Students aged between five and 18 who are talented in the arts can enrol part-time at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts' (Nafa) School of Young Talents. Enrolment has increased steadily from 1,000 in 1999 to 3,700 now. But despite the increase, Madam Fang Yuan, the school's founding principal, has lamented that the students are not taking up careers in the arts. According to her, parental concerns and school workloads stop students from pursuing their artistic studies and training. There are students at 14 or 15 who have been offered places at prestigious music schools overseas, but their parents insist that they complete their O levels before they accept the offers. Madam Fang said she was dumbfounded.

But she must be realistic. There are few opportunities in Singapore for music performers, even when they return from prestigious institutions. Most of Singapore's talented musicians, like Siow Lee Chin for instance, are based abroad.

Still, there definitely has been a shift in parents' attitude towards the arts. The School of the Arts, for example, which opened this year and offers a six-year programme leading to the International Baccalaureate diploma, drew 243 students. It expects more when it moves into proper premises in Dhoby Ghaut in 2010. The LaSalle College of the Arts, which offers a variety of diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate courses, has 2,300 students. At Nafa, which offers a three-year diploma programme, there are some 2,200 students.

For more The Straits Times stories, click here.