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Why is arts education important
Why is arts education important
Importance of arts in the classroom
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What better way to start than with a bible verse that so wonderfully illustrates how the fine arts should be funded, “He said ‘I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest; for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood’” (The Catholic Youth Bible, Luke 21:3-4). Because the arts are funded from the surplus, when budget cuts are necessary they are the first to take the blow. The fine arts are considered one of the ten core school subjects; however, they are constantly treated as less valuable than other programs and classes. Although it is easy to dismiss the arts as merely the icing on the cake and not really necessary; it is a mistake to remove the icing because that is what makes the cake special. Students benefit from a well-rounded education that includes strong arts programs. If these programs are not funded and prioritized, it is a disservice to the students. The arts not only help students on tests that are valued by the education system, but they also help kids to emotionally engage and discover passion.
In today’s world, education is changing; the immense focus on testing is suffocating the knowledge that every student has the potential to gain. One would assume that with this increased focus on tests, it would be obvious to fund the arts since, “Arts and music education programs are mandatory in the countries that rank consistently among the highest for math and science test scores, like Japan, Hungary, and the Netherlands” (11 facts). This shows that music helps support the subjects that are prevalent on these tests of such importance. It is evident that, not supporting the arts is not supporting math and scienc...
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...c Youth Bible: New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition. Winona, MN: Saint Mary's, 2010. Print.
“Cutting Fine Arts in Schools” StudyMode.com 05 2012. 2012. 05 2012
Davis, Beandra. "The Notebook." With Budgets Tightening, Arts Education Is Further Squeezed. Ed. Paul Socolar. TheNotebook.com, n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.
Hawkins, Tyleah. "Will Less Art and Music in the Classroom Really Help Students Soar Academically?" Washington Post. The Washington Post, 28 Dec. 2012. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.
Kooij, Anna V. "When All Words Fail, The Fine Arts Speak." When All Words Fail The Fine Arts Speak. Fine Arts in Schools When All Words Fail, The Fine Arts Speak, 25 Jan. 2013. Web. 22 Nov. 2013.
“Music and Language.” Music and Language. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.
"Why Art?" N.p., 2013. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.
Throughout history music has played an important role in society, whether it was Mozart moving people with his newest opera or the latest album from the Beatles. Where would society be today without music? With schools cutting their music programs, the next Mozart may not get his chance to discover his amazing talent. Music programs are essential to education. To fully understand this one must understand how music helps the human body, why schools have cut music programs, and why people should learn music.
Holcomb, Sabrina. "Arts Education." Rss. National Education Association, 17 Jan. 2007. Web. 10 May 2016.
Fine arts gives students a chance to pour their hearts into something beautiful; a chance to be a part of something that is bigger than just themselves. Some schools are facing financial troubles with the current economy, and one of the first programs they consider cutting is fine arts. The removal of fine arts programs would be absolutely devastating to countless members of the community. Many students would lose their favorite class, in some cases the one class that helps them get through the day, and many teachers that truly care fir the students would lose their dream jobs. Fine arts should not be cut from schools; they build confidence, help with the application of other academic concepts, and even help to prepare students for their future work in the business world.
A recent development in public education has been the decline in arts programs nationwide. Budget cuts to arts programs are responsive to decreases in state funding, especially in states with conservative economic policies. Many states have also enacted legislation disabling local school districts’ abilities to justify employing art and music teachers. Consequently, several problems have manifested themselves, including the loss of arts programs proving detrimental to the overall quality of education for today’s children. First and foremost, arts programs improve overall performance in core school subjects; this is demonstrated clearly through higher test scores amongst students with exposure to arts and positive correlations between arts and core class engagement. Other reasons supporting retaining arts programs include to help foster community development, produce creative minds, develop problem-solving skills, aid in child development and visual-spatial skills, and encourage underprivileged students to remain in school (Metla, 2015). By removing arts programs from some public schools, an alarming issue of public concern arises. Public education, given that it is considered to be a non-rivalrous and non-excludable, is deemed a public good (Clark, 2016). Cutting arts programs in public schools, especially when cuts transpire in schools saturated with heavy minority populations, creates inequitable education and creates a serious issue of public concern.
