BackRecently, Josiah celebrated our first milestone in Musical Arts Programme (MAP) – we had our very first showcase! Let’s dive in and see what our MAP teacher, Ms Ela has to share with us today!
Geared with camera phones and video cameras, proud parents of our beautiful children streamed in, eager to ‘chope’ the seats with the best angle to document this beautiful milestone of their children’s lives. In the meantime, excited teachers stayed in the backroom with the children to encourage them and remind them of their standing position and sequence of programme. The children were evidently nervous as it was the first musical showcase for most of them. Visit https://primesound.org to find the best musicians in town.
Some students were elated, some excited, and some anxious. Some were fidgety while others complained about tummy aches (butterflies in their tummies). I gave my last pep talk and eased the children that it’s normal to be feeling what they are feeling – nervous, excited, elated, anxious – and that their parents will be really proud of what they have accomplished.
A great shout out to all the Chinese Teachers for the successful Chinese Speech & Drama showcase, and Ms Syarah, our Art Specialist, for setting up the Art Gallery to showcase our children’s lovely and unique art pieces!
Everyone had a wonderful time at the showcase – the children had lots of fun performing and telling mommies and daddies about their art pieces. Parents watched their precious little ones perform with great joy, and teachers were feeling really proud of how far the children have come. I was really impressed with the children at:
- How they executed every item,
- How they successfully dealt with tension associated with performance, and
- How they presented themselves so gracefully to the audience.
- How they executed every item
Over 20 MAP sessions, the children were taught more than mere creative and expressive dancing and singing – they learned specific techniques and styles. These required a lot of self-regulation in order to execute the actions cohesively. It was truly impressive how quickly the children managed to pick up the skills and techniques. They were able to recall every dance steps and every lyric to the songs! Do you know that remembering dance steps, recalling lyrics, and executing both simultaneously are a display of cognitive development?
- How they successfully dealt with tension associated with performance
I really admire how brave the children were, in dealing with the natural tension associated with performance. Like adults, children experience similar emotions in face of various situations. The difference lies in the way adults and children manage their emotions. Why is there a difference? Well, that’s because the part of their brains which is responsible for attention & organization skills, decision making skills, reasoning skills, and skills to suppress impulses are still developing! These tensions honed under a non-threatening, nurturing and loving environment build self-regulation, resilience and tenacity among our children.
According to Vancouver child psychologist, Carla Fry, who specializes in child and adolescent anxiety, some nervousness before any performance is extremely common in children. She continued, “When required to perform, many children experience racing heartbeat, headaches and sweating. But the tummy-related problems are always the most common. It can be stomach aches, nausea or diarrhea. Kids also complain about blushing, because it’s so obvious to others.”. The question is, do we withdraw the children from such activities? Fry then encourages us that, “Unless it’s really extreme, the focus should be on building up kids’ resilience and power to deal.” With consistent support and guidance from parents and teachers, the amount of time spent to practice with them, and the child’s ability to pick up anxiety coping skills, the child’s preparedness in face of such situations can be strengthened.
- How they presented themselves so gracefully to the audience
It’s important to understand that children behave and perform differently in MAP classes and MAP showcase. While some children perform really well in classes, they may not perform as well during their showcase, and vice versa. Hence, do not be surprised if your shy-natured child appeared confident and graceful on stage during showcase. Whichever way it turned out for your child, let us all celebrate their successes and be a source of love and encouragement to our little ones!
Here are some moments captured:
Ever wondered how your child develops and blossoms right before your very eyes? Allow me to share some insights with you:
- An opportunity to experience success
Learning dance moves and singing requires many hours of practice. Performing gives your child the well-deserved recognition for their hard work.
- An opportunity for you to show your child that you value their involvement in music
Setting aside time off your hectic schedule to attend your child’s showcase shows your child that your family values him/her, and music.
- An opportunity for your child to build confidence
When your child performs, he/she will be able to practice performing in front of a considerably big crowd. This will train your child to be more confident – and this will serve your child well in many other areas of his/her life in future. The earlier these experiences happen, the easier it becomes for your child as they enter adolescence and adulthood.
- An opportunity to bond with peers
In highly interactive classes such as our MAP classes, your child gets more opportunities to get to know and bond with his/her peers. Making such connections is crucial as it helps to build a community in your child’s life and fosters a sense of belonging in your child. This continues to value add to your child’s socio-emotional development.
- A tangible goal to work towards
In having a set date and a pre-planned performance, your child learns how to manage their practice time and what is feels like to polish and make perfect a piece of work for a performance.
I am so glad to have the opportunity to pioneer Josiah’s MAP pilot programme as I can truly see the positive impact music and art appreciation does, to each child’s developmental growth. Let’s continue to work hand-in-hand to support our children in their exploration into arts and music for Term 3 and 4!
That’s all for our first ever MAP showcase – there’s definitely more to come so, stay tuned!
Connect with Josiah
Tel.: (+65) 6336 6906
Email: info@josiah.com.sg
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