Creativity is a capability for the future

We often talk about preparing young people for a future that will require critical thinking, character, citizenship, communication, collaboration. Perhaps one capability sits across all of these: creativity.

Performing and Creative Arts provide wonderful opportunities for young people to generate ideas, experiment, take risks, solve problems and respond when things do not go according to plan. These are not capabilities reserved for students considering a career on the stage, in music or in an art studio. They are capabilities our young people will carry into university, workplaces, relationships and communities.

Importantly, creativity strengthens rather than competes with academic learning. Australian arts education researcher Professor Robyn Ewing has highlighted that arts-rich learning is not simply a welcome break from the academic curriculum. It is cognitively demanding learning involving interpretation, communication, imagination, inquiry and reflection.

And creativity begins early.

As parents/carers, we love seeing our children draw, paint and create. Many of us remember that first drawing of mum, dad or someone special. It probably wasn't technically perfect, but that didn't matter. It was personal, created with joy and proudly presented.

Before children worry about whether something looks "right", they experiment. They mix colours, build with playdough, discover clay and ceramics, dance around the lounge room, sing loudly and make things simply because they can. The texture, movement and experience can be as important as the finished product.

Somewhere along the way, we need to make sure we don't lose that freedom to create.

At Bishop Druitt College, we have recently enjoyed a wonderful period where our arts creativity has been visible through our EYE Festival, HSC Dance, Drama and Music showcases, the creativity of Seen Ya's On Show, and Year 12 Textiles students Amelie Carpenter and Hannah Gallagher being invited to Eco Fashion Week in Perth. Alongside Trial HSC examinations and final academic preparation, these experiences demonstrate that creativity, wellbeing and academic achievement can sit comfortably together.

Our students can experience specialist Performing Arts teachers across Drama, Dance and Music from Kindergarten through to the HSC. They can participate simply for the joy of it or pursue an area with considerable depth. Showcase evenings, HSC music recitals, choirs, the Year 6 production of Pirates of the Curry Bean and our 2027 College Musical — soon to be revealed — all provide different opportunities to belong, perform and create.

As a parent, I have become increasingly aware of the value of these opportunities by watching my own children enjoy art simply for fun. There is definitely some talent there too — ceramics, sketching, dance and even graphic art — although I can confidently say their artistic ability came from their mother!

Whatever stage your child is at in their schooling, encourage them to create while they can. Let them draw, dance, perform, move, design, make music, get messy, experiment, get something wrong and try again. They don't need to become an artist. The creativity itself is valuable.

Performing and Creative Arts is not an addition to a child's education; it is one of the places where creativity, character, confidence, collaboration and belonging are most authentically developed.

As Cate Blanchett — actor and former Sydney Theatre Company co-artistic director — said:

“The arts are what we stay alive for, what we work all week for, what we dream about, what connects us.”

Sources: 

Cultivating Creativity: A study of the Sydney Opera House’s Creative Leadership in Learning programs in Schools 2020

The Arts and Australian Education: realising potential ACER 2011