This document provides an overview of arts engagement efforts for young audiences in Singapore. It discusses the benefits of engaging young audiences such as encouraging lifelong interest in the arts and building cultural familiarity. Current landscape efforts include arts exposure in schools and established festival platforms. New efforts since 2014 include expanding quality arts programs in early childhood, building artist capacity, and raising awareness. Future plans involve deepening pre-school arts efforts, developing a dedicated children's arts center, and increasing arts opportunities for all children aged 12 and under to experience the arts both in and outside of school. The overall goal is to nurture life-long arts audiences, strengthen family bonds through shared arts experiences, and develop creative and confident learners.
2. OVERVIEW
1. Why engage young audiences?
2. Today’s young audiences landscape in
Singapore
3. New efforts since 2014
4. Future plans
5. What we hope to see
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4. AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT
• Encourage life-long interest in the arts
– Arts engagement 3 times higher among those who
experienced the arts in childhood
• Early exposure to local works and artists
– Build familiarity and open-ness to the diversity of cultures
in Singapore
• Equal opportunity
– Provide arts access for every child
4
Source: NAC National Population Survey 2013
5. NURTURE 21ST CENTURY LEARNERS
Many international studies have shown the
benefits of the arts in early childhood education
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*Early Childhood: Referring to children aged 6 and under.
References
Lynn C. Hartle. Patricia Pinciotti. Rebecca L. Gorton. ArtsIN: Arts Integration and Infusion Framework, Early Childhood Education Journal,
Volume 43, Issue 4, July 2015,
Joan Packer Isenberg. Jennifer L. Durham. Creative Materials and Activities for the Early Childhood Curriculum, 2015
Meredith Ludwig. Mary Beth Marklein. Mengli Song. Arts Integration: A Promising Approach to Improving Early Learning. American
Institute for Research, 2016
6. QUALITY FAMILY BONDING
• Arts attendance much higher amongst those married
with children below 12 years old than those married
with older children
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Source: NAC National Population Survey 2013, NAC Youth (10-16 years old) Engagement Study 2015
• Parents see arts engagement as
― a means for stress relief
― a way to strengthen bond with child
― helpful in boosting child’s creativity
and sociability
8. NAC’s ROLE IN TYA
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ACCESS
ARTIST
DEVELOPMENT
INFRASTRUCTURE
NAC’s Mission:
To nurture the arts and make it an integral part of the lives of the
people of Singapore
9. ARTS EXPOSURE IN SCHOOLS
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Chinese opera artist Mdm See Too conducting a
workshop for primary school students
• Broad-based arts exposure mainly via
₋ NAC-Arts Education Programme
₋ 98% of all schools on board
(~144,000 primary school students)
• More in-depth arts programmes such as:
₋ Artist in School Scheme
₋ Teaching Through the Arts
₋ Arts for Children-at-Risk
Storyteller Rosemarie Somiah at Bukit View Primary
(Words Go Round
Source: https://www.childcarelink.gov.sg/ccls/uploads/Statistics_on_child_care(STENT).pdf
10. ARTS OFFERINGS FOR THE YOUNG
• Established platforms such as KidsFest, ACE
Festival are gaining popularity
• Emerging and innovative local scene
Nini in Changi Village,
The Theatre Practice
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The Tiger Comes to Tea
The Magic Ocean,
part of Esplanade PlayTime!
Samsui Women – One Brick at a Time,
The Finger Players
12. (1) MORE QUALITY ARTS PROGRAMMES
IN THE EARLY YEARS
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• In partnership with ECDA
• Pre-school Arts Education Programme (AEP)
― 49 quality arts programmes
― Assessed by early childhood and arts
experts
― Made affordable for all children
• Pre-school Artist in School Scheme
― In-depth (min 3 months)
― 10 pre-schools/ year
― Teacher mentoring
AISS: Dance artist and teacher co-teaching at
SOKA Kindergarten
AEP Excursion: Learning about art in nature
13. EXAMPLES OF PRE-SCHOOL AEP
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Arty Zoo Experience – Making
Expressive Ceramic Animals
by Goodman Ceramics Studio
Ethnic
Jamboree
by One
HeartBeat
Percussion
Creative
Movement
by Kavanagh
Dance
14. FEEDBACK FROM PRE-SCHOOLS
Create & Stage by Act 3 Theatrics
“There is a lot of encouragement and motivation in the (drama) activities that boosts
children’s confidence in using Language to express themselves.”
