SINGAPORE: More parents are sending their children to art schools. But as the economy slows, and household budgets shrink, will parents drop expensive private art courses?

The number of children competitions has been steadily increasing over the years as more performance schools open and more sponsors jump on board.

An International Kids Performing Festival was held for the first time in December 2008 attracting over 100 participants.

One school which prepares kids for such competitions is Precious Entertainment, which has seen its enrolment numbers jump from eight students in 2004 to over 200 now.

But these classes don't come cheap. One term of 10 sessions can cost up to S$560. And despite the economic downturn, the company says said demand has not fallen.

Joanne Buxton, marketing director, Precious Entertainment, said: "Parents will rather sacrifice their trips and spa treatments and put the money toward their children.

“Parents see it as not just teaching the children to sing and to dance. We teach them a lot of life skills. W e teach them to be sociable and to work as a team. When you see the children performing, they become a lot more confident."

For children who cannot afford such classes, the company has started giving subsidies, to 36 students in 2009.

One of them is 12-year-old Aisyah Salim, who's from a low income family, but made it to the finals of a singing competition.

Another school which offers subsidised courses for talented young children is the Little Arts Academy which opened in November this year. 60 per cent of the 300 students it is taking in next year will not have to pay course fees.

Adelina Ong, curriculum manager, Little Arts Academy, said: "A lot of people would wonder why is the arts relevant to people who don't seem to have the means to afford training, the instruments or even ballet shoes required.

“We felt that if a child has talent, he or she should receive equal opportunity to develop that talent. Art is a lot more than just creating artists. Art has something to give to you no matter who you are, where you come from, what kind of financial circumstances you have.”

The academy wants children to discover their natural talents by exposing them to everything including theatre, dance, visual arts and music. By doing that, it hopes to fill a gap in children's art education in Singapore.

Phan Ming Yen, director, Little Arts Academy, said: "We already had a School of the Arts that fulfilled that need for the Secondary level. And then for music, you have Yong Siew Toh Conservatory that is for the tertiary level. But what we realized we didn't have was actually a dedicated learning centre that just focused on primary school children."

Whatever the age group, getting more children exposed to the arts can only be a good thing for a country that aims to be a global city for the arts. - CNA/vm