Education at Play


“Art is not an end in itself, but a means of addressing humanity.”
– Modest Mussorgsky, composer

 

The importance of integrating arts in education was not wholly realized until 1983, when Howard Gardner, a psychologist and professor of neuroscience at Harvard University, developed his groundbreaking theory of Multiple Intelligences. Until that time, it was universally believed that everyone was born with a uniform cognitive capacity. Gardner, however, believed that there were nine different kinds of intelligences that reflect the way people interact with the world, with no two individuals having the exact same configuration, meaning that people do not all learn in the same ways or to the same capacity. The arts can play a crucial role in improving students’ learning abilities because the arts draw on a range of intelligences and learning styles, not just the linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligences on which school curricula are based.

 

Studies have proven the benefits of including the arts within standard course curricula. These benefits include the development of problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, improved overall academic performance, heightened self-esteem and self-confidence, greater creative and emotional expression, and greater self-discipline and sense of responsibility.

 

The Magik Theatre seeks to make live theatre and the use of drama in the classroom available to area schools by underwriting tickets costs and providing study guides that connect our plays with classroom studies through in-class discussion questions, role-playing and improvisational activities, and exercises in reading, writing, math, and science. We encourage schools to use drama techniques and exercises in the classroom, providing free in-school teacher workshops to show teachers how to easily and successfully integrate drama into their lesson plans.

 

A well-rounded education involves the arts – writing, drawing, performing, sculpting, dancing, composing, creating. As San Antonio’s leader in theatre arts education, The Magik Theatre is committed to keeping the art in education for our community’s children. Your support ensures that Magik is able to fulfill this part of our mission.


Parents, browse through our recommended articles of interest:

National Public Radio: Old Fashioned Play Builds Serious Skills

 

To support Magik’s efforts to keep the arts in education for San Antonio’s children, click here.