Confidence Building

Recently,  AMightyGirl.com website published an article about young girls losing their confidence level by 30% starting at age eight years through fourteen years. The article, which we encourage you to read in full, mentions that before age eight, a girls confidence level compared to boys of the same age group, is about the same. The authors of  The Confidence Code for Girls.  Katty Kay and Claire Shipman  go on to explain that "as girls approach adolescence, that openness to risk and failure becomes buried under an avalanche of biological and cultural signals telling them to be careful, value perfection, avoid risk at all possible costs. Parents and society reinforce a lot of these messages and behaviors at the same time that girls' brains are being flooded with estrogen, which heightens emotional intelligence and curbs risk. Not because we are bad, but because there is such a premium on "doing well", especially today". Hence, their Confidence Code for Girls and The Confidence Code Journal. We have not read this book as of this writing, but it has been placed at the top of our reading list. We are adding a link to the AMightyGirl.com article at the bottom of this blog article.

         This article was very timely, since I was recently in conversation with a parent that was inquiring           about the value of classes and lesson. Here is what I know from over all the years of instructing.            Students that started as toddlers or early elementary, and stayed in weekly lessons through their               senior year of high school, only seemed to become more confident and out going. A family                    encouraging their child to continue lessons (and some whose parents never gave an option to drop          class or lessons) only grew into strong minded, self directed, highly intelligent young adults.                  Everyone of our students that were  young when starting and stayed in classes through high school          graduation, went on to college and graduated with degrees. 

         These young adults are all successful in their careers. Many with multiple degrees and                             doctorates.  Some are business owners, others work in healthcare, school teachers, One even                   works in  the administration office of a  professional Ballet Company and another is a director                 for  a community based  activity center, directing "non sports activities", which includes dance. 

         When these students started classes and lessons with us, they had no expectations of what they               would be as an adult. They were there for fun, and we delivered it to them. Their parents had                   them in class to have fun, learn a few dances, be in a recital and get some exercise. 

         Class benefits are many and we will not go over each one at this time.. But one benefit is very                 important during this time of the COVID-19 pandemic, and that is the mental health benefit.                   According to an Oxford University study  July 8,2019 "Dance improves mood and can reduce                symptoms of depression and anxiety. Dancing, or moving to music with others, encourages and               increases social bonding with strangers." Joining in class with others is enjoyable and allows a              child to grow socially. Since dance classes are based on age and levels, it allows a child to explore          and learn on an equal ground with others. This means everyone is trying something new, and there          is a more equal chance of everyone experiencing  a  success, failure and success again pattern.

       Unlike sports that are limited to a small  number of members on a team, with many                                 sitting on the bench while only a few actually play, dance classes and groups are limited in size               so that  ALL attendees get to participate fully and benefit. This makes dance feel safer when                   trying movements, without so much fear because the majority of the class is all on the same level            of  learning there is support from others in the class and less fear of being mocked for failing.                This is especially true in studio settings that have a mission statement that is openly shared on a              daily basis through words and actions. 

       Students over the many years that have came through our doors at Academy of Fine Arts of                    Woodward, knowing that if a mistake is made, it is an opportunity to grow and not cave in. With           each new "try", they become stronger and more resilient. With each new skill learned, they become       more confident and giving towards others. I am happy that I have had this lifetime of                               opportunities to experience this with so many young people.  

      Has every student that has came through our doors been like those I just mentioned? Unfortunately        no. There are more that have not been as successful as those that have. What is the difference? I              believe it is family dynamics. Some families are just "trying out" an activity for their child. Others          have looked for something that  their child could grow with and lead to opportunities. These                    parents usually put the "if we start, you have to stay in  for the duration" up front and expect their          child to follow through. ( I actually did this with my children about joining band. Being a former           high school band member, I knew you cannot get the full benefit of band, without seeing it all the           way through your senior year. This even included school athletics and there was never an option to         give up dance and gymnastics either. It was tough, but they learned to manage their time and all did       very well in college,) 

     So sometimes sticking out the duration of dance or any other activity is a family affair. But doing so       it has its reward in learning to work together and to manage time. Sticking out dance through the            12th grade year has major benefits also in confidence building, body image and  learning to follow         through until the end of any project. Future employers love those skills!

     I do intend to purchase and read the book mentioned at the beginning. I think every parent should.        But not because you want your child to have more confidence. The book may just really open doors        for parents more so than their daughter. It just may, and I say may because I have not read it yet, help      parents to help their child to plan for long term benefits of activities by developing a plan from the          beginning for success. The link I promised is below. Read the book and then tell me what you think. 

https://www.amightygirl.com/the-confidence-code-for-girls

        Mary Myers is the Director/Owner of Academy of Fine Arts of Woodward, OK

   

            

    

   

         

 

 

          

         

 

Health Protocols??

