Every child is born with it. But not every child gets to develop it. We at StART would like to change that.
We want to provide underprivileged children with the seed of opportunity. To unlock and express their love for the arts. To help them realize their artistic dreams. And in the process, to raise their self-esteem and boost their confidence.
About StART The first of its kind, StART Society is an academy dedicated to serve children of lesser privilege. In essence, we use arts (music, drama, speech, writing, design, etc.) for the betterment of these children.
Our role is to help them find their natural talent; allow the various art forms to bring healing; encourage the nurture of these talents; allow their newly acquired talents to rebuild their self-esteem and confidence; and possibly help them carve out something that will give them a brighter future.
StART is proud to present our Panel of Trainers. These highly qualified trainers have passed our strictest, and most stringent standards. Our POTS, as we'd like to call them, come with ample experience working with children and are highly regarded as experts in their own fields.
Here, the P.O.T.S (as we like to call them) run the weekly classes and closely monitor the children’s progress. Apart from the P.O.T.S, we also have an entourage of industry pros and celebrities closely tied to StART who will give workshops on various topics.
This permanency of teachers guarantees continuity and long-term child-mentor relationships, thereby ensuring higher rates of success.
Siew Fong is a graduate of Fine Arts. She has taught lower-secondary art overseas at the Jih Nan High School, Taichung, Taiwan as well as locally and is currently in the process of opening her own art gallery. She has also held a counseling position while serving as the Family Services Officer with The Salvation Army, Hawaii. There, she helped the homeless & at risk population to locate affordable housing, generate available funding for housing, medical needs & special education for less privileged children: Hawaii State Homeless Emergency Grant (SHEG), Federal Emergency Monetary Assistance (FEMA), Emergency Shelter & Food Program (ESFP), City & County Grants, Hawaii Community Funds.
Siew Fong will be teaching fine art (drawing, water coloring, sketching and craft).
Martha comes double barreled. She's currently a sought after teacher in music and drama. She's lectured at UPM, ITM and other esteemed music schools. She received full scholarship for her postgraduate studies at the University of Iowa. Martha has ample experience working with children from all walks of life and is a keen reader of children psychology.
Martha will be teaching music appreciation and dynamic drama.
Leroy is the favourite teacher next door. He’s also a multi-talented musician who plays regularly on the local circuit. His musical versatility enables him to play drums, bass and guitar with equal fluency. But he is more known for his ability to get along with children. They simply love him. Leroy is a self-taught musician but is schooled in formal knowledge as well.
Leroy will be teaching guitar, percussion and drums.
Lin is no stranger in the local music education scene. She’s taught at the notable UCSI and SegiCollege and has served as a jury member for piano competitions. She’s also accomplished in teaching music at a tertiary level covering subjects such as Elementary Principles of Pedagogy, Advanced Pedagogy, Music, Arts and Society 1, etc.
Lin will also be teaching music appreciation and piano.
Any child that walks into the StART House will want to come back because of its fun and safe environment. Not only have we designed the environment to be conducive for learning, we have also set up a full-range facility to provide the children with ample hands-on exposure and practice.
Our facilities include:
- music studio - dance studio (with full-length mirror) - vocal room - art studio - keyboard/piano studio - guitar studio - mini-recital hall - computer with Internet access (for minders)
All in all, there are 4 Modules in a year. At the end of 4 modules, each student would have had a total of 38 - 44 weeks of sessions (1 session = 2.5 hrs)
4 modules a year
- Module 1 (Jan - March)
- Module 2 (April - June)
- Module 3 (July - September)
- Module 4 (Oct - Dec)
Students that make the 80% attendance requirement for all the 4 modules will be entitled to attend the SUPER START CAMP!
StART’s comprehensive arts programmes consists of the following:
Visual Arts Galore
Music Madness
Dance Dynamos
Drama Derby
Design Deluxe
Speech & Writing
Life Skills
Visual Arts Galore
This programme will help to unleash the creative potential of children in a wide range of the visual arts.
We offer lessons in:
art appreciation, drawing, water colouring and craft work
We offer workshops on:
Cartooning, collage, jewelry making, mask making, murals, painting (water color, and acrylics), paper mache, Polaroid art, sand art, sculpting, spin art, storyboard art
Music Madness
This programme is designed to provide a holistic understanding of how music works. Supplemented by lessons and training in the different musical skills.
We offer classes in: music appreciation, music theory, group percussion (ala Stomp)
We also offer lessons on the following instruments: vocals, piano, guitar, bass, drums and band dynamics*
Music Workshops include:
Musical Performances
Professional musicians will co-perform with the children. This will translate into a forum of discussion. Children will have hands-on opportunities to learn through simulation and emulation.
Songwriting Program
Nothing beats writing songs that other people will memorize and sing back to you. In this program, songwriters will help children to write their own lyrics and put them to music. And if the songs are good, they will be included in the yearly StART CD compilation.
*Based on request and number of sign-ups per lesson.
Drama Derby
Acting/Improvisation Classes
In these interactive workshops, students participate in many improvisation games, which will allow them to play many characters and increase their versatility in assuming different roles.
Comedy Workshops
Comedians from various styles give workshops via demonstration and encouraging the children to join in and develop their own comedic personality.
Dancing Dynamos
This programme is designed to help students understand how their bodies work through various forms of physical expression. It explores the beauty of synchronized group movements, teamwork and accuracy.
This course also provides instructions on students’ facial expressions, stage presence and performance aptitude. We offer lessons in: hip hop, salsa and certain traditional dances.*
*Based on request and number of sign-ups per lesson.
Design Deluxe
Fashion Design
In this program, children have the opportunity to express themselves by developing their own sense of style. Professional Fashion Designers volunteer their time to help kids design their own clothing pieces and/or accessories and then model their work in a fashion show. Children may also design their own pillowcases, shoes and accessories.
Interior Design
StART encourages children not only to be tidy and kempt, but also to be tasteful about it. This workshop goes beyond being neat. It allows children to see the beauty of order and inculcates the room-proud mentality.
Photography
The StART Photography Program encourages children to venture into their little world andtheir subjects of interests. Through a variety of hands-on photographic techniques, students get to capture their tender encounters with nature, people or objects. Participants will also learn about the mechanics of photography and how images are captured, manipulated and printed.
Speech & Writing
Speech
Nothing makes a better impression than a good public speech. This programme gives students the how-to’s of effective public speaking. At the same time, it helps students fine-tune other areas such as vocal projection, pronunciation, articulation, expression, and body language.
Writing
Whether blogging, junior journalism, poetry or copywriting, this programme helps students explore the different artistic approaches towards writing. It helps students find their own writing voice, which lends uniqueness and authenticity to their individual writing styles.
Life Skills
Holistic education is what we’re about. The StART's “Life Skills” programme provides students with workshops that meet their pertinent needs. Among the workshops are:
Confidence Coaching
Memory Methods
Conflict Management
Career Counseling
Studying Skills
The workshops are provided by an impressive array of gurus and successful artists from various backgrounds and art forms.
StART CLASSES
Each child/home is given ONE session per week at StART. Some homes, because of the larger numbers will be eligible to come back for 2 sessions.
Music 1 - Primary Kids (general music and some instrument instruction)
Music 2 - Secondary Kids (general music and lots of individual instruments)
Art 1 - Primary Kids
Art 2 - Secondary Kids
The children will be placed into the classes based on the audition results. They are placed according to their age, maturity, level of competence, and most of all interest!
The weekly class schedule looks something like this:
