Performing Arts
Learning creativity and self-expression
Performing Arts:
Music, Drama, Visual Arts and Dance
Stamford American International School believes that studying Music, Drama, Visual Arts and Dance helps students become aware of additional methods of communication and develop a lifelong engagement with and appreciation for the arts. Throughout the subject areas including the Performing Arts, the IB curriculum driven units of inquiry are incorporated as much as possible so as to reinforce concepts and create learning synergies.
Music Music is an important part of life at Stamford because it instills discipline, endurance, aural, performance, analytical skills and furthermore, students gain a sense of community. Students begin their informal musical education at age 2 in the Nursery Program where songs and music are integrated throughout the curriculum, including through the Foreign Language Program. From Pre-Kindergarten through to Secondary School the opportunities for music education continue to expand in variety, depth and degree of difficulty. Stamford is committed to providing the best learning experiences available to our students and research suggests that music education can provide significant benefits, including:
Kindergarten, Kindergarten 1 and Kindergarten 2 have piano or violin Suzuki Method Music classes. As students move to the IB Middle Years Program Curriculum in Grade 6, they are exposed to a multitude of musical genres, instruments and technology. The aim is to find the student’s musical passion, whether it be an interest in Verdi or Vocaloid, Bach or Beatbox. Students across all grade levels will eventually demonstrate their newfound skills at the Winter Concert, a mid-year performance opportunity for all students to share their talents. Suzuki Program In the same way that a child learns to speak before they are able to read, the Suzuki method of instruction pivots off the belief that a child can play music before they are able to read notation. In keeping, Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten 1 students are introduced to violin using the Suzuki Method and Kindergarten 2 students are introduced to the piano using the Suzuki Method.
• Musical training from an early age can lead to an increased aptitude for language, mathematics, reading and writing. • Learning about tones and score in music builds in students the capability of storing audio information, leading to improved abilities in language. • Instrumental education betters the verbal memory, enhancing students’ capacity for recognizing emotions by the tone of voice and providing an additional outlet for self-expression.
This method is progressive; students learn in small steps and develop memory in a gradual manner. Instead of traditional instruction using printed music, children are taught by repetition and continual reinforcement of memory. A big part of this program involves exposure. As children hear music, they develop expectations of their violins. In keeping with this principle, students may be assigned “listening homework.” Parents are encouraged to become involved in their child’s instrumental education by offering encouragement and assisting in practice at home. The greatest progress is often made when practicing often but in short increments, so children are urged to practice for five to ten minutes, five times a week.
Starting from Kindergarten 2, students at Stamford have two periods of music per week; one covering the dual International Baccalaureate (IB) and American Education Reaches Out (AERO) standards curriculum and the second to either introduce a new instrument each quarter or employ the Suzuki method depending on grade level. Students in Pre-
Numerous studies have shown that the impact of learning an instrument at a very young age strongly aids a child’s development of key skills like reading, writing, mathematics and language. Students also reap the additional program benefits of increased attention span, improved fine motor skills and improved memorization skills.
Instrumental Program In addition to the regularly scheduled music classes, which students participate in two times per week, Stamford offers an Instrumental Program to make instrumental learning even more accessible. Every Stamford student that is interested in developing their skill in a particular instrument is able to get additional instrumental instruction via our Instrumental Program. This program provides private 30-minute instruction once per week during the school day. Lessons are provided by our team of peripatetic instructors who are specialists in particular instruments. Instructors are currently available for voice, guitar, drums, violin, viola, cello, bass piano, trumpet, trombone, French horn, tuba, flute, oboe and clarinet, among others and additional specialist instructors can be sourced as an interest arises. The Instrumental Program has seen significant growth in participation, as both students and parents enjoy the convenience and quality of these individualized lessons. The majority of the lessons are 1-on-1 private instruction providing students with the opportunity to ask all of their questions and receive dedicated attention. Lessons can also be shared up to a maximum of four students per session if requested. Ensemble Program In addition to various other Co-Curricular Activities (CCA), students are offered a full range of musical ensembles including marching band, guitar ensembles, rock bands, orchestral ensembles, gamelan, fusion gamelan, song composition, a cappella groups and choirs. Fundamentally, music is a social activity; students will rehearse and perform with peers a grade above and below, creating a truly collegiate atmosphere. These musical groups practice two times per week for 20 minutes and perform at school events like the Stamford Music Festival and Summer Gala Concert. Additionally, students have the opportunity to participate in the school Talent Show and Friday Student Concerts. The Friday Student Concerts take place every Friday during lunchtime, bringing music into the school community and enhancing students’ performing abilities by giving them the chance to showcase their talents in front of their peers.
