{"id":127,"date":"2014-04-08T09:12:32","date_gmt":"2014-04-08T17:12:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.sandiego.edu\/character\/?p=127"},"modified":"2014-04-08T09:12:32","modified_gmt":"2014-04-08T17:12:32","slug":"character-and-the-arts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.sandiego.edu\/character\/blog\/2014\/04\/08\/character-and-the-arts\/","title":{"rendered":"Character and the Arts"},"content":{"rendered":"

Character and the Arts
\nBy Ed DeRoche<\/h1>\n

Good character is not formed automatically; it is developed over time through a sustained process of teaching, modeling, learning, and experience.<\/em>
\n– Maryland State Department of Education<\/p>\n

In early March the public celebrated the 110th birthday of Dr. Seuss
\nI joined the celebration by going to see the Christian Youth Theater\u2019s (Escondido) excellent production of \u201cSeussical\u2014The Musical.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reading the \u201cplaybill\u201d I noticed this quote:
\nResearch has shown that children who receive regular exposure to the arts are four times more likely to be recognized for academic excellence, to participate in a math and science fair, or to win an award for writing a poem or essay.<\/em><\/p>\n

Why a statement on research, I asked myself? I found other information that supports the \u201cplaybill quote.\u201d For example, Dennis W. Creedon, Assistant Superintendent in the Philadelphia School District, says: \u201cTeaching children about art is as important as teaching them math or reading. People see it as a frill, but it’s not a frill. It’s actually the center of the core. If you cut these out of schools, you are really cutting the heart out of our children and their future.” \u00a0\u00a0Several experts make the case for adding the \u201dA\u201d to STEM** and for promoting programs that develop children and youth\u2019s artistic\/performance skills and talents.<\/p>\n

Lisa Phillips (The Artistic Edge: 7 Skills Children Need to Succeed in an Increasingly Right Brain World) writes about the ten skills children learn from the arts (summarized below.) I was struck by how these skills and traits apply directly to the development of good character, to academic achievement, to future careers and success in life.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Creativity<\/strong> \u2013 Being able to think on one\u2019s feet, thinking out of the box, examining different perspectives, and how arts program help children practice creative thinking.<\/li>\n
  2. Confidence<\/strong> \u2013 The skills developed through theater build confidence, help children practice stepping out of their comfort zone and allows them to make mistakes and learn from them in rehearsals.<\/li>\n
  3. Problem Solving<\/strong> \u2013 Artistic creations are born through the solving of problems. Practicing problem solving develops children\u2019s skills in reasoning and understanding.<\/li>\n
  4. Perseverance<\/strong> \u2013. In an increasingly competitive world where people are being asked to continually develop new skills, perseverance is essential to achieving success.<\/li>\n
  5. Focus<\/strong> \u2013 Recent research has shown that participation in the arts improves children\u2019s abilities to concentrate and focus in other aspects of their lives. The ability to focus requires a balance between listening and contributing, concentration and focus, thinking about one\u2019s role, and how that role contributes to the big picture of what is being created.<\/li>\n
  6. Non-Verbal Communication<\/strong> \u2013 Through experiences in theater and dance education, children learn to breakdown the mechanics of body language and how those movements communicate different emotions.<\/li>\n
  7. Receiving Constructive Feedback<\/strong> \u2013A regular part of any arts (visual, performance) instruction is the improvement of evaluation skills incorporated at every step of the process designed to ensure that critique is a valuable experience and greatly contributes to the success of the final piece.<\/li>\n
  8. Collaboration<\/strong> – Through the arts, children practice working together, sharing responsibility, and compromising with others to accomplish a common goal– to understand that their contribution is necessary for the success of the group.<\/li>\n
  9. Dedication<\/strong> \u2013 When children learn and practice following through with artistic endeavors that result in a finished product or performance, coupled with a feeling of accomplishment and the development of healthy work habits.<\/li>\n
  10. Accountability<\/strong> \u2013 When children practice creating something collaboratively they get used to the idea that their actions affect other people. Through the arts, children also learn that it is important to admit that you made a mistake and take responsibility for it.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n