“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.”

As children and teens navigate their great big world they can’t help but feel small and insignificant. The lucky ones are those who find something they love at an early age.  The rest seem to gravitate toward whatever they are closest to or where they feel the most accepted. I have always loved the opening quote of this blog because of its truth.  In life there will always be those who hear the music and those who don’t. Even more there will always be those who dance when they hear the music and those who don’t.  Performing Arts Programs create a fun and structured space for kids to navigate the ups and downs of their adolescence.

Learning how to perform, singing with and in front of others, dancing as part of a team or group – all of these things help kids build a sense of purpose, camaraderie, confidence, and self esteem. Cheryl Lock’s article, “Turn to the Arts to Boost Self Esteem” , that was published on PBS.Org,  had a lot of great things to say about how the arts positively affect children. She also mentioned,

A 2005 Harris Poll found that 93 percent of Americans agreed the arts are vital to providing a well-rounded education for children. In another 2009 study, 12 years of data was collected for the National Educational Longitudinal Survey to look at the effect of education, visual, and performing arts on the achievement and values of children. The study found that students who were highly involved with the arts outperformed less-involved peers, even within low socioeconomic groups. Music, in particular, helps provide children with improved classroom skills, including critical thinking, creative problem solving, team work, and effective communication.

A few months ago the founders of INSPIRE were able to witness one of their students sit down at a piano and sing a solo in front of a room filled with complete strangers. This particular student started coming to INSPIRE Youth classes a few years ago but she was quiet and lacked confidence in her abilities. After some time, a few solos, and lots of of bonding through the power music, she grew into an incredible performer. It was amazing to sit and watch her put those skills into action.

“Music CAN change the world because it CAN change the people.” (Bono Vox-U2)

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