Drama Drama is about transformation and expression and is a means for exploring society and relationships. Stamford’s drama program has grown exponentially over the past couple of years. Weekly Drama class for Kindergarten 2 through to Grade 10, enables students to discover and develop their acting skills. Students learn how to improvise, play and develop characters, create dialogue, dramatize narratives, use their imaginations and produce drama in varied group sizes. Students then build on this foundation and hone their abilities in the areas of script devisal, use of stage direction and script analysis. Secondary School students, from Grade 6 and above, have the opportunity to supplement their drama studies with additional classes from the performance-focused Electives Program, which presents students with a variety of subjects to choose from depending on their personal area of interest. Students participating in Drama electives continue to develop their dramatic skills and even begin to write and perform their own scripts. To complement Drama classes, students are able to participate in theatre field trips, many of which hold question-and-answer sessions at the end. This provides increased exposure to the field of theatre production and an enhanced learning experience. School theatre productions have been a tremendous success and have included students from across the Elementary and Secondary Schools, even involving students as young as Kindergarten 2. Students practice in groups after school and their hard work eventually culminates in a performance in front of hundreds of parents, faculty and peers. Past production programs have included musicals such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Wizard of Oz and Peter Pan. To provide many opportunities for student participation in the school theatre productions, there are three productions each year: an Elementary School play, a Secondary School play and a full school musical.
Performing Arts:
Music, Drama, Visual Arts and Dance
Visual Arts
Dance
Starting from Kindergarten 1, students partake in the Visual Arts Program. The Visual Arts Program at Stamford allows students to express feelings and ideas while making connections to the world around them. Students experiment with various mediums, including photography, pop art and even digital art. Projects have included clay animals, papiermâché piñatas and even exploding volcanoes! Students’ various works of art are displayed throughout the school during the year, but they are also featured in the culminating Visual Arts event, the Annual Fine Arts Fair. This exhibit showcases student learning and artistic development and gives parents the opportunity to see how their student’s work has progressed throughout the year.
While Dance is officially part of Stamford’s Physical Education curriculum, it is also very much a form of creative expression. The dual nature of Dance as an art-form and as a style of physical movement is highlighted to create a comprehensive program that addresses the elements of flexibility, strength, coordination, performance and rhythm in the first unit and choreography, expression and dance as communication in the second unit. All students from Kindergarten 2 through the Secondary School have a biannual, four-week unit on Dance as part of Physical Education Program.
The students’ experiences are enhanced by various excursions around Singapore. For example, Grade 8 photography students explored the depths of locales like Little India, Chinatown and the Bayfront area to capture the unique nature of Singapore. Other past trips have included outings to the zoo to practice observational drawing and visits to various galleries to view different artistic styles. As students move into the Secondary School they will continue to partake in two class periods of general art per week. Students this past school year have used this time to form Pop Art inspired portraits, recreate Renaissance paintings and produce hand sculpted Gargoyles. Stamford students also have the opportunity to supplement the general art classes through courses in the Electives Program. Secondary School students sign up for one elective per semester, or two per academic year. In addition to Drama, Dance and Music elective course offerings, unique art courses are offered in areas such as textile design.
