Importance of an arts education

Mr George Quek, Chairman, School Advisory Committee

Mr Chua Kee Teang, Chairman, School Alumni Association

Mrs Ong Hong Peng, Principal, Xinmin Secondary School

MOE officials, stakeholders 

Distinguished guests and students

1. I am very happy to be here for the opening of your school's Creative Arts Complex, and to also celebrate your 70th anniversary with you. Let me start by saying a few words in Mandarin and I will continue in English after that: 
   

2. 各位女士们，先生们，大家早上好。我非常高兴今天能出席新民中学创意艺术中心的开幕典礼。
   

3. 这座艺术中心的落成象征了新民中学和后港社区的生活会更丰富多彩。
   

4. 这70年来，新民中学走过崎岖道路，如今已是一所在后港区家喻户晓的优质学校。
   

5. 我相信大家都知道当年，叶帆风校长和两位好友下定决心，要一起创办学校，为教育尽一分力。他们得到后港社区的赞助，还卖掉了家中的5头肥猪，筹到了一笔钱，新民中学才能在1945年正式成立。
   

6. 刚开始的时候，学校身处于挣扎、艰苦的环境。我相信，在座的大家 – 从学校的董事们、校长、师生们到各界的教育伙伴就是靠着校训中“坚韧不拔”的精神，同心协力，才能建立起我们今天看到的新民大家庭。我们现在常提到我们的建国一代，我们在座也有很多是建校一代的，也为学校付出努力和牺牲。有了你们的付出，新民中学才能成为后港区受欢迎的学校之一。
   

7. 自创校以来，新民中学倡导是“德智体群美”五育并重的教育。
   

8. 我们相信懂得“美”的孩子，才能看见璀璨缤纷的世界，才不会对“美”视而不见，或盲目追求流行。
   

9. 美学或艺术教育可以陪伴孩子一生，让他们失落时有重新站起来的动力，开心时懂得与他人分享喜悦。
   

10. 所以，新民中学有了一系列以艺术为主的辅助活动。同学们有机会学习乐器、参加戏剧、传统艺术等课程。这样，我们的年轻一代才能接触传统文化、学习怎么欣赏艺术。也希望他们从中学习到自律，和培养同学们的团队精神。
    

11. 这样的教育，对我们的下一代很重要。因为艺术教育不但能提升学生的艺术欣赏能力，更可以是品格修养的基础。 
    

12. 刚落成的新民创意艺术中心，能让学生有更多表演和展示自我的机会。从而培养他们的自信，为他们的将来铺下成功的道路。这将会是学校教育的一大成就。
    

13. 要推动艺术教育不简单，得靠大家的支持。所以，让我们再次鼓掌，感谢大家为学校和社区在这方面的付出！ 谢谢你们。
    

14. Xinmin Secondary has come a long way since it was founded 70 years ago. With the expansion of your premises and facilities, your curriculum has also evolved. From teaching skills in literacy and numeracy, Xinmin now provides a holistic education that includes the arts and character education.   

15. I'm a firm believer of the importance of the arts in supplementing your academic curriculum. The arts can develop well-rounded individuals who are more confident, expressive and resilient. And I say this also from personal experience. I believe many of you can see this for yourselves or for your children. I remember when I was growing up, I had very little exposure in the arts. If you grew up in a normal family in the '70s or '80s, I don't think you have very much exposure. I don't recall going to the museum till I was much older. I don't recall going to a symphony orchestra till I was in university overseas, that was my first exposure ever. In primary and secondary school, I've never stepped foot in any arts venue. But I was quite lucky, because my father decided to buy me a guitar when I was 10 years old. It was a very basic guitar and he gave it to me for my birthday present. We didn't have money to go for enrichment classes or to go to Yamaha to take formal lessons. But he had a friend who knew how to play the guitar, and he taught me informally and that's how I picked it up. And I still play, and it changed my life. It allowed me to express myself, it gave me confidence and it became an integral part of my life.