- PCF Yew Tee Blk 567
Pottery Studio Experience @ Goodman Ceramic Studio
“Our children have gained an appreciation of the art form-working with clay. They have
first hand experience in observing the artist in working on the wheel and are fascinated
to see how a pot is made. The pottery experience at the art studio is very beneficial for
the children and teachers who have not been to an art studio before.”
- MY World Pre-School @ Pasir Ris
Creative Rhythmic Body by Creative Tree
“Well done - choices of song, resources as well as
encouraging children to make choices what art (dance)
experience they want to revisit; the spontaneity of the
facilitator, hence the children were enjoyably engaged.”
- Child’s Artelier
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15. (1) MORE QUALITY ARTS PROGRAMMES
IN THE EARLY YEARS
Singapore Writers’ Festival
Little Lit! Workshop
Wolf Trap family workshop at
Seng Kang Library, 2015
AYN@ Safra Toa Payoh,
Amazing Rainbow Toymaker, Mar 16
• More family and parent-child programming at NAC events
• Unconventional venues, public spaces
• Bringing the arts to the children
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16. (2) CAPACITY BUILDING FOR ARTISTS
• Training for artists
₋ SEED Institute: “Teaching the Arts in an
Early Childhood Environment”
₋ Mentorship programme for new
directors with Esplanade’s PLAY!time
₋ International training partner:
(Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning
Through the Arts, USA)
Wolf Trap master artist
conducting a dance workshop
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*The Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts, based in Virginia, USA, has NAC’s international training partner for arts in pre-
schools for the past three years. Wolf Trap has more than 38 years of experience in training pre-school educators and teaching artists in arts
integrated learning.
17. (2) CAPACITY BUILDING FOR ARTISTS
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• International exchanges and showcase platforms
International Drama, Theatre
and Education Association
(IDEA) Congress, 2013
International Theatre Festival
Okinawa for Young Audience, 2014
ASSITEJ Korea Winter Festival,
2015
• Quarterly dialogues/workshops for skills- and
community-building
₋ Speakers from India, US, Thailand, S.Korea, China &
Philippines
Makhmpom Theatre Group
“Pandaland” (Thailand) ASSITEJ Korea
18. (3) RAISING AWARENESS
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• Recognising excellence in the profession
₋ M1-The Straits Times Life Theatre Awards:
Best Production for the Young
• Greater coverage on mainstream media
19. (3) RAISING AWARENESS
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• Providing information to parents through targeted channels
Search for family-
oriented arts events
Feature on Pre-school
Artist in School Scheme
21. (1) DEEPEN PRE-SCHOOL EFFORTS
• Expand Pre-School AEP
– 46 up to 100 programmes
– Traditional arts taster programme
• Arts-Niche Pre-school
– Pilot partnership with a new pre-school
– Teaching artists + teachers co-develop curriculum
– Whole-school approach to arts-based learning
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22. (2) DEVELOP CHILDREN’S ARTS CENTRE
• Test-bed dedicated children’s arts centre
– Multi-disciplinary, age-appropriate
– Year round, regular programming
– Accessible, ‘one-stop’ for families
– Incubation space for artists to create and
experiment new works
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24. WHAT WE HOPE TO SEE…
• Every child, aged 12 and under, has
ample opportunities to enjoy and
learn through the arts
– Because we’ve stepped up broad-
based access and arts
integration in schools from a
younger age
• Experiencing the arts becomes part
of family life, growing up
– Because arts content is now
relevant, appealing and
accessible outside of school
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Life-long arts
audiences
Families enjoying
the arts together
Creative and
confident
learners
