mu·si·cal the·a·ter

noun: musical theatre

“a genre of drama in which singing and dancing play an essential part.”

Students who are involved in the arts have higher school motivation, engagement in class, self-esteem, and life satisfaction, researchers discovered.

The results, published in the latest issue of the prestigious Journal of Educational Psychology, found students who participate in dance, drama, music, showed more positive academic and personal wellbeing outcomes than students who were not involved in the arts.

The comprehensive study, titled “The Role of Arts Participation in Students’ Academic and Non-Academic Outcomes: examined 643 primary and high school students from 15 schools, tracking their academic and personal wellbeing outcomes over two years.

Academic outcomes included motivation, homework completion, class participation, enjoyment of school, and educational aspirations, while personal wellbeing measures considered such factors as self-esteem, life satisfaction, and a sense of meaning or purpose.

Some of the strongest effects were found for students who spent high amounts of quality time in performing arts subjects. Positive effects also resulted from home influences, such as how often parents and their children talked about and participated in the arts.

Active participation, more than simply being an observer or audience member, also yielded stronger positive effects on school and personal wellbeing outcomes in the study.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-09-involvement-arts-wide-ranging-benefits-young.html#jCp