16. So the arts should be a core part of any education. We want to have quality arts programming in all our schools, so that every child can experience the arts, regardless of his or her family or social background. The child need not have to wait for his or her parent to buy him a musical instrument, they do not need to go for enrichment classes, but as part of their experience in school, they can be immersed in the arts.

17. Take Dominic Nah for example. He did not receive much exposure to the arts when he was growing up. When Dominic first came to Xinmin, he thought his life path was set. He planned to go through the routine of school, get some basic qualifications, and then start work. But Dominic was a student with a passion for acting, and that drew him to join the English Drama Club. And that was where his life changed.

18. Through drama, he found his voice and his gift for expression. He played the lead role of Romeo in a production of “Romeo and Juliet”.  He grew into the confident young man some of you know today – a young man curious about the human condition, with a love for literature.  Inspired by his teacher, he went on to VJC to pursue Theatre Studies. And this same young man is now studying English Literature at the University of Warwick, on an MOE scholarship. Truly a very different path from what he set out to do originally! 

19. Incidentally, Dominic has a younger brother Damien, who looks set to be following in his brother's footsteps. In fact, he's one of the actors in the Drama Club too, and we will see him play the role of Mr Yap Fun Hong afterwards. This is what the arts can do for young people – transform lives, and allow us to develop our full potential. 

20. That is why we want to provide young people with more opportunities to participate in the arts and culture. The arts should never be the domain of a privileged few; it should be made accessible to as many people as possible.

21. We already have several platforms today for young people to get involved in the arts. But we plan to do more. 

22. In the coming year, the National Arts Council and the National Youth Council will bring more road shows to secondary schools and tertiary institutions to share about the opportunities to engage with the arts outside of the school environment.

23. NAC will also work with more organisations and venues that are already popular with youths to bring the arts closer to teens and young adults.

24. The opening of Xinmin's Creative Arts Complex is also a important step in making the arts more accessible, because it gives even more space for your school's performing arts groups to hone your craft. This includes groups like your award-winning Xinmin Chorale, Guzheng Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Chinese Dance Troupe and English Drama Club. Now that you have a flexible performance space and rehearsal studios in your new Creative Arts Complex, your arts groups can strive for even greater levels of excellence. Hopefully, this will also encourage more students to participate in the arts.

25. In fact, arts participation should not be limited to students in arts CCAs, but should be an avenue for all students in Xinmin to come together and bond through the arts. For example, for this opening event, the performances will showcase student actors across the whole school, not just those in the Drama Club. Even students from Xinmin Primary were invited to participate. This is a good example of how the arts should be – inclusive and enjoyed by all.

26. Beyond the personal benefits of the arts, we also want the arts to be accessible to the wider community.

27. So I am glad that Xinmin has plans to engage and reach out to the Hougang Community by staging performances for residents in your new Reflections Theatre. This is a meaningful way to bring the community together by offering them opportunities to engage in the arts. The facilities in this building will also be available for rental, enabling more schools and performance groups to showcase their talent. I see some community leaders here as well. So please make use of this space, it is a space built not just for the school, but also for the whole community to be part of.

28. Finally, I would just like to reiterate the point made by the Principal – that many people have contributed to realising this vision of a creative arts complex here in Xinmin Secondary. In particular, I want to thank the Chairman of the School Advisory Committee Mr George Quek, the Chairman of the School Alumni Association, Mr Chua Kee Teang, former principals, and all like-minded donors, for their belief in this cause. 

29. The artists too can give back to the community with their experience gained. For instance, one of Xinmin's alumni Dan Kwoh choreographed several of today's performances. Dan continued to pursue his passion in dance after graduation. He is the founder and artistic director of dACADEMY Singapore. He was commissioned to choreograph quite a number of national events, like the Asian Youth Games Opening Ceremony in 2009, as well as multiple National Day and Chingay parades. I hope more artists will emerge from Xinmin's Creative Arts Complex, and similarly give back to the community. This will in turn help to nurture the next generation of young artists in Singapore.

30. It leaves me now to congratulate Xinmin on your 70th anniversary and on the opening of your magnificent Creative Arts Complex. I wish all of you a wonderful day ahead. Thank you very much.