Lessons Learned from High School Musical

In 2018, the international film industry was valued at a net worth of $136 billion which comprised box office and home entertainment revenue, with Hollywood earning the largest till present. This truly boggles my mind, but what’s even more interesting is that despite there being thousands of new films being produced internationally each year, there are certain audience favorites that can never be forgotten and remain fresh in the audience’s mind as ever, with characters that live on in the viewers’ hearts forever, one such film being High School Musical.

High School Musical is a series of musical romantic comedy-drama films created by Peter Barsocchini that had its first film release in 2006 and instantly took the world by storm, after which it was turned into a series with the release of two sequels. In addition to the strong storyline and incredible music, a factor that makes High School Musical an all-time favorite among its viewers is its realness; a quality that allows the audience to relate to and learn from the film. So, in honor of the recent virtual reunion of the film series’ cast members on video conferencing platform Zoom, in light of social distancing due to the Corona Virus pandemic, as well as the upcoming reunion of the star cast in the Disney Family Singalong special airing on ABC on Thursday, April 16, I will be reminiscing the iconic film series as I walk you all through some valuable life lessons that we all learned from High School Musical.

1. First off, perhaps one of the most loved and prominent themes in High School Musical was of friendship, which was portrayed beautifully by the lead cast members. It showed us what a vital part friendship plays in our lives and gave weight to the famous saying ‘Friends are the family you choose for yourself’. It taught us that all friendships have their highs and lows, but true friends are always there for one another when it matters the most; an idea that was depicted in the scene where Gabriella wanted to audition for the high school musical and Troy jumped in last minute as her duet partner, because ‘We’re all in this together’!
2. The world that we live in today unfortunately often makes us doubt our abilities, so the idea of following your dreams, working hard, and not letting others govern the way you live your life is another important life lesson that High School Musical taught us. When Troy Bolton, the captain of the basketball team, got selected for the musical after deciding to give a last-minute audition, he faced a massive amount of criticism about how he was neglecting his responsibility towards the basketball team, but he persevered because he believed in himself and his abilities and ended up juggling both the basketball team and the musical, ultimately succeeding at both and doing so rather admirably.
3. As someone who had the high school experience of a lifetime, the importance of valuing and making the most of your time in high school was another priceless life lesson portrayed in the film series and one that I can truly vouch for. High school can be a stressful time for many, especially towards the end when you’re a senior and are constantly working on college applications and finals, however, it’s also a time to make memories and enjoy yourself to the fullest with your friends before everyone goes their separate ways and starts a new journey, and the film is a beautiful reminder of that. So while you’re busy studying and working on those college essays, don’t forget to attend that concert with your peers that you’ve been looking forward to for months or participate in that musical that all your friends and teachers are going to be a part of, but most importantly, don’t forget to make memories that you’re going to cherish for the rest of your life.
4. Last but not the least, High School Musical taught us that life is not a one-man show and that teamwork is necessary to turn your goals and ideas into reality. Be it the fact that Troy Bolton had to cooperate and work with his fellow team members to get the basketball team back on track, or that Sharpay and Ryan had to coordinate their duets to ensure that their performances were as flawless as possible, the idea of teamwork and its importance were constantly being reiterated throughout the whole film series.

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