The History Of Music Curriculum Development In Primary And Secondary Schools In Singapore (1965-2013)

The purpose of this study is to trace the history of the development of the school music education curriculum in primary and secondary schools in Singapore from 1965 to 2013. Singapore’s education serves her economy, and music education which is part of the foundation education follows the pace of the foundation education reforms and makes timely adjustments. The development can be divided into four periods according to the development of the economy: the economic recovery stage (1965-1978); the economic growth stage (1979-1984; the economic restructuring stage (1985-1997) and the economic rehabilitation stage (1985-2013). This dissertation studies including the development of the four reforms on education, relevant decrees and regulations, music curriculum standards, the teaching materials and methods, music extracurricular activities, as well as music teachers’ preparation of primary and secondary schools in Singapore. By using the historical method, the materials presented here are gathered mainly from literature, published documents prepared by the Ministry of Education and on-the-spot investigation. This dissertation intends to introduce and summarize the characteristics of music education in Singapore, put forward suggestions in order to provide reference to promote music education at primary and secondary schools in China.