At Sawyer we have the privilege of working with hundreds of inspiring educators around the country. The curricula always foster enriching atmospheres for children of all ages to discover their love of learning and grow as people.

We got the opportunity to chat with Mel Gillespie, founder of Mel O’ Musical, which provides musical theatre classes and camps to children in the Boston area. Their programs foster a safe, supportive environment where students feel comfortable taking creative risks, helping them grow into phenomenal actors and all around awesome humans. We learned more about the benefits of out-of-school enrichment activities, inspiring moments on and off stage, and so much more.

Thank you for taking the time to chat with us! I’d love to hear a bit more about you and why you started your business.

I grew up in Ireland with a famous entertainer as a dad, which was very cool. Watching my dad perform on stage, both from the audience and the wings, instilled in me a love for the arts! After I graduated from Emerson College, I knew my calling was to partake in performance and that led me to becoming a teacher. I started out in a friend's basement in 2011 after my husband lost his job and the business quickly grew to the point where I needed to find a space for the demand.

Can you describe an inspiring moment you’ve had as an educator?  

I’ve had a few but my most inspiring moments come from watching my students grow over the course of time. Seeing one of my shyest kids (who ran off stage at the age of 7) grow into the gorgeous performer she is today, has inspired me to continue working with kids and instilling confidence in them so they can find their voice and use it creatively!

What’s the most rewarding thing about teaching children?  

Seeing them away from devices, being fully present in the moment/character and seeing them attend college for the arts! On a smaller but equally rewarding scale, I love helping a child who doesn’t speak in the first few classes find their voice halfway through a session, only to blow me away in their end-of-session performance with their performance!

What’s one time a child surprised you and made your day?

I had a child with selective mutism and we worked on other ways for her to express herself, beyond her voice. 3 years into our program, she arrived into class one day and simply said ‘Hey Mel!’ And that was the start of her communicating from that day forward. I didn’t overreact because that can be overwhelming for a child who has finally found her voice, but I was doing somersaults on the inside!!

On a similar note, what’s the funniest thing a child has done in your class?

Kids are naturally very funny and silly and it has such an infectious reaction in a room, including on me. I become just as silly as the kids and I love it! I think one of the funniest things I ever had happen was a 5yr old educating us all in circle time around the dangers of ‘street drugs’ and proceeded to advise that you should ‘only eat drugs with your name on the bottle!!’ I also had a child exclaim to an audience who stood up and clapped after her performance, ‘Thank you! I’ve never had a standing ovulation before!’

Why is after school/extracurricular enrichment and camp so important for children?  

Expression is like a deep exhale … whether it’s sports, dance, or theater. School is long and uses a side of the brain for so many hours that it can feel bruised! Switching to using the creative side of the brain is not just a relief, but gives the brain a full muscle workout, so not just one side is being used. Creativity is a beautiful expression, causing kids to look inward and find out things about themselves they can love and also use in social situations. It’s also another avenue to make new friends and practice social skills. It also keeps them away from electronics which has become a huge problem in this day and age.

How do you think children can discover their passions when they’re not in school or your programs?

I think it’s hard to discover something you’re not being exposed to so I always advise parents to expose kids to a few different avenues to see what their child is gravitating to … and then give them more of that!

‍