Learning to Use Our Brains: A Wellness Perspective on the Arts

At Innovate Academy, we believe the arts are not extras—they are teachers of the soul. Through music, drama, visual art, and storytelling, scholars learn to observe carefully, imagine boldly, and express truth beautifully. These habits shape not only creativity but also how a young person thinks about the whole world.

Our mission is to form thoughtful, passionate leaders of culture. The Muses remind us that education is more than collecting information; it is learning how to see, how to wonder, and how to respond with wisdom. The arts nurture wellness by strengthening the mind, calming the heart, and giving scholars healthy ways to process joy, struggle, and growth.

What The Wizard of Oz Taught Us About Thinking

This spring our Muses scholars had the joy of bringing The Wizard of Oz to life on stage. Watching the story unfold through their voices and creativity, I was reminded of a lesson I first noticed as an adult. The Scarecrow believed he had no brain, yet throughout the journey he was the one who planned, reasoned, and solved problems. He was already thinking—he simply did not recognize it.

When the Wizard finally honored each character’s desire, the Scarecrow received a diploma. The scene is playful, but the message is profound: everyone is born with a mind, yet we must be taught how to use it.

What we believe about ourselves shapes what we attempt and what we become.

Forming Habits Through the Arts

In our classrooms, even our youngest scholars encounter work that requires patience and perseverance. In art lessons they study the shape of a continent, outline it carefully, and cut it out with a push pin—slow, attentive work that trains the eye and the hand together. In drama they memorize lines, enter another person’s story, and learn empathy. In music they practice rhythm and harmony, discovering that beauty requires discipline.

These experiences cultivate what educators call a Growth Mindset—the confidence that effort, practice, and collaboration lead to growth. The arts teach scholars to stay with difficulty long enough for understanding to emerge, a skill that supports emotional and spiritual wellness as well as academic success.

Imagination with Purpose

The Muses afterschool club invites scholars to connect their hearts, minds, and talents. A painting can reveal history; a hymn can teach theology; and a story can shape character. When scholars create, they learn that ideas have form and that beauty carries meaning.

This work is deeply spiritual. I am often reminded of Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” My prayer is that this truth settles into our scholars’ hearts as they learn habits of good thinking—habits that will guide them long after they leave our classrooms or the stage.

At Innovate Academy, the arts are not simply activities; they are pathways to wisdom.

We hope you enjoyed our Spring Showcase production of The Wizard of Oz as much as we enjoyed practicing and performing it!