The Benefits Of Arts Education In Schools

All around the United States, art programs are being cut out of the budget in public schools. The arts include dance, band, chorus, theatre, film, drawing, painting, photography and literary arts. Some school board members feel these art programs are not necessary and do not benefit the students in any way. Elementary, middle, and high school students are forced to quit their passion and feel that their talents are not supported by their schools. Although many are not aware, there is a strong connection between arts education and academic achievement. Unfortunately, due to budget cuts in many public schools, the art classes are first on the list to be cut. It is important that the students, parents and teachers

These courses teach students specific technical and thinking skills needed to succeed in school and college. Students need to have the chance to be creative, too, though. Budget cuts and limited funding can cause problems for school arts programs, but many people are willing to support arts education in public schools if they see how much it really benefits the students. Courses in the arts deserve just as much appreciation and recognition of just how important they are to students’ lives as math, science, history, and literature

The article “Book Tackles Old Debate: Role of Art in Schools” by Robin Pogrebin explains the influence of art and the conclusion of two researchers, Ellen Winner and Lois Hetland. “Students who study the arts seriously are taught to see better, to envision, to persist, to be playful and learn from mistakes, to make critical judgements and justify such judgements,” conclude both researchers.

To begin with, education and engagement in fine art programs are an essential part within the school curriculum because subjects such as mathematics, science, and language arts all require cognitive and creative capacities which are enhanced with the process of learning art. For instance, in the article, Critical Evidence: How the Arts Benefits Student Achievement, it states that “researchers

By having art programs in schools students gain skills such as, problem solving, critical and creative thinking, integration of multiple skill sets, and working with others. Qualities such as these are very necessary for creating exemplary students. Arts have already proven to help with many long standing problems but critical thinking is needed for jobs in the outside world. “ … Creating art supports problem-solving, creative thought and critique like no other discipline.” ( Schoales,2) By participating in artistic classes students gain discipline that most classes fail to teach. These valuable lessons learned from art can’t be found anywhere

Despite taking the place of a core class, fine arts can bolster and strengthen a student’s abilities in said core classes. Art is accessible to everyone and therefore can create a new sense of unity and connection among peers in and out of school. Students often don’t have many ways to express themselves, but by taking classes in the fine arts, students would have an expressive medium to do so inside of school. Skills learnt in fine arts classes can be used for a student’s entire life, regardless of age or condition, and thanks to the many other advantages of these courses, should be required for students to

Greek philosopher Aristotle defines the arts ¨as the realization in external form of a true idea, and is traced back to that natural love of imitation which characterizes humans, and to the pleasure which we feel in recognizing likenesses.¨(IEP). The fine arts which have been a part of human history for 30,000 years have played an essential role in the development and advancement of our societies. As of today, the fine arts are facing the danger of vanishing in the education system of the United States Schools in places like Minnesota, Michigan and Philadelphia struggle to obtain arts programs within their schools. Districts like the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan district, have been struggling with raising student’s academic scores in courses

By dissuading students from fine arts, education stifles the student’s ability to express themselves, and creates an environment that is counteractive to effective learning. According to the Americans for the Arts,  “[Their] studies show that children involved in the arts are four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement and four times more likely to participate in a math and science fair” . Lack of funding for the arts, ultimately, is doing a disservice to children.

It seems like every other day the news is reporting that yet another school has cut their fine arts programs. When money gets tight, instead of decreasing the budgets for things like the abundance of sports teams, many school districts have turned their backs to the fine arts, and justified their decisions by stating that the arts do not benefit the students, or that it is more important for the school to focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, or STEM, programs (Scott). From band and choir to theater and art, courses like these are becoming scarce and students across the country are feeling the impact. Wes Scott, middle and high school band director at Orchard Farm School District in Saint Charles, Missouri, says, “The fine arts

Have you ever felt as if you can’t express your ideas or imagination, or have you felt limited by the school system to not follow your dreams? This is a crisis that is occurring all over the country in which school corporations cancel art programs. Many of these schools cut art classes and drama class, because they believe that they are not necessary for children’s education. Another reason for the decrease in art programs is that 95% of schools have had their budgets cut in the past couple of years, so most schools have to cancel art, music, and drama programs to just stay alive (Law Street). We need to keep art programs in school, because many students and I have wanted to learn more skills in topics that interest us.

Art education has been proven to help with “cognitive ability, critical thinking, and verbal skills” as well as “motivation, concentration, confidence, and teamwork” (Smith). Having the ability and patience to sit down and paint a masterpiece or work through a song on the piano requires high focus and dedication. Students willing to do this will in turn have stronger skills to focus and be dedicated in other subjects. The mixture of all these abilities gained from participation in art programs lead to higher test scores and overall better performance in school. Still, these are only a few of the assets provided by art education.

With the utilization of visual and performing arts, students can begin to enhance their personal growth. By producing original works, enjoying the time spent on the piece of art, and having a sense of pride in one’s accomplishments, an art student will experience an increase in self-esteem and confidence (Importance). A child who receives praise for their art work from parents and teachers will most likely be more positive in their artistic abilities. For example, when a child brings a painting home to his parents and his parents react with smiles, cheers and display the picture on the refrigerator, the student will in turn feel very proud of his accomplishments. This newly found self-esteem and confidence often expands into other subjects at school to the overall benefit of the individual. Participating in art is also a way for students to

A lot of people think that art can only go as far as a class in school, but in reality there is art around everyone. Art can be a way of life for some people, and for others it is simply just something they pass every single day. What they do not realize is that art can have benefits in different aspects in their life, in children's lives, and even the world around them.

Art Education is very important for students. A growing body of research suggests that the arts offer students a unique, valuable way to grow intellectually, socially and emotionally. These things are all associated with creativity. Schools today want to focus more on the four core classes math, science, english, and social studies which is acceptable for some students who are academically stronger in school. Opposed to the students who have a harder time focusing in school and we see them drawing when they need to be taking notes. Creativity today has become less and less more visible in classrooms in America. Due to the expansion of technology people see that it takes less time to look an idea up on the internet rather than taking the time to come up with something original.

The importance of the study and practice of different types of art education has been dated back to Plato’s time. Studying the arts today is often overlooked due to the other core classes and deemed unimportant, yet to many students it is something they’re passionate about. It takes time to learn and perfect the skills required to perform these arts similarly to how it takes time to learn new formulas and how they work in a math class. However, all over the country, there are schools losing state funds. Fine arts is one subject that is being hit the hardest by this. Classes such as band, drama, music, painting, etc., are either being taken out individually or they’re all being eliminated completely. All forms of art and art education aid to the improvement of student’s learning abilities and are essential to their school career, therefore it should not be ripped away from the school curriculum.