The benefits of drama are many and varied from building confidence, to developing good communication skills, exploring creativity, taking risks, to working in a team, working towards a desired outcome, to great listening and concentration skills to name a few. The following text reveals the great benefits Drama builds for students of all ages.
Drama Is Beneficial In a Number of Ways
Drama Builds Confidence
Drama builds confidence in ones ability to communicate clearly with projection, articulation and power. Drama builds confidence by encouraging the students to work the space they are need to fill with their voice and physicality. Confidence is developed through being able to work ‘with’ others on an objective together and encourages team work.
Drama builds confidence by allowing students to explore their creativity and imagination in a safe environment. They can explore their own ideas and express themselves in a ways which encourages risk taking.
Drama builds confidence in ones ability to express oneself fully and able able to do that by building resilience and fortitude.
Drama Builds Imagination
This world needs more dreamers, to find solutions to problems and make our world a better place. Using our imagination enhances our world in countless ways and having the ability to use it in visual, written and performances adds to our humanity in positive ways.
Drama allows the imagination to flourish by allowing people the ability to express themselves in a way which is conducive to a desired outcome. The imagination helps people see where their place is in the world and to see where they may want to expand on their dreams and desires.
Drama helps build the imagination which is needed in a range of enterprises for older students entering the workforce or wanting entryway into Colleges or apprenticeships. With creative writing, design, engineering and even to science to name a few lines of work. Expansion of the imagination is vital for a number of industries.
Drama Helps Communication Skills
Drama allows young people to develop confidence in expressing and using their voice. Most young people take some time before they are able to verbally express themselves. Drama helps them to express their wants and needs in a fun, safe and creative environment.
Because students are using a variety of performance skills, developing confidence in how to use their voices in a range of ways, this helps build verbal language skills. When students use language out loud, they are developing their projection, diction and grammar skills, which is beneficial for school, and the workplace. Communication is key to achieving desired outcomes.
If you are wanting to add to your improvisation took kit, check out my other blog posts on improv games, also a good one I use in my classroom is Hotseating, which you can check out using my blog post there. I also have tons or other blog posts which have great ideas for your teaching, coaching or directing purposes. If you are distance teaching drama, do read my blog post on great drama ideas for distance learning.
Drama Develops Cooperative and Social Skills
Drama is a highly interactive and expressive genre. Building a strong team is pivotal in creating and ensuring a desired outcome has been reached.
Drama encourages cooperative and social skills by having people interact, negotiate, challenge, and listen in a variety of imaginative situations. Drama helps students to express themselves in ways which fit and build the team culture. Students learn how to work towards goals collectively and in productive ways.
Because drama is so interactive, it allows people to comfortably work in the personal space of another person. Young people become more comfortable working with other people and they develop good communication and interaction skills as a result.
Drama helps people develop the ability to know how to give and take in interpersonal relationships. This type of interaction helps students understand when to ask for desires and build boundaries when needed. Social skills and Emotional Quotient is more likely to be developed when working with different people in a safe and creative background where a drama workshop/session or lesson can offer.
Drama Builds Creativity
So many industries nowadays require their employees to utilise their creative imagination. Drama builds on a persons imagination and creativity. Drama students build scenarios from their imagination and find solutions within scenes. Students in these situations begin to understand their role in a production, where they work on their own character or objectives, but can also see the big picture at hand.
Creativity also encourages innovation, invention and good ideas. These skills are great for entrepreneurial endeavours or for future writers, directors and producers.
Drama Builds Empathy with Others
Drama helps build empathy with others in a variety of ways. Students are encouraged to take on the persona and personalities of other people and put themselves into their shoes. This helps young people build awareness and understanding of another point of view outside their own. Empathy is very important in our world for emotional development and society at large.
Drama is very good for Encouraging Fun
Drama activities encourage the creative imagination, interactions with other people, as well as putting oneself in other people shoes. When interacting with other students, in particular scenes, they are placed in a situation which is deemed safe and welcoming. Usually the studio is a place where students can enjoy their exploration of character and express themselves in a safe environment, which laughter and fun are a very positive by-product.
Drama Helps People Take Risks
Because we live in unconventional and unpredictable times, being comfortable enough to take risks and assess where/how to take them is a very valuable tool. Drama helps students to take risks multiple times during a session especially during improvisation games and activities. This is encouraged and pivotal not only in drama but in society at large.
When students develop self confidence and take risks, they are more likely to learn from their mistakes, pick themselves up, dust themselves off and try again. They build resilience as a result which is a very much needed trait in society.
The following video is by Ken Robinson who was an incredible leader and pushed for more creativity in schools. This is his wonderful video which he explains why we need more creativity and risk taking in our world. (TED talk) RIP Ken Robinson.
Here is an excellent book Ken Robinson has written, which describes clearly how we as drama teachers, directors, actors and students of any kind can benefit. This book focuses on schools allowing more creativity in their classrooms. This helps students became more well rounded individuals. It is an excellent read.
Creative Schools: The Grassroots Revolution That’s Transforming Education
Drama Allows People to Work Towards a Desired Outcome
Because Drama requires a team mentality where there is often a desired end result within a selected time-frame, students get to learn how to become more aware in how to achieve an end result. They develop skills in working in a team, within a set timeframe, while at the same time developing and utilizing their creativity.
Drama Builds Listening Skills and Concentration
Students who are immersed in a number of improvisational games and activities learn to be aware of their surroundings and listen to what is happening around them. Because they are constantly using their listening skills they are more able to response appropriately and know what is being discussed. Their concentration skills last longer and as a result they are more able to focus on the task at hand.
If you are interested in developing fun listening skills in a fun environment both in drama class and at home this game is excellent for listening skills. The link takes you to a game which “Whisper Challenge” has you guessing what you think your teammate is saying by reading their lips, you become a listening expert. One player puts on the speech-cancelling electronic headphones and the other player says the random phrase shown on the card such as, “You’re the champ of the camp.” The game’s headphones limit the players’ ability to hear what their teammate are saying out loud, and the player has to figure it out to earn the card.
This game I found was surprisingly cheap to buy and is a fun extra to have in the classroom or at home or in the studio. It’s really great for kids, teens and adults. You can find it here in amazon.
Hasbro Hearing Things Game
So as you can see that Drama helps students of all ages in a number of ways which are very beneficial to the individual the community and society at large. The potential with using drama skills is immense and exciting. Drama skills help build our world in positive and innovative ways, not only in artistic ways, but also in the workforce.
