News has just broken that aspiring K-pop stars in the region will soon have the opportunity to learn from the best. Singapore is set to be the home of the first K-pop international school, a collaboration between Singapore Raffles Music College (SRMC) and the esteemed School of Performing Arts Seoul (Sopa), known for nurturing successful artists like BTS’ Jungkook, Blackpink’s Jisoo and Exo’s Kai.
In a press statement following the signing of a memorandum of understanding in Seoul, both SRMC and Sopa announced the creation of Sopa-SRMC. The new institution is set to accept students predominantly from Singapore and South-east Asia, offering specialized K-pop education. Additionally, SRMC will facilitate admissions for South Korean students who desire to study in Singapore.
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Sopa Principal, Hosung Lim, expressed his ambition to enhance Sopa’s reputation not only domestically in South Korea, but also on an international scale as a leading K-pop educational institution.
The forthcoming K-pop international school will conduct classes in English, with Sopa faculty members taking the lead in delivering a curriculum that seamlessly integrates the education systems of both Singapore and South Korea.
Commenting on this development, SRMC Executive Director Ryan Goh said, “We see this as a unique opportunity to bring the essence of specialized performing arts education from South Korea into Singapore and South-east Asia. This will showcase the exceptional value of industry-focused education and provide the impetus to spur the industry forward regionally.”
Sopa was first established as Jeonghui High School in 1966, and in 2009, it underwent a name change to the School of Performing Arts Seoul. Its list of notable alumni extends beyond Jungkook, Jisoo, and Kai, to include celebrities such as singer-actress Bae Suzy, IVE’s Yujin and Wonyoung, Red Velvet’s Joy, and NCT’s Mark.
On the other hand, SRMC, established in 2001, had previously collaborated with University of West London’s London College of Music to provide degree programs in music and dance. As stated on its website, SRMC takes pride in being “the only tertiary institution in Singapore with a full focus on music and dance”.
News based on Asia News.