Many schools consider art, music, and physical education programs ‘fluff’ classes, which is why when schools are looking for a place to save money those are some of the programs that are first to go. Claire Suggs, Senior Education Policy Analysts for the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, found that “about 42 percent of districts are reducing or eliminating art or music programs and 62 percent are eliminating elective courses” (“Cutting Class” #1). Art and music programs should not be cut because they allow students to explore their creativity and improve problem solving skills. On the
Much too often in America today, modern music and art programs in schools are perceived to many as extracurricular activities rather than important subjects that are vital to a students learning and skill development. The truth of the matter is that encouraging music and art education in public schools has a much larger impact on student’s grades, academic performance, and the economy than the majority people realize. Within the next year city school budgets will be dropping by twenty five percent, and despite the fact that music and art programs have been showing a dramatic contribution to student’s learning, this substantial drop in funding for the programs will lead to no dedicated money for art or music programs (Mezzacappa). There is no doubt that a cut in funding for art programs will take a huge toll on students overall grades and test scores. Research has found that the studying of music and art facilitates learning in other subjects and enhances children’s skills in other areas (Brown). Furthermore, providing students with a creative outlet can do great justice in reducing the stress from many other classes and even offer insight for students in possible career paths involving the art field. The art industry today currently supports 4.1 million full-time jobs (Dorfman). By increasing the funding of music and art programs for students preschool through twelfth grade we can see a dramatic increase in the education of children across the United States, assist with skill development in young students, and greatly benefit the economy at the same time.
middle of paper ... ... Music was not taught in the high school I was in. To satisfy my interest in learning about music and how to play musical instruments, I had to find a source of education other than school; a great depiction in agreement with Graff’s claim that students are being limited by not considering their interests when creating curricula (Graff 197). In conclusion, education is broader than just falling into what the contemporary school system has to offer. Both Gatto and Graff proved this by explaining how conforming students to certain perspectives of education limits their potential in other educational branches that interest the students.
Velasco, J. (2012, December 11) Scientific Learning. “How The Arts Can Help Students Excel” Retrieved April 18, 2014, from http://www.scilearn.com/blog/how-arts-help-students-excel.php
“Every student in the nation should have an education in the arts.” This is the opening statement of “The Value and Quality of Arts Education: A Statement of Principles,” a document from the nation’s ten most important educational organizations. The basic message is that music and art programs in the schools help our kids and communities in real and substantial ways. There is an abundant amount of facts and information that supports this statement. The benefits of arts education can be narrowed down into 4 basic categories: success in developing intelligence, success in ...
Art can be used to raise scores in every subject, “Students who took four years of art classes scored 91 points higher on their SAT exams than those who took half a year or less. Multiple studies also confirmed that there is a correlation between art engagement and students’ other achievements.” (Valeriya Metla) Even with the research linking art and better grades some educators think that it is more worth while to only focus on the core classes because it is more important to fund what is being tested than to help raise children who are creative.
It has been estimated that by the end of the year, 25% of high schools will have completely gotten rid of their fine arts programs. Chances are, you or someone you know takes a fine arts class. Fine arts education is learning visual arts, music, dance, or theatre. These classes can be cut by school districts when in need of money, but they can be some of the most important classes a student can have. The fine arts are important in students educations, for many reasons.
I think that the arts should definitely continue to be taught because these studies allow students to have an insight into everything. By this I mean, the study of humanities teaches students to think creatively and critically, it teaches them to reason, and it teaches them to ask questions. It is with these acquired skills that students begin to gain new insights into everything from poetry and paintings to business models and politics. The study of the arts also allows students to gain a better understanding of the world around them. Students have the opportunity to learn the values of different cultures, to learn about what goes into making a work of art, and to learn about how history is made.
Art education is often underestimated by many who believe that school was created to teach only analytical concepts such as mathematics and literature. However, research has shown that art courses are important, even necessary for students in elementary, middle, and high schools. These art classes may include not only visual arts but performing arts such as dance, theatre and choir. Barbara Streisand said, “Art does not exist only to entertain, but also to challenge one to think, to provoke, even to disturb, in a constant search for the truth,” (Quotations). Streisand points out that there are multiple benefits to art whether it be painted by a brush or sung from the heart. Art has the ability to allow people to see situations from different points of view not merely to look beautiful as decoration. Those who believe that art education is unimportant are simply ignorant to the benefits that involvement in the arts holds for not just the individual but for society in general. While some in society may not recognize the immediate results. Art education is beneficial to students in primary and secondary schools.
Watters, Brandi. "Schools cut back on art, music, P.E." The Herald Bulletin. Breaking News., 30 Oct. 2010. Web. 6 May 2014
Visual arts refers to visual and tactile art, print and craft media, self-expression, analysis and interpretation (Edwards, 2010). Teachers play an important role in enhancing children’s creativity and supporting visual arts in the classroom.