Kids Develop Skills on Stage

Skills Children learn from Theatre & Music

1. Creativity - Thinking creatively is a learned skill. In the arts this is something they will do over and over. Giving them the chance to develop this skill now and it will be a natural part of their makeup in the future.

2. Confidence - Learning to speak confidently in front of an audience is a skill everyone needs at some point, whether their life goal is in the theatre or in the boardroom. Being able to step out of your comfort zone, make mistakes and learn, and gives you ability to deliver a message with confidence.

3. Problem Solving - Creating a production is lesson in solving problems. How does my character act in this situation? Where do I stand in this scene and why? Why is this particular song sung at this time? How does the dance contribute to the story? The process of problem solving is so seamless, you don't even realize that is what you are doing and the learning is completely seamless.

4. Perseverance - Learning the words to a song or the dialogue for your character may be an easy task for a child, but taking that information and discovering how to successfully use it to convey a story takes rehearsal, discussion, and time. Learning to work through this process and understand it takes perseverance. This is an essential skill for success in life. In our current environment of 'immediate gratification', we all could use to improve our perseverance skills.

5. Focus - Focus, as we all know, has become a huge problem for today's kids. There is new research showing that the arts improve children’s ability to concentrate and focus in other aspects of their lives. Each participant must think how their role contributes to the big picture of what is being created. This is one of the greatest gifts of being involved in a group production.

6. Non-Verbal Communication - Through experiences in theater and dance education, children learn to breakdown the mechanics of body language. They experience different ways of moving and how those movements communicate different emotions. They are then coached in performance skills to ensure they are portraying their character effectively to the audience.
7. Receiving Constructive Feedback - Receiving constructive feedback about a performance or visual art piece is a regular part of any arts instruction. Children learn that feedback is part of learning and it is not something to be offended by or to be taken personally. It is something helpful. The goal is the improvement of skills and evaluation is incorporated at every step of the process. Each arts discipline has built in parameters to ensure that critique is a valuable experience and greatly contributes to the success of the final piece.
8. Collaboration - Most arts disciplines are collaborative in nature. Through the arts, children practice working together, sharing responsibility, and compromising with others to accomplish a common goal. When a child has a part to play in a music ensemble, or a theater or dance production, they begin to understand that their contribution is necessary for the success of the group. Through these experiences children gain confidence and start to learn that their contributions have value even if they don’t have the biggest role.
9. Dedication - When kids get to practice following through with artistic endeavors that result in a finished product or performance, they learn to associate dedication with a feeling of accomplishment. They practice developing healthy work habits of being on time for rehearsals and performances, respecting the contributions of others, and putting effort into the success of the final piece. In the performing arts, the reward for dedication is the warm feeling of an audience’s applause that comes rushing over you, making all your efforts worthwhile.
10. Accountability - When children practice creating something collaboratively they get used to the idea that their actions affect other people. They learn that when they are not prepared or on-time, that other people suffer. Through the arts, children also learn that it is important to admit that you made a mistake and take responsibility for it. Because mistakes are a regular part of the process of learning in the arts, children begin to see that mistakes happen. We acknowledge them, learn from them and move on.