GOOD APPROACH: Sapura Smart School engages professional singers, among others, to enable students to learn from the best
IN conjunction with Children's Day, Sapura Smart School's primary campus held its annual singing contest called Sapura Idol recently.
Beginning with over 100 participants in the preliminaries, 10 finalists aged between 7 and 12 battled it out for the Sapura Idol 2012 title.
The finalists were coached by music teacher and Sapura Idol coordinator Nor Azniza Zainal Abidin, who accompanied their performances on the piano.
The school has a full music programme to cater to the students' different interests and talents including vocals, drums, string instruments and more.
This is only one of the many efforts by Sapura Smart School to tap its students' many talents.
Although it follows the integrated curriculum syllabus for primary schools, the smart school has other additional subjects such as drama, martial arts and swimming which are included in the children's daily timetable and not as extra curricular activities.
It is also compulsory for the students to take up a third language of either Arab or Mandarin.
These extra subjects are to develop the children's soft skills and discipline that will undoubtedly be useful in their lives. The school also emphasises on fitness as with today's technology, children are more prone to obesity.
"Moving with time, today's education must be approached differently as the children's life challenges will not be the same as ours," said principal Muhammad Putera Hamzah.
Other events to highlight the pupils' talents include an annual theater play by the drama students.
These activities, although fun, are conducted seriously like holding sports events in a stadium. Stage professionals are roped in to set up the music and drama programmes.
Sapura Smart School also aims to provide the best for the students by involving popular singers such as Zainal Abidin, Carol Oormila and Sharifah Zarina.
For Sapura Idol 2012, the school engaged famous vocal coach Siti Hajar Ismail and music producer Brian John Yim as guest judges.
The school provides the platform for the students to go further.
At Monday morning assemblies the students are allowed to show off their talents such as playing live music for Negaraku and story-telling.
The school also takes that time to acknowledge students' achievements outside the school to show its encouragement and to inspire other students.
Last year some of the primary school pupils represented Malaysia in Vienna with the Permata Seni choir for the World's Children Choir Festival.
"We support them in whatever they do and we in return, get full support from the parents," said deputy principal Najiba Ahmad.
"Without such exposures, the children's talents might never be discovered like Johan Mohd Nazri, who is a quiet boy in the classroom but came out as Sapura Idol 2012 champion."
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