At The Heart of the Hall: Celebrating Summer
Summer camps have ended and though our studios and spaces are a bit quieter, the memories made over the past several months will continue to make us laugh and smile in the days to come. And now, though our thermometers may say otherwise, calendars are telling us that fall is here! Everyone is settling back into a ‘nonsummer’ routine, and so are we.
At the Marcia P. Hoffman School of the Arts at Ruth Eckerd Hall, we offer the year-round classes and private lessons expected at a performing arts center. What is unexpected, however, is what we provide offsite. Each year, our Teaching Artists are sent into local public and private schools, neighborhood family centers, healthcare and rehabilitation facilities, senior residences, and social service organizations to provide a variety of arts experiences for more than 58,000 students of all ages, abilities, and interests.
Engagement in artistic activities affects human behavior positively in all categories – mentally, physically, and socially – and sometimes all at once. Being in a dramatic play leads to better critical thinking skills and problem-solving techniques. Dancing increases physical mobility and coordination while simultaneously reducing levels of stress and anxiety. Painting and drawing improve fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Playing a musical instrument sharpens concentration and cognitive learning functions. Each genre affords unique benefits with the shared outcomes of communicative, empathetic, and collaborative participants.
But perhaps the most powerful result is JOY. School children delight in live theater performances close enough to reach out and touch. Senior citizens celebrate the familiarity of lyrics to a favorite song during a choir concert. Families dealing with loss come together in visual art workshops to create something new.
Art is intrinsically centered on expression and storytelling with original stories imagined and brought to life, old favorites revisited, and some narratives edited and beautifully re-written. We offer our heartfelt thanks to our supporters for helping us create both the storytellers of today and tomorrow
Sharon Reid-Kane, Ed.D.
Vice President & Chief Education and Community Engagement Officer