Live music experience for 12,000 students by year end

Musical exposure initiative to be rolled out in all secondary schools from 2024 to 2027

- Elisha Tushar

Only one student out of a class of 37 raised his hand when Deyi Secondary School music teacher Ho Si Liang asked them if they had been to a classical concert.

On May 21, as part of an effort by schools to broaden musical exposure for students, she took her Secondary 2 class to watch a one-hour concert led by conductor Jason Lai at Victoria Concert Hall.

They are among lower secondary students from 22 schools who are attending performances by the Metropolitan Festival Orchestra or the Singapore Symphony Orchestra in May.

The performances will be held at Victoria Concert Hall and Yong Siew Toh Concert Hall.

By the end of 2024, close to 12,000 students are expected to have attended a live music performance as part of this initiative.

The Performance Arts-Based Learning initiative, announced at the Ministry of Education's (MOE) budget debate in Parliament, will be implemented in all secondary schools from 2024 to 2027.

It was first piloted in 2023 at 22 secondary schools.

An MOE spokeswoman said the music syllabus was refreshed in

2023 to place greater emphasis on the experience of music through listening, creating and performing activities.