Kids Love Musicals! Brochure

Since the program’s inception by an exemplary task force of educators in 2007, Kids Love Musicals! has had three objectives:

... to show how powerful the combination of dance, music and theater can be in the classroom 

... to help each child make their own personal connection with the material in a highly participatory way 

... to support state and national curriculum standards as we captivate and entertain children

Your students will benefit from a Kids Love Musicals! experience because the interdisciplinary workings of musical theater help to nurture the whole child!

Scroll down for more information on how Kids Love Musicals! will enhance learning in your classroom.

Curriculum Benchmarks

Kids Love Musicals! supports countless Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) outcomes, as well as State of Ohio curriculum benchmarks in K-5 English Language Arts, Music, Drama, Dance, Physical Education. Grade-level benchmarks can be downloaded below:

FAQ & Evaluation Materials

HOW IS A KIDS LOVE MUSICALS! RESIDENCY STRUCTURED?

Designed for elementary students in grades K-5, this hands-on, two-day residency program shares the storytelling and high energy of five classic musicals: Cinderella, Peter Pan, The Jungle Book, The Wizard of Oz, and You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown. A professional teaching artist brings the songs, costumes and theatrical materials right into your classroom to help your students bring the musical to life! Children are up on their feet singing, dancing and acting, and they employ imagination, creativity and reasoning skills to learn more about themselves and their world through the lives and dreams of the musicals’ characters. A two-day residency can serve up to 5 classrooms, depending on individual school schedules.

HOW SHOULD I PREPARE FOR THE RESIDENCY?

We bring everything needed to turn your classroom into a musical theater workshop! TMTP staff members will meet with your teaching team to create a residency schedule, review expectations, and distribute DVDs of selected musicals.  You'll also receive a Teacher Preparation Guide with lesson plans, suggested pre- and post-residency activities and other educational resources. TMTP will provide a flyer to let parents know about the program and offer ideas for extending outcomes at home.

Why should I include Kids Love Musicals! in my classroom?

There is growing evidence to support the importance of the arts in “educating the whole child.” Additionally, the arts are defined as a “core subject area” in the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and the Kennedy Center recently approved new Core Standards for the arts. Visit www.keepartsinschools.org for more details on why the arts are an essential part of every child’s educational experience. Visit the Arts Education Partnership at www.aep-arts.org for information on arts education research and state policies.

WHAT ARE THE LEARNING OUTCOMES OF A KIDS LOVE MUSICALS! RESIDENCY?

Students will be introduced to musical theater as an art form.
Students will have the opportunity to witness the power of live performance.
Students will actively participate in building an “ensemble,” creating character and personalizing theme and character motivation.
Students will sing, examine the meaning of certain lyrics, explore creative movement and learn simple choreography.
Students will discover new ways to tap into imaginary play and creative problem solving as individuals and in a group.

Research Study with CWRU

 Does musical theater experience help children with special needs develop socio-emotional skills? Case Western Reserve University’s Schubert Center for Children’s’ Studies collaborated with TMTP to research the effectiveness of Kids Love Musicals! residency programs in special education environments. The study’s findings, recently published in the Journal for Intellectual Studies, suggest that:

• Students who participate in the residency program make gains in eye contact, turn-taking, engagement, and symbolic flexibility (the ability to think more flexibly about characters and use their imaginations)
• By tailoring the program for different ability levels, Kids Love Musicals! becomes even more effective in increasing socio-emotional functioning.
• Gains in socio-emotional skills relating to engagement, turn-taking, and eye contact may even occur in settings outside of the residency program.

Want to know more? Read this one-page poster summary (right) of the study!