Doha: The Qatar Academy Doha (QAD) recently put on a musical production, inspired by the upcoming FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, , titled ‘Goal’. It served as a powerful tool to reinforce important life lessons to the young performers.
Bringing together nearly 80 children between the ages of 8 and 10, the show was based on the popular debate of whether the sport should be called football or soccer. It featured a selection of World Cup songs - English and Arabic - as well as a series of skits where the students embodied a number of local and international football players.
“Goal was designed to help young people learn about musical theatre and the different types of performing arts, such as acting, dance and singing,” said Merle Soodyall, Arts Lead Teacher at QAD - part of Qatar Foundation's Pre-University Education. “Every year we organize a musical show at QAD, but this year it was special because it was about something happening in Qatar. So this production was a great opportunity for our students to get involved in the excitement of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, as well an opportunity to express themselves and explore their talents.”
One of the main objectives of the show was to encourage critical thinking amongst students, and many pressing global issues were tackled during the rehearsals.
“We wanted to help raise students’ awareness about global social issues, such as gender equality. So, during the rehearsals, we discussed questions like, why are there fewer female players? And why are female footballers paid less than their male counterparts? We wanted to use the production as a tool to enhance their critical thinking and encourage them to address these issues,” said Soodyall.
“During the rehearsals, we also discussed poverty and equality and its impact on the sport, in terms of the lack of coaches, experts and facilities. And as part of this discussion, we looked at how players from third world nations can have the same opportunities as players from other parts of the world.”
The production of ‘Goal’ also helped the children explore their imagination and remind them of the importance of sportsmanship, integrity, and being open-minded.
Hind Al Rumaihi, a QAD student, explained how the experience helped expand her imagination and improve her recital skills.
“Sometimes I am not good at memorizing, but the rehearsals have helped me practise these skills, as we have to remember our roles - our words and the songs,” she said.
“During the rehearsals, I became more convinced that girls can also play football, not just boys. And the discussions we had made me more aware of issues related to women around the world, and in sports in particular,” said QAD student Najla Al Kuwari.
Ghalia Al Darwish, another student, said, “I learned so much from this experience. The first thing being practice makes perfect. My teacher would encourage me to practice my lines and repeat them until they sounded right, especially the lines that weren’t in Arabic or English. I got to meet a lot of other students, too, and we ended up becoming friends.”
Alongside the production, QAD hosted an art exhibition of work created by art teachers and the students at the school, featuring pieces related to the World Cup, such as football jerseys, team logos, history timelines, and badges, using techniques like papier-mache.
Mada Sadeq, one of the QAD’s art teachers supervising this project, said, “Different grades were assigned different projects and were combined to create this art gallery. A lot of the materials used in these projects were recycled. We are teaching our students the importance of sustainability.” (QNA)
