Using their arts education to help the greater community

THAT talent knows no social or economic boundaries is a belief that 18-year-old School of the Arts (Sota) student, Izad Hamzah, holds true to his heart.

As such, he dreams of giving back to the music community by setting up his own record company in Singapore in the future; to provide opportunities to those who are passionate in music but have no opportunity to express it.

"With that record company, I plan to go around multiple schools to recruit those who are passionate in music . . . I hope to be the one who gives them the opportunity to find a career in music," said Izad.

A student under the school's International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) specialising in music himself, Izad's first foray into music started back when he auditioned to play for the brass band in primary school. Aside from playing the tuba, he also beatboxes and experiments with producing his own music in his free time.

Having received his IB results on Monday, Izad - a beneficiary of the Sota Student Financial Support (Sota-SFS) Schemes - said he plans to study music production and music business enterprise in the United Kingdom. He had scored 36 points out of the perfect score of 45.

While he intends to pursue music production as a career, he is also keen to learn about music business enterprise as the knowledge gained will bring him one step closer to fulfilling his dream of opening a record company.

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"That is the optimistic plan," he said.

At present, Izad has already been giving back to the community through his active involvement in various projects such as performing for the Sunburst Fundraising Concert in 2018, as well as the One Hope Fundraising Concert in 2020, which helped raise funds for The RICE Company's #ENGAGE2.0 campaign. The money raised went to providing art materials and hosting art classes for children from low-income families struggling during the Covid-19 pandemic.

"No matter where you are or what your background is, a small gesture can go a long way", is a quote that Izad said has stuck with him since his service learning trips, and continues to guide him in his actions of giving back to the community.

From music to film

Similarly, Woon Rae, 18, had her first taste of the arts scene when she played the trumpet in her primary school.

Initially an IBDP student specialising in music at Sota, Rae then switched her course to film when she was in Year 5, after being exposed to the art form during her time at the school.

Despite being a rookie, one of Rae's short films, Bear, in which she was the cinematographer, was selected as part of a curated list of films screened at the 2019 Jogja Asian Film Festival in Indonesia. The film is a teenage story about rites of passage. Other notable works in her portfolio include a documentary film investigating poverty among migrant workers in Singapore which she produced - driven by her deep interest in geography and strong passion for film.

An all-rounder, Rae has won numerous academic and artistic awards in school. For instance, she was awarded the Dr Lee Boon Yang Student of the Year award in 2019, which commends students with exceptional scholastic achievement and outstanding performance in the arts, leadership, community service and experiential education. The awardees are also exemplary role models to their peers.

Of her journey in Sota, Rae said: "(The) Sota education has taught me how to think both critically and creatively . . . (and) has also helped me develop an open mind to new ideas."

"The journey seems long but ultimately fulfilling," she added.

Having also received her IB results on Monday, where she scored 43 points, Rae intends to pursue sociology in university to learn more about societies and communities - a passion that was sparked following her overseas service learning trips to Kanchanaburi.

"It exposed me to new cultures and perspectives, and changed the way I felt about learning and education," she said.

Both Izad and Rae were among a total of 157 Sota students who sat the IB examinations in 2020. In results released on Monday, Sota achieved a 100 per cent pass rate in both the IBDP and IBCP (International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme). Sota's IBDP students obtained an average score of 38.7 points, with more than half of them scoring 39 points and above.

The Sota-SFS, of which Izad is a beneficiary, is slated to be supported by the Sota Endowment Fund (Sota EF) in the future. Izad noted that the support has helped him "enjoy the full Sota experience", through making things more accessible and opening up more opportunities for him. The Sota EF will support financial assistance schemes and selected scholarships that are not directly supported by a donor.

The Sota EF is one of the beneficiaries of the Sunburst concert - an annual fund-raiser for the Sota EF and Muscular Dystrophy Association (Singapore) organised by The Business Times and with CapitaLand as the presenting sponsor.