How often are the arts left in a corner catching dust? Yet, where would we be without music, in its many forms, in our life? At St. John the Evangelist School, we fully believe in fostering the arts in children, blossoming into a lifelong love of music and performing. In the last five years at St John's, our drama department has significantly grown, not only in the number of students choosing to participate but also in the number of productions performed each year.

St. John's performs five shows annually, allowing our pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade students to participate. For our spring all-school shows, we have had over 100 students join mainly on stage, but also in our backstage crew. In the fall, we perform a fifth- through eighth-grade production, this year's being "Annie." Last year's shows include "Mary Poppins," "Finding Nemo," "Beauty and the Beast," and "High School Musical 2." We also hosted a two-week program for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students that taught them the basics of theater, ending with a showcase of musical songs. In the summer, we hold a week-long drama camp, allowing students to continue practicing their skills outside of the academic year. Theater isn't seasonal here, it is year-round.

Other forms of music don't go unnoticed here, either. Our performance art class teaches students how to read music, eventually leading older students to learn how to sing in different vocal parts during our Christmas concert. We also have a band program through Paul Effman Music. The program offers a wide range of instrument lessons for students. Kindergarten and first-grade students all learn the ukulele, and students from second to eighth grade can learn instruments ranging from the violin to the saxophone. They eventually can be involved in the Massachusetts State Honor Band, which performs yearly at Faneuil Hall. Outside of the school, too, students have the opportunity to join the St. Oscar Romero Church Children's Choir -- allowing the students to participate in their faith with their voices.

We recently changed our music class to be a performance art class, allowing all students to find their niche within the dramatics. Students who want to sing and make the world joyful through performance thrive here. However, we understand that there is more that a student can do with their true callings than be forced to sing or act -- so we give them the chance to learn the technical side of theater. Students who are more STEM-focused have an opportunity to learn our lighting systems, photograph our shows, or help assemble sets.

Vocation is God's call to us to serve his people and nourish his world. A world without music is a world undernourished. St. John's gives all of its students a chance to learn their true calling in life, not only through traditional academics and athletics but also through our performing arts program. Leadership is learned through the performing arts, too. Because our school is preschool through eighth grade, our older students pass their love of the arts onto those students who are new to theater.

More importantly, however, performing arts allows students to experience what it is like to work with a community towards something bigger than themselves. Students create bonds with their castmates that are unforgettable, creating lifelong friendships that will last them long past their time here. The feeling of finally perfecting a difficult dance number, finally understanding the character they are playing, or even finally perfectly timing a quick set change -- all of these instances and more allow for character development that creates responsible and hard-working young people.



Beth Keough is the marketing specialist, performing arts teacher, and physical education teacher (beth.keough@sjscanton.org) at St. John the Evangelist School in Canton, MA, a school serving 260 preschool through eighth grade students.