Importance of Teaching Fine Arts in School

780 Words2 Pages

Whether it is visual art, music, dance, or theatre; the arts are an essential part of today’s society that is needed in all schools. They are a part of our cultural heritage. The arts are what make most humans more complete as individuals. Scholars as far back as Plato have stressed the need for the arts in education. They cannot be taught randomly or casually any more than English, mathematics or science can. Education and commitment in the fine arts should be a vital part of every school’s curriculum and should be an important piece in the educational program for all students. There are, however, individuals who do not see this need and wish that the arts be taken out of the schools.
We live in the Age of Information. The main sources of information are no longer lectures or textbooks in the classroom. Classrooms are now filled with computers, smartboards and other electronic devices to create learning. Today, learning is not so much what a student knows, but how to find the needed material and apply that information in a quick informative manner. Today’s learners do not think they just do. “We are in the twilight of a society based on data. As information and intelligence becomes the domain of computers, society will place a new value on the one human ability that can’t be automated: emotion” (Jenson). Even in this day and age learners still need to be able to think, to develop social skills, become problem-solvers, and become creative. Schools need to provide a more thorough learning about the things that still matter. These things are instruction, reliability, thinking skills, curiosity, honesty, equality, pride, involvement, and creativity. The arts offer all of these. An education in the arts assists learners to understand...

... middle of paper ...

...tand that the arts can create a more rounded individual that can become benefit to society and not just a statistic. These people do not see the forest for the trees.
Without the arts life would be boring and ordinary. There would be no creativity, no motivation, no imagination and no inner growth. The arts will give an individual a chance to express themselves; to show their beliefs, their ideas and their thoughts. The arts open up career options, regardless of what the naysayers think. Regardless of what the people who want the fine arts out of school say, these classes need to be a part of a student’s curriculum for the simple fact that they need a break from the grind of English, mathematics and science. “The arts are a fundamental, important part of culture, and an education without them is an impoverished education leading to an impoverished society" (Domont)

Open Document