Smart Art
(An Analysis of the Importance of The Arts in Education)
The arts are incredible teaching and learning devices that can benefit both student and teacher. This simple statement has been questioned recently as arts in education have been increasingly diminished. Theresa Sjoquist, a distinguished author and biographer, explains how modern schools treat the arts,“Today they are teaching the subject of art as a frill in school, partly due to intellectual preciousness that has crept into art departments with the making of the History of Art. Intellectualising places art on a pedestal only for the few” (Sjoquist). Just as Sjoquist explains, the arts are now looked at as something only certain people can do. Different studies and personal
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Throughout our schooling, we spend most of our time with the same people. In order for school environments to work, students must be friendly and able to be around each other for long periods of time and as English Drs. Vanessa Smith and Richard Yeo explain, “In particular, we restore the idea of friendship as fundamental to the ways in which collaboration was imagined and conducted” (Smith and Yeo 1). Arguably, there are other ways for collaboration to be learned, such as sports, but not in the same way as it can be learned through the arts. For young children, there are even less opportunities and activities that will teach them this vital skill, so allowing them to learn the arts, especially music, in schools will allow them this opportunity. There are many students who have no interest in sports, and they have to have access to activities that will teach them cooperation. It is extremely important for young children to be introduced to the arts so that they are able to learn the collaboration that is needed at a young …show more content…
In our computer tech savvy world, most students know very little about other countries and cultures. The arts allow, and even require, students to research and learn about other cultures, which can be extremely beneficial. A South African writer, James Currey explains that, “The outreach of extra-mural education was of especial value in Africa because the flow of knowledge moved both ways. Going beyond the classroom brought insights into African culture” (Currey 12). It is possible to go beyond the classroom through the arts as you research and immerse yourself in other cultures. This can broaden students’ minds and introduce them to the real world before they actually enter
The Atlantic’s article “Rewriting Art History” by Jacoba Urist, discussed the change of the AP course, art history, to revise the racial and cultural bias’ found in the art world. The author elucidates the racial divide in AP art history is caused by the lack of significant cultural artworks. The College Board held a meeting to ration the art history curriculum, instead of a largely Eurocentric focus, but target on more substantial art cultures. This leaves more opportunity for teachers to discuss the “definition of art, how it changes, and why particular artworks acquire meaning”, all subjects that are required by higher college courses. Jacoba Urist reminds the reader women and colored artists aren’t usually in history
Art is a form of human expression. Art portrays various ideas, feelings such as love, happiness, boredom and sorrow. But sometimes, art is only considered as an extra elective within the school curriculum and just a waste of time. So here today at Palm Beach State college is an irritated professor, who also teaches at Palm Beach State college, Samantha Salzinger gave a speech on “The Importance of Art, ” presented on November 4, 2015, and she argues that art is an important subject and should deemed as a core class. Salzinger begins building her credibility with personal stories and reputable sources, convincing statistics and facts, and successfully engages the audiences
the arts maybe “frivolous” to those who build bridges to nowhere, but we need to prevent them from trivializing the debate. Spanning the bridge between now and our cultural-economic future is no smaller.”(Stelluto) “fine arts classes at the high school level is not option in many cases due to the need for fine arts credits to graduate, course offerings within the fine arts departments can be condensed or eliminated altogether.” (Dickson)
Beineke, Viviane. “Creative learning and communities of practice: Perspectives for music education in the school.” International Journal of Community Music 6.3 (2013) : 281-290. Academic Search Complete. Web. 5 Mar. 2014.
There are many positive aspects associated with the arts and it is important people are aware of these benefits. According to Smithrim and Opitis, “reported benefits of the arts include the development of the imagination (Greene, 1995), greater motivation to learn (Csikszentmihalyi, 1997), increased student creativity, lower dropout rates, and increased social skills (Catterall, 1998; Luftig, 1995)” (110). These advantages can possibly set a student up for am extremely successful life. They should be embraced and utilized as opposed to overlooked and unmentioned.
