Why You Should Sign Your Kid Up For Drama Lessons

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Joanna Bessey is a well-known name in Malaysia’s performing arts scene from her days on the sitcom Kopitiam. Now, she’s taken on the role as head of Enfiniti Academy, a performing arts education centre founded by Puan Sri Tiara Jacquelina. With school holidays around the corner, find out through this interview why it could be worthwhile to sign your kid up for drama lessons.

1. How do you see performing arts as a tool to help kids gain more in life? “Performing arts, particularly drama, will help to increase soft skills. For example, singing helps o bring out the tones and timbre of your voice, and you’ll also learn how to speak clearly without hurting your vocal cords. It’s good to know how to do it safely, and ensures that people want to listen to you. Drama also helps in this regard because you learn how to use your creative thinking skill and articulate your thoughts. It also helps build confidence as kids who are used to performing are less stressed out when put on stage or in front of a crowd.”
2. In what other ways will kids benefit from performing arts classes? “When children are doing something that is really fun, it doesn’t seem so serious and they’re sort of in a safe zone, where there is no right or wrong. once they’re involved and having fun, absorption of things that they’re learning tends to be faster. I personally believe that anything you learn must be relevant and useful to you. People lean in different ways – some need to be more active, and not sit still and be quiet all the time, which is what we do in drama. It’s kind of a nice, practical outlet to learn how to control emotions to one’s advantage.”

 
3. Are parents now more open-minded and inclined to allow their kids to embark on an artistic career path? “When I was 21 and first started acting, my mother didn’t mind – I was on TV, becoming famous, and generating my own income at an early age. I may not have been a huge star, but I was working and considered myself a professional. But people did ask, “So when are you going to get a real job?” We still have a far way to go in terms of educating the public of what art is. You don’t have to take lessons in the performing arts with the aim of becoming a celebrity or an artist – there are human skills and confidence that you gain from a holistic education. Building critical and creative thinking skills from young will help kids to be good leaders in the future. In a knowledge economy, the leaders are all going to be creative and innovative people – and artists tend to have fantastic ideas.”
4. How can parents who don’t have the budget for classes support their kids’ interest in the performing arts? “At Enfinity Academy, we try our best to keep all of our classes really affordable, so they are not expensive for middle or lower-middle income families. However, it is still too much for some people. You could just get your whole little family together and stage a play or perform a dance at the next family gathering. It’s not only something the whole family can learn from, it will also help to strengthen familial bonds.”
 
 
The post Why You Should Sign Your Kid Up For Drama Lessons appeared first on Her Inspirasi.

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