The arts teach youngsters more than how to perform

The powerful value of the arts as a mechanism for skills development is one of the strong drivers behind the increasingly successful Tsogo Sun Arts Academy, which has been operating in disadvantaged schools in Gauteng for two years.

The Arts Academy, which was launched in 2012 as a carefully designed full-year curriculum, uses the arts as a catalyst to provide opportunities for change in the lives of young people in communities around Johannesburg. It also provides a foundation in the basics of drama, dance, vocal training and voice projection, together with a structured life skills course that covers a broad spectrum of topics to empower the youngsters to make sound choices throughout their lives.

The Academy is currently running in 12 schools – both in Diepsloot near Montecasino and in Mayfair near Gold Reef City – with a total of 480 learners from grades 4 to 7 in the primary schools and grades 8 to 10 in the high schools.

Vusi Dlamini, Tsogo Sun’s Group HR Director of Tsogo Sun explains, “The Arts Academy aims to improve disadvantaged children’s lives through their artistic talent. We believe that this provides a sound basis for the development of life skills, while also aligning with the educational system and offering extra-curricular activities. In many instances, the Academy could also provide opportunities for tertiary education to talented and committed learners. Our significant investment in the Arts Academy is backed by evidence that establishes the extent of the value of the performing arts in young people’s lives.”

A study titled How the Arts Impact Communities by Joshua Guetzkow of Princeton University states, ‘The arts have been said to improve health, mental well-being, cognitive functioning, creative ability and academic performance.’ The study then cites research in the various areas to substantiate the statement. ‘On the whole, education studies show that kids engaged in an arts class will do better in other subjects and that an arts-integrated curriculum improves school performance.’

Each year the Arts Academy follows a specific theme which ties in with the activities of the year; specifically in the life skills component which incorporates aspects such as emotional intelligence, journaling, listening, reading, communication, following instructions, discipline, and time management. The Academy’s overall theme for 2014 is ‘Plant smiles, grow laughter and harvest love.’ The theme for 2013 was ‘Caring for myself, others and the environment’.

“Over and above the life skills part of the lessons, we are finding that other learnings are being taken on board by the children that are adding real value to their lives,” says Dlamini. “They’re learning the value of self-discipline and practice as it relates to their dancing, for instance; repeating the same moves to the same music time and time again until they’ve mastered it. Self-knowledge too is a real skill gained through the performing arts. It helps young people understand their bodies and, find out what they’re good at. It also helps the youngsters become aware of themselves in a group and learn to respect other people’s personal space.”

The Arts Academy facilitators are also noticing that the kids are starting to take the lead – with different kids accepting the leadership role in different situations. “For instance, if one child picks up the dance routine quicker than the others, they will teach the others. Teachers at the schools are also noticing that these leadership skills are filtering through to other areas of school life and having a positive impact overall.”

Commitment is an extremely valuable skill to learn early on in life – and the children who are accepted into the Academy have to show their commitment to the performing arts and life skills programme, to their classmates, and to the art, time and time again as the year gets tougher and more demanding. This commitment to the course has impressed many parents who have commented on how it has filtered through to other areas of the children’s lives.

Many other skills have been dramatically enhanced through the programme and are paying dividends in other areas of the children’s lives, skills such as listening, critical thinking, self-expression, problem-solving, concentration, and collaboration. The joy of appreciation, whether they are appreciating what they are or each other, or whether the audience is appreciating their performance, becomes a big part of their lives once they’ve experienced that first applause. “Often being appreciated for who they are is missing in their lives,” adds Dlamini.

Confidence is an important part of their learning too. Once these students have performed in front of strangers and had the applause and accolades due to them, their confidence grows strongly and it starts showing in their performing as well as in other areas of their lives.

“The heart of the Arts Academy is not to discover the next Beyoncé, but to have a real impact on these children’s lives in the long term – through the medium of the performing arts. We’re proud of what we’re already seeing in these youngsters’ lives and we look forward to many more years of contributing to a better future for many of our disadvantaged children,” concludes Dlamini.