This book approaches the subject of contemporary art by exploring the social embeddedness and identities of Singaporean artists. Linking artistic processes and production to both personal worlds and wider issues, the book examines how artists negotiate their relationships between self and society and between artistic freedom and social responsibility. It is based on original research into the discourses and artistic practices of local artists, with a special focus on emerging artists and artists whose work and perspectives engage with questions of identity. Reimagining contemporary Singapore and their place within it, artists are asserting their multiple and heterogeneous self-identities and contesting hegemonic norms and notions, as they negotiate and adapt to the world around them. This book is relevant to students and researchers in the fields of cultural studies, media studies, art, sociology of art, arts education, and race and ethnicity studies.

This book presents qualitative research narratives on children's engagement and learning in play and arts experiences. Using The Artground Singapore - a registered arts charity that offers interactive visual art spaces for children - as a site of study, the book also offers reflective and practical insights into the professional development and incubation of art practitioners dedicated to the creation and implementation of works for young audiences. With reference to other such purpose-built arts spaces specifically dedicated to the engagement and learning of young audiences through play and varied arts experiences, such as The Ark in Dublin and ArtPlay in Melbourne, the authors show how these spaces are also dedicated to the development and creation of new quality works for young audiences through various professional development programmes. The Artground Singapore was developed along similar lines of interest, and provides a dedicated arts space for children and their caretakers to explore, play and create together through its interactive visual arts play space, as well as arts programmes that include music, theatre and dance, amongst others. Sharing critical insights into the aesthetical, logistical, and management aspects of providing a dedicated arts space for children, this book will be of interest to arts practitioners, child educators, and cultural studies scholars interested in dance, drama and music performance and pedagogy.

Musical Childhoods of Asia and the Pacific agglomerates stories of young children's music and musicking from around Southeast Asia and the Pacific. A collection of truly unique traditions are interrogated through a variety of contemporary methodologies. Readers are privileged to hear about children's musical worlds from children, mothers' musical worlds from mothers, a struggle to engage with music in a closed society, and new gender politics, among other stories. Researchers share experiences and insights gained from applying their chosen methodologies and add to the debate that shapes the continually transforming domain of music education research. Musical Childhoods builds on the diverse inquiry presented in the first three volumes in the series. This volume is an important addition to the libraries of colleges of education and schools of music, as well as music scholars and educators, researchers, and graduate students who are concerned with advancing both the scope and quality of research in the study of music teaching and learning

This peer-reviewed academic yearbook stems from the inaugural meeting of the newly formed UNESCO UNITWIN network on Arts Education Research for Cultural Diversity and Sustainable Development, held at the National Institute of Education, Singapore in April 2017. It presents international scholarly perspectives on issues related to arts education and cultural diversity in terms of: i) national and international policies; ii) terms, concepts and vocabularies; iii) current and ongoing research; and iv) best practices. The UNESCO UNITWIN is an arts education research think tank that gathers and leverages original research and critical commentaries on the arts and sustainable development from UNITWIN member states and beyond (Australia, Canada, Colombia, Germany, Hong Kong, Kenya, Korea, Israel, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, the Netherlands and the United States of America).

This edited book not only makes a much-needed contribution to research in arts education but also provides a strong grounding of evidential support for Singapore arts education, in contrast to the current state of affairs in arts education in many parts of the world where severe cuts in funding, lackluster support for the arts and imperialist agendas are pervasive. The case of and for Singapore - presented in this edited book through rich descriptions of the dedicated, contextualized practices of arts educators, artists and researchers - offers readers many valuable lessons and reflections on the continued survival and advancement of arts education.

World Music Pedagogy, Volume VI: School-Community Intersections provides students with a resource for delving into the meaning of "world music" across a broad array of community contexts and develops the multiple meanings of community relative to teaching and learning music of global and local cultures. It clarifies the critical need for teachers to work in tandem with community musicians and artists in order to bridge the unnecessary gulf that often separates school music from the music of the world beyond school and to consider the potential for genuine collaborations across this gulf. The five-layered features of World Music Pedagogy are specifically addressed in various school-community intersections, with attention to the collaboration of teachers with local community artist-musicians and with community musicians-at-a-distance who are available virtually. The authors acknowledge the multiple routes teachers are taking to enable and encourage music learning in community contexts, such as their work in after-school academies, museums and libraries, eldercare centers, places of worship, parks and recreation centers, and other venues in which adults and children gather to learn music, make music, and become convivial through music This volume suggests that the world's musical cultures may be found locally, can be tapped virtually, and are important in considerations of music teaching and learning in schools and community contexts. Authors describe working artists and teachers, scenarios, vignettes, and teaching and learning experiences that happen in communities and that embrace the role of community musicians in schools, all of which will be presented with supporting theoretical frameworks.

