Our association was founded and powered by the enthusiasm of working mothers with backgrounds in theatre, music, psychology, education and art. The idea behind Imaducation Inc was born several years ago when we all became mothers and at the end of 2007 the idea became a reality. The aim of the association is to try and create various opportunities for children who, from a very early age, will be able to make sense of the world through play, fantasy and imagination. We strongly believe that the ability to understand and interpret music, literature, theatre and the arts is absolutely essential for child development, moreover, it plays a crucial role in learning and education.
Today's generation of children rarely reads books, listens to classical music or attends art galleries. Instead, they play computer games, watch television and listen to iPods. In our fast-paced world, saturated with information and technology, there is little place left for fantasy and imagination. Fairies, wizards and leprechauns live in a long-lost past. Technology, which undoubtedly plays an absolutely essential role in the modern world, has largely replaced the 'magic' in our children's lives. Because of our highly competitive and demanding modern society we pay little attention to the creative development of the child even though creativity, art, literature, music and theatre are precisely what facilitates the inner freedom, growth of spirit and development of the sense-of-self in a young child.
What modern educators are beginning to realise is that creative and academic pursuits are not mutually exclusive. In fact, enormous benefits are gained where one compliments the other in the learning methods used with children. The benefits of classical music on a child's brain development have been well documented and recognised by professionals. Research has also shown that children who study art from a very early age are better at expressing themselves verbally. Drama and acting lessons improve the child's self-esteem which plays a pivotal role in future learning and school success. The main and most important benefit is that combining the two worlds will help children fall in love with learning, enjoy the process and turn it from a chore into something that they will always do with pleasure.
Art is the 'Book of Life' where our world is written and reflected in all its glory, beauty and, sometimes, its ugliness. By studying works of art, be it a musical composition, work of literature, theatrical performance or a painting we can observe the evolution of the human kind and see its soul understand its inner world. It is in the arts that we have to find the key which will help us understand life's mysteries.