Since its introduction to the curriculum, Stamford students have performed in bleacher dances, flash mobs, ballet and jazz ensembles and even a ballroom dance exhibition and competition judged by a world champion ballroom dancer. In Dance, students develop body awareness, the ability to move to a musical beat and general dance skills involving balance, strength and coordination. Each grade learns a variety of dance types and has a number of performance opportunities.
Electives Program Students in Grade 6 and above are able to select an elective per semester. The elective choices include performance focused Arts electives in Drama, Visual Arts, Dance or Music. Each of these electives includes a study with an emphasis on performance. For example, Dance covers various forms including ballet, tap, jazz and hip hop. Students are able to select the elective that interests them most with some restriction by grade level to the classes that will best complement that grade level’s overall learning goals.
Co-Curricular Activities (CCA) for the Arts For students who wish to partake in extra artistic studies, Stamford offers various arts CCA, including Parade Arts, painting, jewelry making, drawing, clay and papier-mâché.
Performing Arts:
Music, Drama, Visual Arts and Dance
Secondary School students can experiment with more complex art techniques such as using textiles, lino and screen printing, batik painting and photography. There are also Drama, Dance and Music CCA that allow interested artists to build upon their skills, try new methods and create highquality works of art.
Visiting Artist Program Stamford has a strong Visiting Artist Program which enables students of all ages to receive instruction from experts in the field. Visiting artists include guests from multiple creative fields including authors, illustrators, professional musicians and actors who help teach students new techniques and facilitate engagement in the community. Diverse musical visiting artists emphasize Stamford’s focus on sharing music from all corners of the globe. For example, one Artist-In-Residence for the 2013-14 school year is Gamelan Asmaradana, Singapore’s first professional gamelan ensemble. Monthly workshops and performances serve to broaden students’ knowledge of gamelan (a traditional Indonesian musical ensemble), world music and ethnomusicology. The Visual Arts Program also has a local Singapore Artist-InResidence visiting classrooms throughout the year to assist on special projects like international art trades, printmaking workshops and community engagement opportunities. These artists bring complex techniques to share with the students to broaden their exposure to art. Stamford also partners with various art galleries to introduce art to students and augment their learning. For example, Grade 2 students learning about Signs and Symbols may visit an Aboriginal Art Gallery and learn about the importance of visual symbols in this artistic style.
Performance-Based Curricula Stamford creates opportunities throughout the curriculum for students to share their talents and present in front of their peers. Music is a great medium for this and there are many opportunities for students to showcase their talents in the performing arts. School theatre productions often involve both drama and music components, complete with choir and instrumental ensembles. These theatre productions include students from across the Elementary and Secondary Schools, even involving students as young as Kindergarten 2. Students practice in groups after school and their hard work eventually culminates in a performance in front of hundreds of parents, faculty and peers. Past production programs have included musicals such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Wizard of Oz and Peter Pan. The Fine Arts Fair is the culminating event for Visual Arts and showcases student learning and artistic development and gives parents the opportunity to see how their student’s work has progressed throughout the year. The Friday Student Concerts provide another great performance opportunity and have become a feature of Friday lunchtimes at Stamford. Where else in Singapore could a child have an Emmanuel Stroobant lunch with live music accompaniment? This platform is aimed at bringing Music into the school community and recognizing individual and ensemble achievements. Throughout the year, Stamford students are able to use this platform to perform anything from their first piece of repertoire to a Diploma level recital. Past performances have included the Middle School Choir, Elementary School Choir, Rock Bands, a six-year-old pianist, recorder ensembles, ukulele ensembles and much more.
279 Upper Serangoon Road (1 Woodleigh Lane) Singapore, 347691 Next to Woodleigh MRT
Phone: +65 6602 7247 Email: admissions@sais.edu.sg www.sais.edu.sg
Stamford American International School CPE Registration Number: 200823594D Period of Registration: August 10, 2010 to August 9, 2014