
Is your child a class clown and always on the lookout for a captive audience? Does family dinner look and feel a lot like a comedy-hour special? If so, you may already be thinking about enrolling your drama queen in a theatre class. But, as it turns out, performing arts training is also good for kids who avoid the limelight.
If your child is more wallflower than prima donna, here are four ways that performing arts training may help her (or him) build confidence and blossom.
1 A focus on communication skills: Children studying performing arts learn to be aware of their body language, posture and eye contact, all of which increases their ability to communicate effectively. As kids get better at communicating, their peers notice their improvement and this changes how they perceive them. Once kids see that their friends have noticed their improvement, they begin to believe it about themselves and it starts to shape their idea of self. Once a child believes that he is good at something, be it communicating or performing, it becomes self-perpetuating and a positive cycle is set in motion.
2 Building confidence: A performing arts class is a safe and trusting environment where students have the opportunity to practice techniques to combat nerves. Since children are offered a series of performance opportunities throughout the year, they have the platform to showcase their new skills and talents, which only goes to boost their confidence further.
3 Working as a team: Even one-man or one-woman shows are team efforts, requiring collaboration with lots of people. Performing arts training teaches children to collaborate and builds teamwork skills. Working as a team to accomplish a goal – like successfully performing a play – builds confidence and allows kids to take pride in their achievement. This shared success helps children be more empathetic and able to step into the shoes of others while identifying with a broader world view.
4 An opportunity for self-expression: Studying performing arts provides children
with a safe space for self-expression where there is no right or wrong. Through working with their minds and bodies in this safe space, children discover more about themselves. They also learn to trust their peers, which creates a community rooted in creativity and passion. Whether your children dream of acting professionally, or simply enjoy it as a hobby, they will learn that their art has value.
Find it
• CentreStage Studios HK, 5236 7960/ 5689 2272, [email protected], www.centrestagestudioshk.com
CentreStage Studios HK is the LAMDA Examinations Tour Organiser for Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. The LAMDA curriculum provides the foundational structure for many of CentreStage’s courses in musical theatre, acting and public speaking. CentreStage offers classes, for kids aged three to 18 years, in Discovery Bay, the New Territories, on Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon.
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