Because each art discipline appeals to different senses and expresses itself through different media, each adds a special richness to the learning environment. Arts help people Learn to identify, appreciate, and participate in the traditional and non-traditional art forms of their own communities and the communities of others. Art teaches us how to be imaginative, creative, and reflective. Different art forms help us develop the verbal and nonverbal abilities necessary for lifelong learning. The intellectual demands of the arts help us develop problem-solving abilities and such powerful thinking skills as analyzing and evaluating. Numerous studies point toward a consistent and positive comparison between concrete education in the arts and student achievement in other subjects. A program in arts education would engage students in a process that helps them develop the self-esteem, self-discipline, cooperation, and self-motivation necessary for success in life. Most important, the arts should be experienced and studied for their own true value.
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.
In the United States, fine art education in public schools have been a controversial topic for years. Due to fundings, imagine your child had to choose between art or math. Well of course a parent would choose a math course because they would not survive society in their future without counting. Although, fine art gives an opportunity for a student to express themselves with their thoughts and feelings through the participation of the fine arts. As in today’s society everything is consider “art”. That everything could be in fashion styles to the structures of building such as the Space Needle in Seattle.
Fine arts classes benefit students and schools alike. Fine arts are needed courses, not just as electives but as core classes that promote learning and creativity in the lives of students. There are three different styles of learning: auditory, visual, and kinesthetic. Fine art provides an avenue for all of these learning styles to be utilized during one class period; therefore, all students are able to understand and benefit from the curriculum. In a normal academic setting all types of learning may not be used, so a percentage of the classroom will not understand the lessons as well as it could have if it had arts incorporated into the class. It may seem impossible to include arts into an academic setting, but it is possible, effective, and fun. According to Barry Oreck, it has been proven that students learning molecular bonding through a dance had a more proficient understanding of the concept. He states, “We have found that if you learn something through a theater game, you can still answer a test question” (new horizons Dickerson 3). This statement proves that arts are extremely important and beneficial. With fine arts, students have a safe environment to express themselves, a motivation to stay in school, and higher test scores. The fact that fine arts are needed is evident, but will schools respond or live in denial?
Music is a form of life that has a variety of purposes; even the human mind cannot comprehend them all. It should be considered a need but because of the economy and its hardship it has bestowed upon people, when school budgets tighten, music programs feel the pressure early and brace for a potential beating (Jennings). Our education system should allow children to express themselves through efficacious learning experiences, giving them the opportunity them to get in-touch with, and strengthen, their creativity (Lim and Chung, S60, Terrance). There is no doubt other programs includes this, but when it comes to music, people question its capability and it is considered “not cool”. Without music in our education programs, children are mislead and cheated from their futures (Music 110), and the focus wonders towards the opposing spectrum. We need musical instruction because it can play an important role in brain development, help achieve academic success, preserve the past, and most importantly, provide opportunities to build our character in a positive, and meaningful, environment, even through the hardship
Arts Literacy is contented and abilities information about the arts. Knowledge depends on persons, tools, contented, products, artistic thinking, materials and skills. Arts are integrally multimodal and hence interface frequently through literate preparation in education and teaching contexts. The arts for the determination of this volume contain five art forms: Visual Arts, Dance, Media Arts Drama, and Music. Art takes a lot of forms. It is fine teachers inside the classroom abilities to involve students in the lot of systems of arts, however the meaning base on the teacher’s constant individual growing in arts literacy.(Georgina Barton, 2014)
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.
@“The arts are about communication, creativity, and cooperation, and, by studying the arts in school, students have the opportunity to build on these skills, enrich their lives and experience the world from a new perspective.” –Bill Clinton, former President of the United States of America
In today’s society anything can be considered “Art”. From the great sounds of a symphony, to the architecture of a modern structure, or even an elephant painting with its trunk, art is what the viewer perceives it to be. Individuals will always agree or disagree with the message behind a certain piece of art, as pieces can be offensive to some, but beautiful to others. Some argue that funding the arts in school is a waste of money, time, or a combination of both, but the benefits outweigh the negatives by far, due to a variety of reasons.
"Why Arts Education Is Crucial, and Who's Doing It Best." Edutopia. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2014.