Onam, the harvest festival of Kerala, was celebrated with much fanfare at the Junior Campus. The celebrations involved creating beautiful pookalams by the students and the acharyas. The children enjoyed listening to the story of King Mahabali narrated in a video. The highlight of the day was the visit from King Mahabali which had them enthralled.
Ganesh Chathurthi was celebrated with much pomp by the students of the Junior Campus as they came dressed up in traditional wear. They displayed their artistic skills by making handmade Ganeshas out of clay and painting beautiful pictures of Ganesha. Prayers and shlokas were chanted in class and the students enjoyed listening to stories of Ganesha.
Students of grade I visited one of their classmate’s houses and were welcomed graciously by the hosts. They were excited to visit their friend’s house and participate in activities like art and craft, games and also relish some delicious snacks made by the host. Such house visits are not only enjoyable but also help students to hone their social and interpersonal skills which are important to the child’s development.
The seeds that were planted in August started sprouting and the students enjoyed observing various changes. Children took note that the seeds that had received all the necessary nutrition and sunlight in the right amount were the ones to grow. After caring for their greens, they shared the saplings with their friends. They packed the saplings in small hand-made paper pots and took them home happily to continue to nurture them and watch them grow.
Once you’ve been bitten by the performing arts bug, there’s not much quite like it. The strings on a violin make a melody, the stories, and jokes that you crafted culminate with an eruption of laughter and applause, and the individual steps of each person in a dance group creates a singular, rhythmic wave of inspired imagination. An ensemble becomes a family. It’s art in motion.
If you have developed a passion for the arts, it is probably difficult to describe the magic you experience while on stage, and it keeps you going back to it time after time. The joy of show day will surely make powerful, lifetime memories, but the effects on your mental, physical, social, and emotional development will stay with you for years to come, both on and off the stage.
If you are still on the fence about whether performing arts are right for you, then these undeniable benefits will place you firmly on the side of stagecraft. Shall we list a few?
SELF-EXPRESSION
Through the performing arts, one can examine and channel their emotions through narrative, music, and movement. Some people find certain feelings more difficult to express and participating in performing arts programs provides the opportunity to express a range of emotions in a healthy, controlled environment. Learning to express themselves through art will make it easy for them to creatively express themselves in other situations, in school, in social gatherings, or future job interviews. Performing arts engage people’s imaginations and lead them to develop their own, distinct voices.
CONFIDENCE
A performing arts education provides the opportunity to practice stepping outside of your comfort zone in a safe setting. Even after weeks of rehearsal, it takes courage to go out on a limb and accept whatever response comes from being vulnerable on stage. The confidence that grows when you perform will translate to every corner of your life, from educational accomplishments to social ease.
COLLABORATION
Unlike sports or games, a theater performance has no winners or losers. The only ‘wins’ are when everyone works together to create the best show possible. Performing arts in the curriculum pushes you to think not only about your contributions to the show individually, but how your performance can enhance the show as a group. Students learn how to lead and how to follow, and that combining each person’s insights creates mutual success that is powerful.
EMPATHY
Embodying another person’s story through acting, voice, dance, and music allows one to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. Especially when portraying a character different from themselves, you learn to understand the differences and embrace similarities, thereby forming bonds with people from all walks of life.
Many of us enjoy performing simply for the fun of spending time with our friends and participating in creative play. But the arts have an impact that lasts much longer than the show. Performing Arts give us a chance to develop priceless life skills, helping us scale new heights in life. And all it takes is a bit of song and dance.
As they think about their future, high school students can face a wide range of education and career choices. How do they choose? Who helps young people make their educational and ca-reer choices? To what extent do schools help students with these decisions? Do counselors play a role? If they do, how much do they manage to steer? Given the importance of education and career decisions for life success, these are not idle questions.
High school students are influenced by factors from within and outside during their school years. The six critical external factors that influence a student’s decision-making include –
It’s essential to be mindful of being influenced. Better to make a personal decision than be in collective confusion.
All images and text @ Copyright Chettinad Hari Shree Vidyalayam. All Rights Reserved.
