Act, because the world can be whatever you imagine!

Sing, because we want to listen!

Dance, because it feels good to move!

Act, because the world can be whatever you imagine!

Jigsaw Cardiff (run from Cardiff High School on Saturday mornings) has now been delivering performing arts classes since January 2019 and it already feels like a home for many of our students. We have been in such demand since January that we are opening a second school in Bishop of Llandaff on Saturday afternoons, starting from this September.

So, for those of you that still don’t know what Jigsaw is all about, here is a quick run down.

We run 90 minute sessions for 3-4 and 5-6 year olds in which they learn acting, singing and dance.

We run 3 hour sessions for our 7+ year olds doing a hour each of acting, singing and dance.

Simply put, we run performing arts classes for 3-18 year olds, but that is only part of the picture. I have spent the last 5 years working with adults in corporate organisations, using creative methods to build communities and increase employee engagement. This is via the wonderful organisation, Inspire Me. What I have seen in this time is that it is mindset and confidence that gets in the way of progression, rather than lack of skill. This combined with a lack of understanding of what our bodies and minds need, has lead to a huge increase of workplace stress, depression and isolation.

So what’s this got to do with children? Well something I have found is that young children don’t seem to struggle with the same set of difficulties that adults in the workplace do. If you ask children to sing a song with you, chances are, they will join in. If you ask them to tell you what they are thinking, they will likely tell you without fear of sounding stupid. If you tell them a story, they will engage and listen. However, somewhere along the way, we lose that zest, that enthusiasm, that openness to believe.

When I approach adults with the invitation to sing, 90 percent of the time, it is met with looks of utter fear. Somewhere along the way, they were told they couldn’t sing, or they became self conscious, or they decided that their voice was solely there for others to judge! This same fear with our bodies often stops us trying new things, pushing our boundaries and having a source of creative expression which so many of us need.

So what can you do?

Tell your children every day that they sing like angels, that they dance like rock stars and that they can be whatever they set their hearts on. It doesn’t matter if they sing like Mariah Carey, what matters it that they sing! The world can knock you down from time to time and it is our job to build strong foundations for our children so that they will always bounce back.

Why do all three? Well our approach at Jigsaw is very simple – it’s not about just doing what we are good at.

If a child is interested in becoming an actor, singer or dancer, a grounding in all three disciplines is essential. Most drama schools will expect a song at auditions for an acting course. Likewise you can have the most beautiful voice in the world but if you can’t relate the the song and lyrics, you wont get very far as a singer. Dance teaches us how to best use our bodies to embody different characters.

My main reason for supporting children to take part in all disciplines is that you learn most when you are slightly out of your comfort zone. As humans we have a tendency to fear the unknown so it is important that we don’t forget the importance of trying new things and not necessarily being the best in the room. The beauty of all our students doing acting, singing and dance is that they can’t all be the best at everything. It demonstrates that we are all different and all have our own strengths and weaknesses.

Ask any athlete how long they were able to rest on their talent and they will all tell you the same thing. At some point, hard work, a positive mindset and persistence will always overtake natural ability. It’s not enough to just be born with a gift if you are not prepared to push yourself to get to the top.

Let’s not allow our children to forget how to sing, how to move and how to imagine! Let’s teach them that they can be whoever they choose to be!

Jigsaw Cardiff has just a couple of spaces left in our Saturday morning school and new classes opening in Llandaff on Saturday afternoons. Get in touch to be a part of it: call 02922 362 496 or email cardiff@jigsaw-arts.co.uk to find out more!