Paths to a whole: Placing music education in Singapore

Abstract

In their concluding paragraph, Stead and Lum make the observation of Music’s importance in the development of an education system appropriate for the needs of the twenty-first century (2014; 249) in a/ny learner’s desired narratives towards a career or to gain life-enhancing benefits through their involvement in musical activities. These observations are consonant with attendant outcomes for a/ny learner as articulated in the Ministry’s Desired Outcomes of Education (MOE), implying the sense of arriving at holistic development of a/ny learner in the Singapore Education system, in and through Music towards civic, ethical and societal citizenship. This chapter attempts an overview of the teaching and learning in and through Music and Education in Singapore, which led to the Ministry of Education’s ideals. The chapter will also raise questions about the multiple connections concomitant with state-run, public-funded education in and for Music, which speak to and of the role of Music in a g/location like Singapore and intends to lead learners and learning into and beyond the twenty-first century.