Development through the arts

The Healing Message Of Arts and The Artistic Route To Therapy (February 26) made relevant reading, and it is extremely gratifying that the benefits of the arts - especially music and drama - are recognised, not just as important educational tools, but also for their therapeutic benefits in promoting a healthier lifestyle and a sense of well-being among children.

As children grow up, they need to be well prepared for the different pressures and problems that life will throw their way. Whether it's academic, peer or personal pressure they will be faced with, the importance of the arts as an essential tool in education becomes more apparent.

Drama in education is an important means of stimulating creativity in the solving of various problems. It challenges students' perceptions about their world and about themselves. In an age where the word "interactivity" seems to have found its home within the wonderful world of computer games, self-exploration through drama provides students with an outlet for emotions, thoughts, and dreams that they might not otherwise have means to express. Students may, in the course of a drama lesson, become another, explore a new role, try out and experiment with various personal choices and solutions to very real problems - even problems from their own life.

Take eight-year-old Becky (name has been changed to protect the child's identity), for instance. She suffers from a slight twitch in her eye. It's not even a twitch really - more of a nervous double wink. Hardly noticeable at all though it managed to catch the eye of the school bully who would tease her incessantly and even tried to hit her in the face with a rubber band. Becky, usually reserved and reticent, would often come home in tears and hated waking up for school... until the day she stood up to her bully. "If you don't leave me alone, I'll teach you a lesson you'll never forget," she yelled back.

Becky attends the Development Through Drama programme at the Helen O'Grady Academy and, the week before this incident, the class covered a short drama that tackles the problem of bullying. The play, which the children themselves created within a set framework, ended with the words: "If you don't leave me alone, I'll teach you a lesson you'll never forget".

Becky's outburst didn't stop the bullying, but it did wonders to her sense of self worth. In the words of her mother: "We have noticed a tremendous difference in her self esteem and she is no longer shy. Members of the family and friends are constantly telling me what a difference they see in Becky ever since she started drama lessons".

Communication is the heart of drama. It allows students to communicate with and understand others in new ways. Perhaps more than any other art form, drama also provides training in a very practical way, allowing students to discuss, argue and, by it's very nature, experience situations in a way which no other subject can do.

Ten-year-old David (name has been changed to protect the child's identity) was a painfully reserved child who didn't take to football like the other children in his class and felt a bit of an outcast. Consequently, he found it extremely difficult to make friends. His drama classes have changed all this, and David's social skills have improved tremendously.

His thankful mother wrote in to say that "David is a changed boy who is no longer afraid to communicate with his peers. David is a happier child". Drama gives children social skills which, perhaps, other subjects don't really cater for. Students attending drama are less likely to have difficulty in speaking in public when the need arises, and will be more persuasive in their communications, both written and oral, as they will be better able to put themselves into the shoes of others and relate to them.

Participation in drama requires self-control and discipline that will serve the student well in all aspects of life. This will result in a more positive, confident self-image. Students learn how to work together, to cooperate, to contribute, and to listen to and accept the viewpoints and contributions of others. No art form is more truly collaborative. Drama is an important tool for preparing students to live and work in a world that is increasingly team-oriented rather than hierarchical. The good news gets better. Studies carried out by Matt Buchanan of Harvard University show that drama may even reinforce the rest of the school curriculum. Since communication and empathy are central to drama, a student will be better able to understand and discuss problems. The link between dramatic arts and subjects such as English, history, social studies, and related areas is obvious. The study of literature would be impossible without drama.

One other marked area of improvement noted by parents of children attending drama was in written and spoken English. After all, a lesson learned through fun is never forgotten. And, because drama is so practical, one can adopt Aristotle's wisdom: "Tell me and I will forget. Show me and I will remember. Involve me... and I will understand". Students grasp the language, because they work the language in a way that words on a white board don't allow.

The Helen O'Grady Academy is the only school of its kind to follow a prepared curriculum that has been created over the years by teachers, parents and child psychologists to ensure the healthy development of children in an energetic and fun-filled environment without the pressure of looming examination.

There are no end-of-term examinations because children have enough academic pressure as it is. There are no large-scale productions at the end of the year because the jam-packed curriculum does not allow for long hours of rehearsals for one show.

Classes cover speech, movement, creative drama, language development and studio productions but, above all, lessons are great fun, and the children love and look forward to their weekly lessons. Classes are held in different locations around the island.

Mr Montanaro is principal of the Helen O'Grady Academy - Malta branch.