Benefits of Being in the School Play

May 9, 2019 - 7 minutes read

Parent support of extra curricular activities, in and outside of school, ranging from athletics and involvement in team sports to music, acting and involvement in the performing arts, play a vital role in a child’s development.

Exposure to a variety of extra curricular activities, either as a participant or observer, is important for children to discover individual strengths and interests, and learn skills transferrable to a number of disciplines.

Schools showcase a range of learning opportunities throughout the school year including Athletic tournaments and Jamborees, Learning Fairs, Innovation Celebrations, Coding Arcades, Choir Festival, Band Celebrations and school Concerts and performances.

Spring is the traditional time for schools to stage their school plays and musicals. Ridgeview school has a long history of showcasing spring musicals. Broadway Musicals have included Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in 2015, Seussical the Musical in 2017, and this year, The Lion King. All productions require the commitment of all staff, the entire student body, and parents. Learning is extensive for all involved, lessons learned move beyond music classes, skills learned transfer to all disciplines.

Involvement in the performing arts can play a key role in a child’s education. In many studies, researchers are now linking involvement in the arts to improved child development and higher student achievement. Though not an exhaustive list, some of the many benefits of the performing arts are as follows:

THE PERFORMING ARTS HELPS to DEVELOP:

Language and reasoning

Students who have early musical and performance training develop areas of the brain related to language and reasoning. The left side of the brain is better developed with music, and songs can help imprint information on young minds.

A mastery of memorization

Even when performing with sheet music, student musicians are using their memory to perform. The skill of memorization can serve students well in education and beyond.

Students learn to improve their work

Learning music promotes craftsmanship, and students learn to want to create good work instead of mediocre work. This desire can be applied to all subjects of study.

Increased coordination

Students who practice with musical instruments can improve their hand-eye coordination. Just like playing sports, children can develop motor skills when playing music.

A sense of achievement

Learning to play pieces of music on a new instrument can be a challenging, but achievable goal. Students who master even the smallest goal in music will be able to feel proud of their achievement.

Emotional development

Students of music and the performing arts can be more emotionally developed, with empathy towards other cultures and diverse learning styles. Students tend to have higher self-esteem and are better at coping with anxiety.

Builds imagination and intellectual curiosity

Introducing music in the early childhood years and presentation/performance arts early can help foster a positive attitude toward learning and curiosity. Artistic education develops the whole brain and develops a child’s imagination.

Development in creative thinking

Kids who study the arts can learn to think creatively. This kind of education can help them solve problems by thinking outside the box and realizing that there may be more than one right answer.

Development of spatial intelligence

Students who study music and participate in the performing arts can improve the development of spatial intelligence, which allows them to perceive the world accurately and form mental pictures. Spatial intelligence is helpful for advanced mathematics and more.

Development of confidence and self-presentation skills

One of the most obvious benefits of the performing arts is the development of skills in self-presentation. A child must learn how to present him or herself in front of an audience, be it big or small. They develop the ability to converse with adults in a mature manner. Participation in the arts allows them to grow their self-esteem and self-confidence, developing poise and learning to overcome anxieties.

Problem solving and perseverance

Performing arts help teach children both self-reliance as well as collaboration with others in order to reach a goal.

Empathy and compassion

Performing arts help promote interpersonal skills. Some of the previously mentioned benefits can come through participation in sporting activities, but performing arts also promote and develop certain skills and characteristics such as empathy and compassion for others. The creativity involved in performing arts extends to emotional creativity and can open children to new ways of seeing the world.

At the end of the day, the transferable skills a child learns from performing may not be nearly as important as the experience of performing itself. The performing arts benefits kids by giving them an awareness about themselves and creative skills they’d never learn otherwise. Simply by having been part of the performance process, your child has been exposed to a new way of thinking and doing.

Whether it’s playing in the band, singing in the choir or performing in the school play, encouraging your child in the performing arts is a great way to create a well-rounded education.

 

Sources:

Benefits of Music in Our Schools;  How the Performing Arts Benefit Kids;  Great Ways Performing Arts Can Benefit Your Child