The use of the arts for therapeutic purposes with children and adults with special needs constitutes an effective intervention instrument, and its application in other areas such as education is also a powerful working tool: music, dance, art, and theater are a creative and alternative mode of communication and expression. With this explanation, Miguel Ángel Diví, a lecturer on ISEP’s Master in Artistic and Creative Therapies, begins his contribution to Enlace magazine: “we can apply the methodology of artistic and expressive techniques in the classroom, as a means of communication, stimulation, learning, re-education, emotional intelligence development… while also developing creative and expressive capacity.”
Arts and creativity strengthen self-esteem and self-knowledge, in addition to improving memory. An example would be that many children learn multiplication tables by humming a melody. “When we are born, we are first musical, and only later can we be verbal,” notes Diví.
Songs, dances, painting… are often used as something beautiful and fun that distracts the little ones, but they are not just recreational resources; they also help improve children intellectually, emotionally, and physically. Furthermore, the arts are a valuable source of cultural aspects, making them an important educational tool.
Read Miguel Ángel Diví’s full article for Enlace.