THE BENIFITS OF PERFORMING ARTS PROGRAMS IN OUR SCHOOLS

Mo Brower

We have all seen the scenario, schools cut their budget and the first program to go is the arts…most often it is the drama program which is cut first. Why do people feel that sports are more important than drama?  It is a question I have asked myself many times over the years. Sure, sports can teach teamwork, good work ethic and focus but the performing arts can teach that and so much more. Now, more than ever, we need the performing arts in our schools and in our community and we often don’t realize all the benefits associated with them.

What are the performing arts? Dance, Chorus, music and live theater are a few examples of the performing arts which we are blessed to have in our community. We are fortunate to have incredible organizations which provide top notch productions such as The Lake Country Players, PAPA, OPAS, The Lake Country Chorus and The Arts Barn. These organizations work with people of all ages within our community including children, and the skills they learn from the experience of performing on stage are quite amazing.

Children who participate in drama for example sharpen their listening skills by learning to take direction on stage. They develop confidence by performing in front of an audience which prepares them for situations which may require them to speak in front of a large group.

According to Rylie McDonald, a former student at LOA, “Because of theater I don’t struggle being in front of a crowd or communicating clearly with someone unfamiliar one on one. That is essentially what the performing arts is, being able to communicate between the audience and yourself clearly and effectively. I have definitely taken this skill off stage as well.”

Embodying another person’s story through acting, dance or music allows children to “walk in someone else’s shoes”.  When portraying a character that is different than themselves, children learn to empathize with other people, to respect differences and embrace similarities. They learn about different cultures which helps a child become a global citizen and see the world through the eyes of someone who is unlike them. This fosters kindness, thoughtfulness and nonjudgmental attitudes which helps them form relationships with people from all walks of life and makes them a contributing member of society.

The performing arts also builds memorization skills. Whether it be live theater, chorus or dance, children learn to memorize lines, moves and lyrics which has been proven to help children in studies where memorization is required.  Teamwork and organization are also important skills that children learn in the performing arts but one of the most important skills in my opinion is creativity and self -expression.  How often do we hear the phrase “think outside of the box”?  Often I have been faced with a challenge where that skill was required.  As a professional choreographer working with volunteer actors, I have had to be very creative in blocking and choreography which makes every person on stage look like they have had years of dance training. I learned that skill when I became dance captain in one of my high school productions. A 2019 article in the Scholarly Journal Trends In Neuroscience and Education states that students involved in the performing arts outperform their peers on SAT tests, increased retention of information, have higher standardized test scores, increased student engagement, more consistent attendance and improved reading comprehension skills.

Exposing our children to the performing arts is just as beneficial as having them participate in the arts.  My husband and I took our daughter to see Les Miserables on Broadway when she was 5 years old. It became a tradition.  Each year for her birthday she would pick a Broadway show to see and we would make a night of it with dinner at her favorite place, Tavern on The Green in Central Park.  We didn’t realize at the time that it would be so impactful to her.  We had moved to Illinois when she was 10 and two years later we moved back to Connecticut, at the end of 7^th grade for her.  She was miserable, having a difficult time making friends so close to the end of the year.  The next year she decided to join the drama club, it felt comfortable for her to be around the stage since she had been a competitive dancer from the age of 5 and had been going to the theater for so many years…. It was home to her.  Through theater, she gained her confidence back, met friends (who she is still friends with 14 years later) and learned valuable life skills which prepared her for her professional life.  She had to work her way up in the drama club from painting and building the sets to props to costumes and then to stage manager and finally production stage manager. She had to balance school with theater which lead to long days and an unwavering commitment.  As production stage manager, she had to learn to work with all types of personalities and create rehearsal schedules all while keeping her personal schedule in order. Her organization skills (which were non-existant prior to theater) increased dramatically. She performed in several productions which added to the balancing act but gave her additional confidence in her ability to perform in front of a large audience.  All of these skills prepared her for college. To this day, she will tell you that college was easier thanks to her experiences in high school. To me, this is living proof of the value of a performing arts program in schools.

For more information about arts happenings in Lake Country, go to www.lakecountryarts.org