Taking classes in the performing arts can help develop skills in memory.
“Dancers, musicians, and actors are memory experts - it stands out that artists who perform live on stage have to master not only the performative skills of their discipline, but also how to manage vast amounts of material that is to be learnt, stored, recalled, adapted, modified and used for new creative processes.” - The Cognition of Memory in Dance, Theatre & Music
How is memory sharpened in dance classes? Initially, they have to learn the basic forms of a certain type of dance - ballet, modern, tap, jazz, hip hop, etc. Then they have to continue to build on those foundations as they continue growing in that dance style. Moreover, in our dance classes, they then have to remember specific routines and combinations that our instructors choreograph. Some of our students are in multiple dance classes in multiple styles and they must retain all of that information, while remembering their routines. Those dance students are often on our dance teams as well and must remember upwards of five dance numbers that are a few minutes in length. So you can imagine the amount of memory skill sharpening going on with our dancers. Much like an athlete has to learn and recall a playbook, our dancers have to remember choreography and combinations.
How is memory sharpened in acting and theatre classes? Memorizing scripts might be the most obvious answer - and you’re absolutely not wrong. Memorizing a script is hard work and can take weeks and weeks of practice. But an important aspect of acting on a stage is blocking. Not only do you have to remember your lines - you have to remember where to say your line. Remembering your blocking can sometimes be just as important as remembering your lines. Our older kids have to do this for an entire full-length musical every Spring. And our younger kids do it for a 45 minute show! Combine those two things with a musical where there are also dances with choreography you have to remember too, and you can see why nothing sharpens the memory skills more than participating in and performing a musical.
They will sharpen their memory skills in any one of our classes, but here are some classes we offer that will help your child immensely with their memory skills:
The skill of memorization and recall is one that will benefit every child in multiple facets of life. Our classes present them with material to memorize - whether it be dialogue for a show or a routine for dance, our students are sharpening this skill on a daily basis. Interested in learning more or signing up for a class? Fill out this form for more info.