Why Musical Theatre
Develop Confidence
Self-Confidence is your belief in your self and your abilities, along with your ability to succeed even in the face of challenges.
Trying new things helps children feel capable. Developing new skills leads to a solid foundation of confidence.
At RCTC we offer a welcoming environment of collaboration, encouragement and world of self expression. We offer opportunities to set goals, a path for making the effort and guidance for achievement—all of which builds confidence.
Participating in musical theatre offers an incredible opportunity to learn to speak confidently in front of others and on stage, expanding the comfort zone and ultimately greater confidence.
There is a sense of belonging as a part of the RCTC family, which also builds confidence.
Spark Creativity
Creative thinking is essential. Creative problem solving is learned by thinking of solutions in a new way. Learning to think creativity opens up possibilities for broader opportunities. Musical theatre training offers a range of creative opportunities. Every time a performer steps on stage, they are creatively reacting to the scene, which over time leads to a creative muscle memory and trust in the creative process.
Importance of Significance
Significance is one of the six basic human needs and is critical to personal growth and well-being. Helping others and being helpful creates a good feeling in yourself and a good feeling in others. It is also shared experiences that increase self-worth and boost confidence. Collaborating as part of a team, being needed and valued garners great results in our feeling significant. And no production is possible without the full participation of each individual coming together to make the show happen.
“Research suggests theatre arts participation benefits student’s academic and non-academic outcomes. ”
Build Self-Esteem
Self-Esteem is based on how we view ourselves—how we value ourselves and perceive ourselves.
By building positive relationships, and peer to peer connections in an encouraging learning atmosphere our participants feel empowered to rely on themselves as they work together to bring each show to life.
Working collaboratively with strategies and solutions and measuring progress toward a common goal garners a sense of purpose, and connection which in turn leads to better self-esteem.
Tackling a challenge in a fun, enriching and rewarding atmosphere with patience, and persistence promotes positive emotions, feeling useful, and a bond with your community.
Resilience
Resilience is a key to success. Learning to recover from a misstep on stage, in an encouraging learning environment, directly leads to the capacity to deal with life difficulties that arise and how to move forward effectively. We, at RCTC, redefine perceived failures as an important part of the process. We teach the process of completing tasks by breaking down steps. This process of effective problem-solving fosters a sense of competence and resilience. Our participants learn to anticipate possible obstacles and how to overcome them—how to anticipate and effectively deal with difficult or challenging situations they encounter.
Work Based Learning to Enhance Social Skills
Collaboration is key. Relying on your castmates to work together to accomplish a common goal is strength building. At RCTC, children learn to collaborate as a group, to communicate effectively, and to build interpersonal skills. Children build life long friendships and forge a sense of belonging.
Improve Cognitive Skills
Musical theatre and theatre arts have been strongly associated with cognitive enhancement.
The National Institutes of Health found that musical theatre has incredible benefits to the brain, including processing speed, executive function, fluency, working memory, verbal and visual long-term memories as well as non-verbal reasoning abilities.
The combination of higher-order cognitive functions and several sensory modalities has a profound effect on cognition.
