Sports Vs Performing Arts

Should the performing arts receive equal as sports? The performing arts have been proven to aid in the growth of a child’s mind. Yet sports keep the mind and body strong. This is a debate that has being going on for the past 20 years. On whether funding should be used to fund sports or the performing arts.

Music education being the right of all children it must be taught in appropriate ways suggested by the geographical cultural and social environment (3). And yes, that is true. Every child should have the write to experience. Every person, in every culture is introduced to some form of music. Whether a person lives in Asia, Africa, Italy, or the USA.

That person is introduced to the kind of music in that culture. But scientists have said time after time that “Music lessons appear to strengthen the links between brain neurons and build new spatial reasoning, says psychologist, Frances Rauscher of University of California-Irving. The thought of teaching music in schools did not even begin until the late 1970’s. According to Bill Ivey who is the Chairman, National Endowment for the Arts “ By the late 1970’s, we began to realize that along with scientific knowledge and physical fitness, we needed to feed the imagination of students with arts (Ivey, 56).” Which says something about the United States.

This country is always saying how everything is done for the future of this country, the children. Then, how come the idea of teaching music wasn’t thought of till then? But at least the USA decided to mandate that the arts be taught in schools from elementary to high school. “Not just in elementary schools or in high schools as electives, but as a comprehensive, sequential curriculum taught by qualified teachers, beginning with pre-school instruction and continuing with required courses for high school graduation (Ivey, 55).” Later, into the 1980’s the United States slowly began to evaluate what music did to the mind. How the mind was scoped by music, what music did to the brain and etc?

The Music Education Association says, “ They feel that the arts will play a major roll in the future success of the educational system (6). “ “By the late 1980’s, Congress mandated that the National Endowment of the Arts to report on the status of arts education (Ivey, 56). And it was proven that children who study the arts score higher on test, do better in school, and even scored higher on the College Boards SAT’s.