the rewards of teaching!”

These words resonate with remembrance of things past.

The Sound of Music, Gone with the Wind and The Ten Commandments were some of the many timeless films Irene Chin grew up watching. Her mother believed that early and varied exposure to the arts would broaden her children’s horizons. Besides film and modern theatre, Mrs Chin taught them to appreciate traditional theatre through Chinese Opera and waltzed them into the literary world through the books she had amassed. She was also one who encouraged the interests of her children. Upon noticing Irene’s fondness for musical toys, she let her take up piano lessons when she was just in kindergarten – a move which has paid off invaluably.

Apart from being a fervent supporter of the arts, Mrs Chin was also a teacher. Irene followed on school trips and got to observe her mother at work. She says she was “quietly inspired” by her mother’s energy and the influence she had on her students.

All in a Day’s Work

The early start in the arts and her mum’s influence helped when Irene became an educator herself. A proud mother of five, she would bring her children along to her music rehearsals and involve them in school activities, all with a gentle hope that they will be inspired like she once was.

On regular days at school, the Senior Teacher (Music) of West Grove Primary only has to deal with the 10 rambunctious classes under her lead. A typical day for Irene would comprise plenty of movement, creation of sounds, squeals of laughter, and the occasional declaration of love.

To the untrained eye, it may be easy to pass music lessons as playtime for these young ones; but Irene affirms that music has equal voicing in the total curriculum as with other core subjects. In particular, she says music nurtures children in their social emotional dimensions, develops critical listening, team discipline and concentration – skills that will facilitate their learning across all disciplines.

Irene establishes musical routines which are essentially the groundwork for a well-orchestrated classroom. Every lesson, she leads her students into the music room singing as she is well aware that the class would need to be primed to move into their topic

in a musically experiential way. Tuning in then includes a catchy greeting song in four languages before the students fall into place. These simple tune-in strategies work wonders in capturing the young students’ darting attention and they work marvellously as effective classroom management strategies.

Capitalising on the students’ strength - their energy - Irene makes sure the music class strategies are varied in order to keep them interested. In effect, Irene employs more kinesthetic and experiential activities, engaging their core muscles to help them internalise music concepts.

“Music matters because it builds confidence, creativity, and it can even change lives.”

Irene also believes that a contextualised curriculum is necessary and the songs she introduces must reinforce the experiences that students bring to class. The classic children’s song Ke Ren Lai (When Guests Visit) teaches what makes a gracious host and how to treat a visiting guest. By choosing age appropriate content, songs allow connections to real-life experiences, making learning more personal and meaningful. Using music in the classroom to cultivate enduring values, habits and attitudes that will carry through a lifetime resonate with Irene’s personal teaching goals.

The “Modern TV Syndrome”

Although Irene has pointed out that her young students do enjoy being physically active, she has noticed that with increased exposure to technology today, some children’s natural exuberance is slowly taking a backseat and it is apparent by the way they behave in the music classroom.

Irene coins it the “modern TV syndrome”.

Why Music Matters

“I see myself as their guardian, giving them opportunities and pointers to enjoy music. I see music as a channel of solace, comfort, joy, and identity which students can use as a means of emotional expression and communication,” says Irene.

It is no small feat, but it is Irene’s love for music and her love for learning that sustains her. The moments when she feels that she has made a real impact – be it a smile after a performance or the insightful questions her students ask – continue to inspire her to improve herself.

Her enthusiasm in teaching sees her impacting beyond her own classrooms to fellow music teachers through cluster-based music workshops and the Professional Learning Community that she leads.

Using music to counteract the “modern TV syndrome”, she gets her classes involved in physical activity and gets them to interact with each other meaningfully. Using musical routines such as dancing and singing collaboratively, Irene hopes to stimulate their creative and critical thinking, developing socialemotional skills which can only come from engaging with people.

With entertainment and education available at the touch of a button, she observes that the escalating contact with such devices as stimuli, unfortunately, “robs them of their natural inclination to be active and interact with nature and people at large.”

Music, which has been the “life and soul” and a “companion” to Irene from young, is something she says she can always find the deepest comfort in. “Music has taught me so much – perseverance, discipline, love and beauty – and I only want my students to achieve the same.”