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How to Foster Creative Kids of Character in the Arts

Arts education in students and how it shapes their academic, social, emotional, and maturational development is within the context of a well-rounded education. This is also a truism for all schools, but more importantly, the arts plays a critical role in Christian education as it applies to creating servant-leaders who will glorify God through the use of their talents. 

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Counter-Cultural

In a pop-culture world that is ever-increasingly in moral decline, schools like MPCS are developing performing and visual artists to change the world of the arts for Christ. While skills training creates stage success, the missional impact comes from character training. To train an artist is to train someone to do their best for a larger reason, regardless of situational outcome — nurturing a character-driven individual who seeks to reveal God in the art.

 

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Guide for Arts Training

MPCS arts faculty engage character training using five words to focus on key character traits that help students discover who they are as artists from the inside out. The words are Commitment, Accountability, Responsibility, Discipline, and Sacrifice (CARDS). These words are from the book, Winning Character, by collegiate football coach Tommy Bowdon. In Bowdon’s book, each of the words are given scriptural context to help athletes focus on what is ultimately a God-given gift, motivating them to see a larger purpose in their athletic lives that goes beyond the field and into the world so that they might be game-changers in their careers.

 

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Unpacking CARDS

Commitment is the paramount character trait that drives the other words in CARDS. When students realize they have a natural talent in the arts and acknowledge it as a God-given gift, they must reconcile with the idea of committing to refining it within themselves so as to honor God. Once this sense of commitment to refinement is rooted, the other CARDS words fall into place.

Accountability becomes a process and personal goal for excellent work both individually and together when in groups. Responsibility is a natural character outcome of someone who works with a sense of commitment and accountability to self and others. Real truth is identified and the creative process evolves along with improved executive function.

Discipline and sacrifice are paired character traits. Students who are deep into honing their craft become internally driven to produce their very best, and make prioritized decisions based on their desire to honor God through their gift. These decisions sometimes place others ahead of themselves, but someone who has the CARDS traits embedded in their spirit understands that to do any less than your very best is to give away the gift. And sometimes doing your very best is to play second fiddle instead of first; as a result, humility and servant leadership evolve.

 

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Cast of Character 

Similarly, arts staff members at MPCS use CARDS to help students understand the long-term meaning of their gift, and once realized, be motivated to continuously hone and refine the gift for one purpose— to be ready when they are divinely called upon to use it to help others see Christ. CARDS, while meaningful for personal character development, is also applicable to teamwork. Each word takes on deeper meaning to help students learn to serve one another for a greater goal. Teamwork in the arts results in high performing units — such as the choir, the band, the orchestra, dance, and theatrical productions.

 

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Character training through the arts helps arts students see their gift not only as a point of performance, but also as an opportunity to live it out in their servant-leadership, which ultimately glorifies God.

 

 

Cary Brague serves as the Director of Arts and the Murray Arts Center at Mount Paran Christian School.

Click here to learn more about co-curricular arts training and lessons offered to the community through the Murray Arts Academy. 


Curious about the Dozier School of the Arts? Click here for more information on this curricular arts magnet program in the MPCS high school.

  

 
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