You’ve heard before that people who are more left-brain dominant tend to be more analytical, whereas those who are more right-brain dominant tend to be more creative in nature. Well, this is not entirely true, but it does do a good job of showing the importance of creativity for overall brain function. Every area of the brain governs a degree of creativity. The prefrontal cortex is responsible for higher order thinking, imagination, and problem solving. The temporal lobes are responsible for auditory function, including music and storytelling. The parietal lobes help with visual acuity and spatial reasoning, important for drawing and texturing. And the cerebellum, which is often associated with balance, has a significant role in the development of rhythm.

It is the whole-brain integration that is important, and creative skills are a key part of that. Simply put; creative exploration enhances overall intelligence. This is not just academic, it helps with emotional regulation, memory, decision making, and intrinsic motivation. By helping a child to create, we are also helping that child to think.

Inspired by Montessori principles, we offer intentional freedom, especially when it comes to artistic practices. We prepare our classrooms to inspire each student to take up their own craft, and we guide them along the way. This is not just art time, but a time to create something that reflects their own developing emotions. Here’s how we do it:
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Open-Ended Materials: We use natural objects like clay, fabric, and wooden blocks to encourage imaginative expression. Students learn to see materials as tools for innovation and creation, not just toys. We always emphasize the process and not the product. This helps us to avoid building a habit of perfectionism.
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Process Art & Storytelling: Students are invited to go deeper into artwork, including their own, by developing narratives for an auditory reflection of a visual product. They are asked to paint their emotions, or illustrate something they’ve learned in nature.
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Project-Based Learning: We follow students' interest to develop mini “passion projects” that they can work on in the classroom as well as at home. This encourages the student to seek help from their family members and provides an early support system for their creative interests.
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Flexible Learning Spaces: Our classrooms are set up with a very open and natural flow, so that our students can freely move about and find their spot to feel comfortable and focused on their project.

Heartstone Academy is proud to offer after-school program electives that are open to our students. Most of these electives focus on a music development class that is led by a trained musician. The list will be expanded as we grow, but right now includes:

Singing and Vocal Play: developing pitch, rhythm, and confidence in voice and projection.
Piano Foundations: Hands-on keyboard exploration using methods like the Suzuki method, color coding, and play.
String Instruments: Introduction to violin, helping with fine motor skills, auditory training, and discipline. 

We’ve chosen music as our primary program elective because of its ability to activate both hemispheres of the brain and strengthen pattern recognition, math ability, language fluency, and emotional resilience. We also think musical ability ages well, and provides skill-based confidence into adulthood.

We believe every child has an inner artist waiting to be developed. Whether it be the art of music, storytelling, painting, drawing, engineering, or something else, we want to encourage that growth. God created us in his image, and part of that means the ability to create. And, when done so with skill, we bring beauty into the world. It reflects our hearts, our experiences, and most of all the grace of God.