As we approach the February half term holiday, I reflect as always on the girls’ many achievements during the last six and a half weeks. The highlight for our School community has been the School Production of “Legally Blonde Jr – The Musical”. The show is a fabulously fun journey of self-empowerment and expanding horizons. “Legally Blonde Jr” follows the transformation of Elle Woods as she tackles stereotypes, snobbery and scandal in pursuit of her dreams. Behind the story there are some strong feminist messages encouraging us to not judge a book by its cover (or a girl by her designer shoes), sisterhood is key, to never give up and finally that self-love is the most important.
Throughout our school, from Early Years to Sixth Form, Performing Arts are an important part of our curriculum. There are so many benefits of Drama, Dance, Public Speaking and other performing arts. One such benefit is improved confidence and self-esteem. Self-expression is encouraged and embraced in performing arts. There’s no right or wrong way and all opinions and options are considered. It is often this lack of creative boundary that encourages confidence and boosts self-esteem; their suggestions and the chance to explore alternative ideas encourages them to express their options in a positive manner.
Communication and Presentation skills are enhanced. Performing arts requires children to read and memorise scripts, then present these to their peers or an audience. This helps to develop a child’s vocabulary and they will explore voice tones and express themselves using movement. In turn, this will help them become more confident with how they’re communicating and improve how they present themselves in the future.
Thirdly children and young people become more creative through performing arts. Creativity is an essential skill in both childhood and adult life. As we age, we’re required to problem solve, create plans and adapt to emerging or difficult situations. This innovation requires development, and one way to exercise it is through performing arts. During a class, children are encouraged to consider alternative perspectives and explore new ideas. While doing this, they’re creating solutions and developing different ways of thinking.
Finally, children and young people develop empathy through participating in performing arts. Exploring and acting as other characters encourages children to consider the emotions of the other person they are portraying. This immersion and discovery of someone new will present to them the challenges and successes of the character. Through this, they will better understand their own emotions, as well as other people’s. Empathy can be difficult to teach, but through performing arts, your daughter will be encouraged to understand and share the feelings of others.
I would like to finish this blog with some quotations about the importance of Performing Arts education.
Nicola Smillie
Headmistress
