Eskdale Festival is two weeks of competing in all aspects of music and drama. This festival is a wonderful opportunity for children to learn new skills and step outside the comfort zone of their school. The festival kicks off with verse speaking, poetry composition, contemporary monologues and Shakespeare before continuing into the musical categories.

Drama in education has enormous benefits to pupils.There is a lot of established research about the positive influences from drama, theatre and the performing arts, especially on young people. The benefits are physical, emotional, social, and they help to develop a healthy appreciation of culture and the arts. Aspects of performing arts, especially improvisation, helps young people to understand how to appraise situations, think outside the box and be more confident going into unfamiliar situations. Students learn to  trust their ideas and abilities. Confidence gained from learning performing arts skills applies to school, career, and life.

Being creative and learning to make creative choices helps students to be better at thinking of new ideas,  allowing them to view the world around them in new ways. Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”

We put a very high value on the Eskdale Festival, and encourage as many schools, parents and pupils to continue supporting it. Competing in all aspects of music and drama is an opportunity not to be missed!

Suzy Corrigan, Teacher of Drama