7 Life Skills Learned through Musical Theater

Musical theater teaches kids and teens more than memorizing lines, choreography, and blocking (aka, stage placement). Musical theater creates opportunities where students learn life skills within a supportive community. Theater organizations, like the Performing Arts Academy (PAA), seamlessly blend singing, acting, and dancing with powerful experiences that shape students into confident individuals. 

 Here are 7 life skills students gain through musical theater 

1. How to Fail Forward: Memorizing songs, lines, and dances sets the stage for students to experience new skills along with failure. Cast members can’t abandon ship due to a forgotten line or a missed step –the show must go on! Musical theater creates a safe space for students to explore new skills. At PAA, supportive instructors and peers permit students to fail and encourage them to keep trying (read Musical Theater is Different at PAA). 

2. Authentic Self-Confidence: Self-confidence stems from accomplishing difficult tasks. Musical theater encourages students to step out of their comfort zones and discover their full potential. Kids discover their full potential through auditions, rehearsals, and showtime. Immediate feedback from peers, teaching artists, and audiences plays a part in individual growth.

3. Mental Flexibility: Musical theater always provides back-up plans, such as understudies, multiple versions of the same prop, and improvisation. Each strategy ensures a successful performance and illustrates that change is inevitable. Students learn to work as a team amidst change and realize it’s not the end of the world when things don’t go as planned.

4. Quick memorization: Memorization is the key to success in theater. The quicker students learn their lines and cues, the sooner they can build their characters and connect with other actors. Everyone benefits when actors learn their parts. 

5. Empathy: Theater is the best place for students to learn and practice empathy. Developing a character requires students to examine the character’s feelings, visualize being in the character’s situation, and decide how they would react. Experiencing empathy through theater helps students understand social relationships, complex issues, and emotions. It can lead to better reading comprehension and more complex thinking.

6. Time Management and Responsibility: Students must balance theater responsibilities with school, time with friends, and other activities. Mismanaged time and avoiding practicing at home will affect the entire cast. Musical theater holds students accountable for their part – a skill that translates to all areas of life.

7. Teamwork: The foundation of musical theater is teamwork. A successful story stems from each member doing their part. Ensemble, lead roles, and the tech crew must connect for the on-stage magic to unfold. Each cast member understands how their role plays a part in the overall outcome.

Let your student experience musical theater at Performing Arts Academy (PAA)! Choose from year-round shows and skills camps/classes for kindergarten through 12th grade. 

Watch your student grow (and have fun doing it) at PAA! Check out our year-round theater programs.