Milestone Programmes

Milestone programmes help participants to deepen their pedagogical understandings, and achieve professional renewal and gain transformation in teaching beliefs and practices

Music Beginning Teacher Programme

FOR:	Beginning Teachers
PERIOD:	Part-time basis over the course of one year

The Music Beginning Teacher Programme: Music Teaching Through the Lens of the Singapore Teaching Practice (STP) is a blended-learning programme that has been designed to deepen BTs’ understanding and application of Music pedagogical practices based on the STP. This one-year long programme provides support for new music teachers, in essential music classroom routines, engaging music pedagogies for effective classroom teaching, awareness about the music curriculum and networking opportunities with fellow colleagues. Apart from workshop sessions, the Programme also includes a Learning Journey to music classrooms taught by experienced music teachers.

The programme includes an online learning component which comprises eight microlearning sessions. The objectives of the microlearning sessions are to:

• Strengthen teachers’ pedagogical understanding
• Provide a platform for teachers to discuss effective music teaching strategies

STAR Senior / Lead Teacher Programme

FOR: Senior Teachers
PERIOD: Part-time basis over the course of 6 months

Senior Teachers are skilful and experienced teachers who serve as mentors and role models to the teachers in their schools, sharing with them their teaching expertise and pedagogical knowledge.

Complementing the AST’s TLP 1 and 2, the STAR Senior/Lead Teacher (ST/LT) Programme advocates for subject disciplinarity teacher leadership. Nominated by their School Leaders, this 6-months part time uses a work-reflect-work model:

• Nurtures a collaborative and reflective culture among Art/Music Senior and Lead Teachers,
• Develops their competencies as pedagogical leaders, and;
• Revisits their personal arts teaching beliefs and practices as part of professional renewal, reinvention and positive transformation

Senior Teachers also engage in reflective practice via completion of a personal reflection journal and participation in group discussions and presentations.

Core learning areas are as follows:
Module One: Pedagogical Mastery for 21st CC Arts Educators
Arts Pedagogical Workshop

Module Two: Situated Learning
Overseas Learning Journey
Industry Exposure 

Module Three: Pedagogy in Practice
Classroom Practice

Teaching Living Legends

FOR: Experienced Teachers
PERIOD: At least one run per year

Teaching Living Legends is a milestone programme designed by STAR to address the teaching of Singapore living music traditions in the context of the 21st century student-centric classroom. This programme supports teachers in their implementation of the Primary and Lower Secondary Music syllabus by developing them in music pedagogy, practice and perspective in relation to the teaching of Singapore music. Teachers explore how Singapore music traditions are kept relevant to students via the stories and narratives behind these pieces of music, thus providing engaging music experiences and raising awareness of Singapore’s unique musical identity.

The workshops are conducted by our Music Master Teachers in collaboration with Singapore music practitioners, who are experts in their respective fields. The programme is run in the form of blended-learning, which includes workshops run over four full-days plus an online learning component completed on the OPAL learning portal. Find out more about the Teaching Living Legends milestone programme in this link. 

Teaching ICT-based Music Making

FOR: Experienced Teachers
PERIOD: At least one run per year

Teaching ICT-based Music Making is a milestone programme designed to support the use of ICT in teaching and facilitating music-making in the secondary music classroom. The workshop is a collaboration between STAR and AEB, conceptualised and conducted by our Music Senior Specialist, Master Teacher, Senior Academy Officer and Arts Education Officer with industry-based music artists. Participants will experience various teaching and music-making approaches harnessing technology.

Music-Specific Pedagogies

Music-specific pedagogies such as Orff, Kodály and Dalcroze provide ideas for student-centric approaches to engaging students in music learning. Active engagement through authentic music experiences such as listening, singing, movement, drama, improvisation, body percussion, instrumental playing and creative expression are fundamental to these pedagogies. Teachers develop a stronger grasp of the scaffolding processes for effective music lessons, and get the chance to experience how each pedagogical approach enhances classroom learning for students.

Since 2014, workshops focusing on music-specific pedagogies have been conducted to deepen the teachers’ pedagogical understanding.

Kodály Approach for Student-centric Music Lessons (Primary only)

Creative Music Making with Kodály-inspired Approach for Secondary Music

FOR: Experienced Teachers
PERIOD: At least one run per year

The Kodály approach uses a sequential method with child-developmental perspectives to develop music understanding and literacy in students. Premised on the belief that there are multiple dimensions to musicianship training, the approach advocates the use of music experiences such as listening, singing, movement and games to build up skills and knowledge of music concepts.

Working with Kodály specialist instructors, the programme is designed to introduce the Kodály approach and how it can be used to develop music skills and concepts in a student-centric approach. Teachers are also provided with opportunity to apply their understanding through micro-teaching.

Orff Approach to Music Education

FOR: Experienced Teachers
PERIOD: At least one run per year

The Orff Approach is premised upon a learner-centered environment where children learn with an element of “play” through the integration of speech, movement and music. With a focus on improvisation and composition, music concepts are acquired through active engagement in singing, chanting, dance, movement and playing of percussion instruments (e.g. xylophones, metallophones).

The programme develops teachers’ understanding of the Orff approach. It also provides opportunities for teachers to analyse, plan and apply their understanding in group micro-teaching sessions throughout the workshop.

Dalcroze Approach to Music Education

FOR: Experienced Teachers
PERIOD: At least one run per year

The Dalcroze Approach - eurhythmics, solfège and improvisation - is an effective way to develop deeper musicality and creative expression through whole body movement and space. In this approach, the teaching of music incorporates meaningful rhythmic movement in the learning experience for a deeper understanding of music concepts. With a focus on improvisation and expressions of an individual’s musical ideas through the movement of the body through space, the approach not only creates an environment where creativity and experiential learning flourish, but also allows curricular objectives like rhythm, structure, mood and tone to be explored.

The programme focuses on eurhythmics and improvisation to facilitate learning of music concepts in the student-centric classroom, and involves teachers in group micro-teaching to apply their pedagogical learning.

You could find out more about each of these music-specific pedagogies in STAR’s publication Providing a Rich Music Learning Experience.