Hello Families of Your Soul’s Movement,

Do you wonder if your child’s love of music, dance, and performance is a worthwhile investment in their overall academic success? J. Cattarell’s essay on The Arts and the Transfer of Learning supportes something I’ve known and experienced, a child’s development of skills in the arts transfer to their Literacy and Mathematics, critical thinking, and other skills.

Remember when your child was preparing for their performance, and she/he was challenged to learn a difficult dance sequence, musical number or learn lines from a script? That experience enhanced your child’s listening and memory skills. Beyond those skills, the performing arts have been shown to impact the artist’s self-confidence, persistence, reading skills, and nonverbal reasoning. The skill of persistence will enhance your child’s success in their classroom. You can encourage your child to not give up when faced with something that appears to be “too hard” when you remind them of their success in dance, voice and drama. Additionally, your child is acquiring physical health and developing muscle memory that can be a part of their life long fitness and health.

I encourage you to continue to support your child’s growth as a dancer, musician, and performer. The time and energy are not wasted, and as you know, she/he will benefit from their experiences at Your Soul’s Movement for years to come.

Franita Ware, Ph.D.
Dr. Ware is a researcher, author, and teacher on the topic of culturally responsive education.