It’s Tuesday night. I’m sitting in the fifth row from the stage as my youngest son rehearses for a play his Acting I class is performing in a few weeks. Tomorrow I’ll be here again because my oldest child is taking an Improv class. If we aren’t at the theater for rehearsals and practice, you can often find us here watching various productions. We are a performing arts family.
My two sons have always preferred the theater to the ballfield. They aspire to careers in acting, filmmaking, and directing, and while I will admit that not being into sports has, at times, caused them to be left out among their peers, I see the many benefits of theatre bearing fruit in their lives.
Listening Skills – Kids in performing arts have to develop good listening skills and be able to take direction. This is an invaluable benefit in a child’s education as being a good listener makes a better student. My youngest son has greatly improved in this area since he’s been on the stage. Having to listen to and master stage direction and position helped him to focus which I think is directly linked to his good grades in school.
Confidence – It takes bravery to perform live in front of an audience! On stage, kids learn to trust in their abilities and face their fears. An obvious benefit of the arts is that a child learns to present himself or herself in front of an audience, and this ability also boosts confidence.
Self-Expression – There has been on other place in my son’s life where he has been so free to be to overly loud and expressive self than on stage where his yelling is simply “projecting” and his antics only add to the performance. Through the arts, children learn about expressing emotion through facial movements, voice, and body language, and this translates into the off-stage skill of better emotional intelligence.
Memory - The arts really works this muscle as kids remember lines, moves, and lyrics. Memorization training strengthens the brain to retain information and helps with creativity. It’s like a mini workout for the mind!
