Lasalle College of the Arts

SHE was drained by the time she graduated from polytechnic.

She even had doubts about her first love - fashion. But enrolling in Lasalle College of the Arts' (Lasalle) Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Fashion Design programme revived Miss Pauline Lim Poh Ning's passion.

She said she was feeling worn out by the time she graduated from Temasek Polytechnic with a diploma in Apparel Design and Merchandising due to her previous workload.

But she decided to further her studies at Lasalle after attending the school's open house and hearing the positive testimonials from its graduates.

Miss Lim, 22, said: 'Lasalle's programme is all-rounded and it exposes students to more than just technical and creative skills.'

She said students are taught communication skills that are 'crucial' to doing well in the industry.

'We are taught how to present our artwork, how to articulate our ideas, how to lay out our pieces at an exhibition. We are also prepared to take questions from others about our artwork.'

For her final showcase before she graduates, Miss Lim is producing a six-piece collection entitled 'When Technology Wounds'.

Her pieces, which mix art noveau and Industrial Revolution elements, are 'sophisticated, urban and feminine'.

INTERESTING TEACHING METHODS

The duration of the degree course is decided on a case-by-case basis. Thanks to her diploma, Miss Lim will earn her degree in only a year.

She said she was attracted to Lasalle's curriculum as it emphasises 'thought processes rather than just the end product'. She said: 'Our lecturers focus on the concept of our work rather than on just its looks.' She said her dedicated lecturers make school life enjoyable despite all the hard work.

Lasalle graduate Lo Xin Sheng, 24, said he also benefited from having lecturers who expected only the best from their students.

He recalled producing a pop ballad - one of the projects for his Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Music Technology programme - which was deemed 'unsatisfactory' by his lecturer.

Spurred by the criticism, he produced a more unique piece, one that was reminiscent of music typically played at the circus.

'My lecturer forced me out of my comfort zone to produce something that was out of the box,' said Mr Lo, who was torn between pursuing information technology and music after his O levels.

But he decided to pursue the former because he thought that 'the IT field holds greater prospects'.

He obtained a Diploma in Internet Computing from Temasek Polytechnic. But upon graduation, he realised that he had a greater passion for music.

He then enrolled in Lasalle's Music Technology degree course as its curriculum offered 'a wonderful mixture of training' in music and record engineering.

He said: 'We are taught a wide range of music genres such as pop, jazz, classical and world music. We also learn about the technical aspects of music, like recording music and producing the final music album.'

The accomplished students at the school were also part of the reason why he chose to enrol in Lasalle. He said: 'It is like being in the music industry because many of the students here are already musicians, video artists or dancers in their own right.'

Mr Lo had composed music for church groups and commercial projects before enrolling in Lasalle.

The full duration of his course is four years, but he was exempted from the first year due to his musical background in piano and music composition.

His last showcase with three of his classmates was on 7 May. It was an interactive group performance that combined live video effects with music from a bass guitar and digitally-produced audio effects.

Mr Lo is now the boss of a music school, Manning Music School, which he bought over in January.

It was a 'dream come true' for him as the cost of setting up a new music school had hindered his plans to run one previously.

He now teaches guitar and piano at his school. He also hired several of his ex-classmates as teachers. Mr Lo's Lasalle degree also qualifies him to run music technology classes if he chooses to do so in future.