 

We just finished up with the last of the piano students today, and while cleaning the surface area with our trusty Chlorox Wipes, I reminded myself that our cleaning and sanitizing protocols is no different than flu season. It just so happens that this "flu season" so far has lasted almost ten months! The only thing different from any flu season from any other year is that teachers and staff are required to wear a mask when working with our students. 

We do recommend that students wear masks as well, at this time, but it is up to their parents if they wear then during instruction time. This is fine for now while the numbers in our community are low. But if they rise to an alarming level, students will be required to wear a mask during instruction.

Of course we do have other protocols as well, to continue this COVID-19 journey. Keeping our students safe and the studio open is a priority after all. We understand that our studio is a place of release and laughter for many of our students. And music and movement can help release their stress and maintain a healthy mental state.

Stay well every one. Take care of your love ones. 

School Option For A New Age

Five years ago, we opened our ASPIRE Integrated School Option program. It's a public virtual school blended with our performing and fine arts programs for K-12. The idea and dream was that it allowed children to spend their day in a facility filled with huge opportunities in dance, music, art, performance gymnastics and acrobatics, while completing their school studies. 

We knew five years ago that this model of school was no different than children in elite gymnastics gyms, Broadway theaters or Hollywood having tutors on site while they worked out or worked on their theater craft.  We saw it as a way that students could have more time for performing and fine arts. Or being a part of a competitive dance or gymnastic team.

Today, ASPIRE Integrated School Option is in the forefront as a school choice for area children, due to the  COVID-19 pandemic. It is sad that the pandemic has so many families concerned about their child's education and safety. But the virtual teachers with the Oklahoma Virtual Public Schools we use are well trained in virtual education on a daily basis, so their is no concerns, stresses or anxiety about delivering a great school experience. They have been doing this for years now! And so have we. 

We are BACK! I'm going to get a little personal for a moment.

No, we did not go anywhere. It has just been many months since posting anything to our BLOG. So long, we did not even realize that Blogger has updated their look and style a bit! 

Why such a long time between posts? Family. Sometimes you just have to take a break and take care of family. And that is exactly what we did. Specifically, the absence was due to me needing to help take care of my parents needs, mostly my dad. Dad passed in May and I am beginning to catch my breath.....at least I think I am. Daddy had dementia for almost 30 years. 

I bring up my Dad because he was the beginning of what I now do. Daddy was a musician. Actually a very good musician. But he never had a lesson in his life. He played multiple instruments, guitar, western steel guitar, mandolin, piano, a little bit of banjo. And he played them all by ear.

Daddy would sit next to me at the piano and watch me practice. He would look at the music books I had in front of me and would say, "Looks like chicken scratches to me."  Then he would play the piano with me. Me playing from my books and Daddy adding chords. He is the one that taught me chords before I was even ready to learn them from Mrs. Evans, my first piano teacher.

Music was always in our house. From my uncles, aunts and cousins gathering at our house on the weekend to join in  the playing of music, to Daddy listening to his Gospel records on Sunday mornings. Music was a big part of our world, an important part of our world.......we just did not realize it at the time.

When Daddy started having to walk with a walker and was slowing down some, I got the idea to build him a Pandora account with all of his old country musicians he loved so much. I would turn it on when we would walk in the house. He and I would circle around from the living room to the dining room, then the kitchen and hallway that lead back to the living room. Some days, he would only walk four or five times around. Other days, he would walk as much as thirteen to twenty two times around ( I would write down each day how many times so it could be given to his physical therapist that visited him at home.). 

Daddy actually started getting stronger in his legs and would walk in tempo to the music, which made us laugh. When a quick two step would come on, I actually had a hard time holding onto his safety belt due to him walking to the tempo! Daddy really loved music. And I really love music, but I loved my Daddy more.

At his funeral, during the COVID-19 pandemic with so many regulations concerning safety at funerals, they played recorded music of Johnny Cash singing Amazing Grace and Alan Jackson singing I'll Fly Away. The morning of the day that Dad passed, he was in his wheel chair listening to music and I'll Fly Away came on. Daddy started nodding his head and tapping the beat with his fingers. When the song finished, he looked at me and smiled a crooked little smile. I said to him, "You really like that song." He responded with "Yeah". 

Early that evening, while setting in his recliner, my Daddy was sleeping and he took his last breath. No lengthy hospital stays or nursing home. He stayed home with mom, my husband and I,.............and his music. Music was his special drug that made everything bearable. It helped when he was in pain or could not sleep. It expressed when he was sad or happy. For many months it was the only way he could walk any distance.

Music has always been a part of my life in my home growing up, at school in the Junior and Senior High Schools, and in  my studio. I listen to music more than I even watch TV. Now music has even a more special part in my life. It holds the memories of my Daddy.

Mary Myers is the Owner and Director of Academy of Fine Arts in Woodward , Oklahoma.