HOW IMPORTANT IS ARTS EDUCATION?
Some might be surprised to hear that art education goes beyond our usual conception of art. Literature, theatre, sculpture, dance, music, fine painting, and architecture are our fine arts, and what most people consider art. However, art education goes beyond this into a much broader concept called liberal arts. The liberal arts are comprised of many areas of studies that range from fine arts and humanities to natural science and some areas of mathematics. Knowing this, it is safe to say that the arts are much more than aesthetics and pure entertainment for the senses. Art education is important because, as it has been shown, it is a key factor of our daily life and our collective knowledge. Liberal arts, is not a political term as some might think. In ancient cultures liberal arts, more specifically liberal, meant that those were the studies “worthy of a free person.” (referring both to the social status as to the spirit of a person) As it has been said it is a vast collection of knowledge from different areas of study, hence it is an interdisciplinary field of study. The fine arts and design just happen to be a part of this academic field that constantly questions the world. Interpretation is its fundament; history, social studies, art, design, arithmetic, astronomy, psychology, philosophy and so forth, are just a way to interpret the universe and the events that surround us. (Dix, 2016) We all know the importance of history, as Edmund
“After a certain high level of technical skill achieved, science and arts tend to coalesce in esthetics, plasticity, and form. The greatest scientist are artist as well” (Albert Einstein). In this advanced modern tech-world mostly people are dependent on science and technology, but arts also play an important role in education. Art creates balanced thinking and better imagination which helps humans to be successful in their career. Yo-Yo Ma intensely informs about important role of arts in modern education society throughout his essay Necessary Edges: Arts, Empathy, and education. Ma illustrates that arts should be also part of education, because it improve students to filter their imagination through disciplined knowledge. Liberal arts should be equal to science and technology because it creates new idea, and in this modern world people should think critical than divergent in their lives. Empathy teaches students to understand and simplify the complicated life. Collaboration include discussion amongst people or group to make things effortless. Moreover liberal arts itself is beauty such as performing arts, it values the beauty of imagination in modern society by art and sculpture.
First and foremost there needs to be an established understanding of what liberal arts are. In the article “Why Choose Liberal Arts?” Mark William Roche explains that liberal arts were originally intended for free men, those who weren’t being educated for the sole purpose of gaining a livelihood, but rather for the sake of being educated and included things like grammar, rhetoric, arithmetic, music and astronomy. He then goes on to clarify the meaning of liberal arts today as “a general education that is a broad grounding in the diverse disciplines.” Furthermore, in his article, “The Liberal Arts Bubble” John Agresto writes that today liberal arts are still called liberal not
Liberal arts education has been pursued by great thinkers and enthusiastic learners throughout the centuries. Great thinkers have sought out to expand their knowledge and gain a better and deeper understanding of the world in which they live. This has been accomplished by laying foundations of knowledge gained through diligently studding subjects such as physics, mathematics, art, history, philosophy, music and denoting an equal appreciation for each of these subjects. Each of these subjects is capable of expanding our comprehension of how the things of this world work. Not one of them is more capable as compared to the other, in regards to broadening our horizons or expanding our critical thinking abilities. Instead each subject matter holds within it the power for personal, professional and mental growth.
These tough and complex subjects can be an optional subject, and especially brilliant students can choose these at high school level. As a result, the task of getting familiar with liberal art education will be achieved in high school by avoiding four year of college, and high school students will be equipped with critical thinking and analytic skills. Comparing the American high school from Germany high school, Ungar appear to dissatisfy current high school curriculum, which further support Murrays arguments of introducing liberal art education at high school level. Ungar says, “We should recognize, however, that a secondary education in some systems––say, those that follow the model of the German Gymnasium––often includes much that is left
The strength of a liberal arts education is the strong, varied foundation it provides over a wide spectrum of subjects. A liberal arts education is aimed at teaching you how to think. It helps you to develop strength of mind, and an ordered intellect. This broad-based education allows students to create new theories, discoveries, and connections between fields. With such expansive roots, great innovators can build and expand from what others have learned, instead of wasting effort on rediscovery of what is already known. With the knowledge of a subject's strengths and capabilities, and weaknesses and restrictions, students can combine traits of different subjects to formulate new and more complicated concepts. New colors can only come from mixing those which already exist. The pigment of a new color depends on the shades and hues of the colors used to create it. Such is true for education. The resulting ideas are a sterling product of the compatibility of the subjects blended to create it. What vocational schools have in central focus, they lose in direct focus. Enormous concentration in one area pigeon-holes, severely limiting the range of career opportunities. A liberal arts education on the other hand, teaches one how to think, and how to apply this to a variety of subjects. Both aspects have their strengths and their downfalls. However, one can hardly say the liberal arts is useless and should be tossed aside in the modern day.