This book explores questions of identity, cultural change and creativity from the perspective of contemporary musicians currently engaged in redefining Asian musical traditions and notions of heritage in Singapore. Drawing on the fields of anthropology, cultural studies, and ethnomusicology, Semionauts of Tradition focuses on emerging millennial musicians and explores the complex and interwoven cultural, national, musical, and personal identifications in their discourse and music practice. It shows how they create fluid, hybrid and counter-hegemonic forms of expression, representation and identity through their navigation of diverse cultural worlds, their incorporation of a myriad of elements into their own identities and music, and their contestations of preconceived notions of difference and tradition. The book exposes paradoxes within current thinking about 'multiracialism', 'racial harmony', the 'East/West divide' and 'tradition versus modernity,' and proposes new ways of understanding identity, cultural change and creativity in a highly globalised, and diverse nation. This highly-original polyvocal account of a burgeoning music scene includes photos, musical scores and reaction pieces by musicians. It is a timely contribution to global discussions about 'multiculturalism from below,' as well as musical, cultural and national identities in a postcolonial Southeast Asian setting, from the viewpoint of artists engaged in creative meaning-making. "This captivating book explores - with tremendous intellectual vitality - the dialectic relationships between the cultural, ethnic and national identities of Singapore's creative youth, and their creative practice. A compelling read!" Dr Liora Bresler, Professor, University of Illinois "A well-researched and thoughtfully well-written book about the diverse forms of music in Singapore and the musicians who created it." - Jeremy Monteiro, jazz pianist, singer, composer, and music educator "This wonderfully lucid and compelling book analyzes the musical and cultural creativity of young Singaporean musicians growing up in a multicultural and ethnically plural society, bringing Asian and Western musical cultures into creative dialogue." - Dr Deborah Pacini Hernandez, Professor Emeritus, Tufts University "A thought provoking dialogue on contemporary Singaporean music!" -Eric Watson, composer, conductor, music technologist and pedagogue

World Music Pedagogy, Volume VI: School-Community Intersections provides students with a resource for delving into the meaning of "world music" across a broad array of community contexts and develops the multiple meanings of community relative to teaching and learning music of global and local cultures. It clarifies the critical need for teachers to work in tandem with community musicians and artists in order to bridge the unnecessary gulf that often separates school music from the music of the world beyond school and to consider the potential for genuine collaborations across this gulf. The five-layered features of World Music Pedagogy are specifically addressed in various school-community intersections, with attention to the collaboration of teachers with local community artist-musicians and with community musicians-at-a-distance who are available virtually. The authors acknowledge the multiple routes teachers are taking to enable and encourage music learning in community contexts, such as their work in after-school academies, museums and libraries, eldercare centers, places of worship, parks and recreation centers, and other venues in which adults and children gather to learn music, make music, and become convivial through music This volume suggests that the world's musical cultures may be found locally, can be tapped virtually, and are important in considerations of music teaching and learning in schools and community contexts. Authors describe working artists and teachers, scenarios, vignettes, and teaching and learning experiences that happen in communities and that embrace the role of community musicians in schools, all of which will be presented with supporting theoretical frameworks.

This book presents qualitative research narratives on children's engagement and learning in play and arts experiences. Using The Artground Singapore - a registered arts charity that offers interactive visual art spaces for children - as a site of study, the book also offers reflective and practical insights into the professional development and incubation of art practitioners dedicated to the creation and implementation of works for young audiences. With reference to other such purpose-built arts spaces specifically dedicated to the engagement and learning of young audiences through play and varied arts experiences, such as The Ark in Dublin and ArtPlay in Melbourne, the authors show how these spaces are also dedicated to the development and creation of new quality works for young audiences through various professional development programmes. The Artground Singapore was developed along similar lines of interest, and provides a dedicated arts space for children and their caretakers to explore, play and create together through its interactive visual arts play space, as well as arts programmes that include music, theatre and dance, amongst others. Sharing critical insights into the aesthetical, logistical, and management aspects of providing a dedicated arts space for children, this book will be of interest to arts practitioners, child educators, and cultural studies scholars interested in dance, drama and music performance and pedagogy.

This edited book not only makes a much-needed contribution to research in arts education but also provides a strong grounding of evidential support for Singapore arts education, in contrast to the current state of affairs in arts education in many parts of the world where severe cuts in funding, lackluster support for the arts and imperialist agendas are pervasive. The case of and for Singapore – presented in this edited book through rich descriptions of the dedicated, contextualized practices of arts educators, artists and researchers – offers readers many valuable lessons and reflections on the continued survival and advancement of arts education.

This book traces the research on the design, implementation and outcomes of a professional development program for in-service primary and secondary school teachers aimed at enhancing their understanding of living music traditions in Singapore and how these could be taught in the 21st century music classroom. It proposes a professional development framework comprising the areas of Pedagogy, Practice and Perspective to guide professional development design. The book also aims to promote further discussions on adult learning and teaching about teaching, especially with regard to developing self-efficacy to handle different music traditions in a 21st century, multi-ethnic society like Singapore.

This peer-reviewed academic yearbook stems from the inaugural meeting of the newly formed UNESCO UNITWIN network on Arts Education Research for Cultural Diversity and Sustainable Development, held at the National Institute of Education, Singapore in April 2017. It presents international scholarly perspectives on issues related to arts education and cultural diversity in terms of: i) national and international policies; ii) terms, concepts and vocabularies; iii) current and ongoing research; and iv) best practices. The UNESCO UNITWIN is an arts education research think tank that gathers and leverages original research and critical commentaries on the arts and sustainable development from UNITWIN member states and beyond (Australia, Canada, Colombia, Germany, Hong Kong, Kenya, Korea, Israel, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, the Netherlands and the United States of America).

Musical Childhoods of Asia and the Pacific agglomerates stories of young children's music and musicking from around Southeast Asia and the Pacific. A collection of truly unique traditions are interrogated through a variety of contemporary methodologies. Readers are privileged to hear about children's musical worlds from children, mothers' musical worlds from mothers, a struggle to engage with music in a closed society, and new gender politics, among other stories. Researchers share experiences and insights gained from applying their chosen methodologies and add to the debate that shapes the continually transforming domain of music education research. Musical Childhoods builds on the diverse inquiry presented in the first three volumes in the series. This volume is an important addition to the libraries of colleges of education and schools of music, as well as music scholars and educators, researchers, and graduate students who are concerned with advancing both the scope and quality of research in the study of music teaching and learning