Innovation and Inclusivity Through Arts Integration

Oct 24, 2024

An Affiliate Spotlight for Singapore Wolf Trap

Singapore Wolf Trap, through its sponsor organization, Singapore Repertory Theatre (SRT), has paired active arts-based learning experiences for children with professional development for early childhood educators throughout Singapore since 2019. The Institute affiliate has built a reputation for boldly creative experiences and community partnerships centered around the early childhood community, through initiatives like “Wake Up! Shake Up!”, a virtual program that broadcast live to classrooms during the pandemic, “Permission to Play,” an annual event for educators, commissioned by the National Arts Council Singapore, and produced in partnership with the U.S. Embassy Singapore.

David Tan is the manager for the Centre for Creative Learning at SRT, for which he has served as the affiliate director for Singapore Wolf Trap since 2013. A significant portion of his role is focused on building partnerships and developing capacity-building programs in arts accessibility for SRT’s education programs. SRT’s focus on inclusivity was born out of a commitment to provide access services such as Audio Description, Creative Captioning, Singapore Sign Language (SgSL) Interpretation, and Relaxed Performances to more of its stage productions, opening its programming to wider audiences. In 2023, SRT turned its focus to its education programs and launched its Accelerate Access program. Accelerate Access pairs teaching artists with Singapore’s Special Education (SPED) teachers to create new standards for inclusive arts engagement. Tan hopes to apply this approach to Wolf Trap residencies in early childhood classrooms.

“With the growing awareness and drive for all pre-schools to be as inclusive and accessible as possible, it is imperative for our teaching artists to be able to work within inclusive environments including classrooms of children with different physical and intellectual needs,” said Tan. “To that end, we provide many of our Wolf Trap Teaching Artists with upskilling programs that enable them to work within the special education setting, and we will continue to support their journey toward inclusivity.”

Singapore Wolf Trap currently has a roster of 14 active teaching artists who specialize in multiple performing arts disciplines, including drama, storytelling, music, movement, and puppetry. All teaching artists receive new artist training in early literacy; many have also received specialized training in math.

The majority of Singapore Wolf Trap’s work caters to children between three and six years old. They work in pre-schools throughout Singapore, including family care centers and inclusive pre-schools. Three of its more significant partnerships are with Sparkletots, Singapore’s largest preschool operator and employer, YWCA, and TOUCH Community Services.

Singapore Wolf Trap also seeks opportunities to connect with educators and administrators outside of the classroom through partnerships with higher educational institutions. Most recently, Singapore Wolf Trap Teaching Artists Rachel Nip and Shanice Stanislaus presented their workshop, “Words around the World” at Singapore University of Social Sciences’ (SUSS) Early Childhood Conference.

Major areas of focus for the affiliate include language and literacy, numeracy, discovery of the world and aesthetics, and creative expressions. Three popular experiences that Singapore Wolf Trap Teaching Artists like to use with their teachers include “Freeze Frame,” “Drum, Roll…Action,” and “Story Land,” a teacher-in-role strategy.

“We also focus on the children’s social-emotional development with the children in line with the pre-school curriculum,” said Tan. “We base our learning areas on the educator’s own curriculum structure to be aligned with their schedules, and work on learning goals that the educators identify as challenging [for them].”

In its commitment to fostering creativity and inclusivity, Singapore Wolf Trap continues to pave the way for transformative early childhood education in Singapore. Meet the Singapore Wolf Trap Team (video). Learn more about Singapore Wolf Trap and Singapore Repertory Theatre at: https://www.srt.com.sg/.