Theatre As Education

A Cost-Effective Program with Benefits for All

• For once, here’s a project that can involve a nearly unlimited number of students without costing an arm and a leg. Ensembles in the MTI The Broadway Junior Collection® shows can be as numerous as 100 students, making the materials’ cost work out to be less than $4 per student.
• Teachers won’t have to spend hours writing original musicals to fit their students’ acting and vocal ranges.
• A musical helps students make connections across a variety of subjects. Teachers can use the musical as context in teaching History, Science and English. Art, Music and Physical Education classes can be geared towards creating props, learning songs and practicing dance steps.
• The success of The Broadway Junior Collection® is perhaps best measured in the self-confidence, discipline, character, cooperation and self-esteem instilled in the children who have participated in Broadway Junior productions, as they master the diverse skills necessary to creating a musical.
• Studies have shown that students involved in theatre develop better cognitive skills, exhibit higher self-esteem, build collaborative and social skills, display better study habits and consistently perform higher on standardized tests*.

Musicals as Curriculum

MTI is now represented in the Macmillan / McGraw Hill general music textbook, “Spotlight on Music.” Students in grades 1-8 are introduced to some of the greatest musicals ever written, along with lessons about history, art, language and social sciences. The “Broadway for Kids” section of these books represents the first time that “MTI-mini Musicals” (excerpts from our JR. and KIDS shows) are available for classroom study and performance as part of a school curriculum.

*2002, 2009 Arts Connection study overseen by Dr. Rob Horowitz.

Click below to view the evaluation results of the first year of the study.