During the era of the Greco-Roman world, when ancient Greek and Rome intertwined, (Top Universities) liberal arts was meant to free the individual from blindly following a leader and to help develop a rational and practical knowledge in society. It helped the person contribute their ideas and participate in their community. Breaking the idea of a liberal arts education down, it means to have freedom. Freedom to explore and
As the liberal arts is a synthesis of several elements, it provides a broad base of knowledge by shaping one’s mindset and formulating a nonstandard intellectual position. As the articles suggest, the liberal arts education helps obtain a full picture of the world and prepares to overcome any hardship by endowing a person with creative and analytical thinking. It also teaches focus and self-expression. (Roth, 2014; Keohane, 2012; Guo, 2015) These skills are shaping the mind so that the person starts to orientate immediately under the unfamiliar
Liberal art schools, concentrate not only on academic subjects, but on producing well-rounded individuals. Working towards a baccalaureate degree in the Art or Science field involves taking courses in what are traditionally referred to as the "liberal" arts. This means that your courses will be in general areas of study--philosophy, mathematics, literature, art history, economics, languages, and so on--rather than in applied or specialized field. A non-specialized requirement structure, which prepares students for higher educational endeavors. Such as, developing students critical thinking skills and preparing them to be effective in the community. A liberal arts education is not intended to train a student for a specific job, though it does prepare you for the world of work by providing you with an invaluable set of employability skills, including the ability to think for yourself, the skills to communicate effectively, and the capacity for lifelong learning.
To be honest I had no clue what liberal arts education consisted of. I think the "art" part threw me off because of the definition of art which I believed was courses like theate and these classes would be the classes I wonder why in the world would I need this course to work in my field of study. The study of liberal arts education is useful throughout the educational systems for learning. Liberal arts education can be used at times we may not notice we use and on a daily basis. I use the knowledge from liberal arts classes such as a literture class the poems I had to study, and disect. The language and unstanding I grasp have been useful amongst my peers at wok. I am able to keep up in an conversation with those who have thier degrees
The sad truth is that the arts are dying in public schools. A big cause of this extinction is schools focus on testing and their results. Government policies such as No child Left Behind is the big cause of this push. The schools are cutting Fine Arts Programs to adjust for the test preparation to makes sure the quotas are meet for the Adequate Yearly Progress. Schools are allowing students to miss important learning points in their education. Many school consider the arts unimportant or a waste of time. They are trying to put language arts and vocational practices as Fine Arts. Fine arts is Defined in the Webster’s Dictionary as a type of art such as painting, sculpture, and music that is done to create beautiful
* Arts curricula is typically process-driven and relationship based, so its impact on academic performance is often underestimated and undervalued. The arts provide a logical
Today, there is a great problem in American schools. The ever increasing dropout rates are showing that teachers are not able to stimulate and interest their students. Children and teens are losing their ability to think creatively and on higher level because of the lack of arts education in public schools. If all children had this privilege, they would have higher test scores, would more likely go to college, and less likely to commit crimes. Students who graduate from high school are drones of a test-centered, strict curriculum based on if the student can pick the right multiple choice answer. Graduates who have graduated recently find it extremely difficult to compete in the higher education world due to their inability to think
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
But still, what is a “liberal arts” education? There’s no one clear-cut answer to that question, and there’s still debate on what the ideal liberal arts education looks like. For the purpose of this essay, I’d like to use the definition that was originally used for liberal arts. In the same book as before, Davis states that
Throughout my academic career I have repeatedly been exposed to the topic of education in the arts. More specifically, I encountered the debate of whether art programs should be funded by school districts. I never quite understood why it was such a big question, but many oppose the idea, due to the belief that art is not a necessity. I would consider those people who disagree with art funding idiotic; as I consider it an absolute necessity that school districts provide funding for the arts.