Given how many school drama studios we’ve successfully installed over the years, we’ve had a lot of conversations with drama teachers and their superiors. On the whole, these conversations have been based around making sure that we’re providing them with exactly the right set-up for their particular needs.
However, one thing we have picked up over the course of our collaborations with various drama departments across the country is the difficulty some of them face in justifying the costs involved with teaching their particular subject properly. That’s in addition to facing the age old problem all creative subjects seem to face of being seen as less ‘serious’ in comparison to traditional subjects such as maths and history.
Currently, drama is a compulsory subject in schools up until Year 9, when it becomes an optional topic for GCSEs and A-Level following that. Despite this, the importance of drama in a child’s education is sometimes overlooked; after all, what’s the point if the ultimate goal of a child isn’t to become an actor?
However, we think that’s a pretty narrow minded view. Here are some of the reasons we think drama should be considered as important in a child’s education as more traditional subjects.
It Builds Confidence
Drama is undoubtedly one of the best subjects for building a child’s confidence. There’s the obvious benefits of performing in front of an audience, which builds public speaking skills and ability to face new people, but it also helps a child build confidence in their own ideas and presenting them to others – it starts in the form of a fictional performance, but this skill is one that has lifelong benefits, regardless of the occupation the child takes on in the future.
Drama Teaches Vital Teamwork and Problem Solving Skills
There’s arguably no process more collaborative in education than that of devising a performance. It requires a child to work with other people they may not know that well and come up with a solution to a brief as a team. This means putting forward ideas and accepting those of others for the greater good of the performance. The teamwork and problem solving skills associated with this process are ones that are applicable to just about any line of work, making it essential.
Drama Nurtures a Child’s Creativity
While maths and history are undoubtedly important to the proper education of a child, knowing facts can only get you so far. Creativity is the key to propelling a good piece of work into a great one, and providing a child with the opportunity to express themselves without too much judgement – as drama does – plays an important part in their formative years.
Drama Helps With Other Subjects
We’ve already outlined the teamwork and creative benefits of drama that will obviously teach skills transferable to other subjects, but drama can teach other important skills vital to understanding some other subjects on a school curriculum. Empathy is one of them; through deconstructing and trying to understand the motivations of a fictional character (especially a ‘difficult’ one), a child can gain a better understanding of the motivations of various figures throughout history, or understand where an author was coming from when writing a piece of prose.
A Drama Studio Is A Vital Part Of Any School
A school drama studio fully kitted out with stage lighting and a stage sound system (check out our previous post on school drama studios for other essentials) can provide a raft of benefits for all students in a school, even those with no interest in drama. It can serve a performance space for music and presentations, as well as a space for school assemblies. For extra income, the space can also be hired out to local theatre companies!
It’s fair to say that most teachers probably understand the importance of drama, but it can be a confusing subject to grasp for parents and even students. Hopefully the above points will help provide a better understanding of just why it’s so important – as well as the importance of having a proper drama space in which to teach in!