Hello, my name is Daniel and today I am here to discuss an important issue which I am almost certain that many people have heard of or possibly even experienced, yet have trouble dealing with. That is, how can we foster the arts in schools without compromising the careful balancing act known to most as a school budget. Thankfully, Saint John Eudes School has performed excellently in this regard, with a great art program that is well integrated with the other classes. Unfortunately, this is not the case around the nation, as many schools are dropping art classes for being unnecessary or too expensive. The worst part is that, all it takes for almost the full effects of having an art program to impact themselves on students are a two classrooms, one with a Literature teacher and the other with either an art or music teacher.
So why would the Arts matter? After all, art is all about just drawing, painting, and just relaxing all the time. I mean, what kind of job can you get with an art degree? Students need to be taught from an early age that Math, Science, and Engineering are the way forward. Well, from someone who plans on becoming a mathematician, I am telling you that the Arts are equally as important. Science, Math, and Engineering are critical to becoming an educated person and progressing in society, but the Arts are critical to creating whole, well-rounded people, instead of just a boring calculator. The Arts can allow students to find and express themselves in ways only they can imagine.
So I will ask you this. If becoming a musician is a fairly common desire among many students, then why shouldn’t the basic foundation for music be taught to them? Is school not there for the purpose of teaching generations of children so that they may be prepared for their future and become lifelong learners? The fact is that music is just important a class if taught well as all the other classes in a school. Just because it requires perhaps a rearranged classroom with room to stand up or for instruments or for singing does not mean that it is a “makeshift” class. For example, my own music teacher is very structured in how he carries out his class. At the beginning of class, we receive an outline of what the day will look like and we go through it step by step. Having access to our church, we can even see music in action where it is very critical. So if music has had real world applications in the present and in history, how can it possibly be useless?
The arts throughout history have been deeply rooted in religion. Be it with the writing of the bible itself or magnificent cathedrals. By studying and practicing the Arts, students will not only be learning about the Arts themselves, but about the pillars of their faith as well, and the core beliefs of society. An example could be when in Ms. Stula’s class, we were asked to study the Middle Ages at the very same time that in Religion we were studying how the
Church survived through the Middle Ages. At that point, with the church being such a central figure at the time, our textbooks read almost the same. It was incredible. Students can relate what they are learning in Religion and put those same images and representations into their art. They can see how people before them showed their faith through art and can thus show that same faith in the art they create.
To demonstrate just how much of an impact a single art class or teacher can be, I’m going to share an experience that happened to me just recently. I was conversing with my mother about art and somewhere in the conversation came up the painter Bob Ross. For those who don’t remember him, Bob Ross was a painter who ran a television show called “The Joy of Painting” in the late 1980s to mid 1990s. Eventually, I mentioned that he had died in what I thought was only a few years ago, but in fact was in 1995. My mother was shocked, during our time in New York when we had first come to the United States in the early 2000s, she used to always watch his show, never knowing that he had died years earlier. This particular moment impacted me greatly. I realized that a simple painter in a small, thirty minute TV show could still inspire future painters and artists far after he was gone. This is what I believe makes the art program so important. It really does not take much to change a child’s life. To light the spark to a child’s inspiration forever. Most assume that when I say “Arts”, I am strictly referring to painting and drawing, but I am also including Literature, Writing, and Music, three equally as important parts of the group colloquially known as the “Arts”. Luckily for students all around the nation, Literature and Writing have been receiving more attention in recent years and thus more funding, as they should. However, Music is still being dropped from many schools despite how common it is now for people to listen to or even produce music.
For example, in my art class with Ms. Stula, I find it incredible just how much all of her classes go together. We can be reading about a historical time period which refers to a movement of art that was taking place at the same time, with one of the paintings featuring a religious figure. As I mentioned before, it has happened many time where two sets of textbooks can read almost the same as they are talking about almost the same thing. Religion, Social Studies, and Fine Arts are all deeply ingrained in human history, yet continue to be relevant to this day.
Comparatively, in the rest of the nation, the percentages of elementary schools with a visual arts program decreased from 87-83% in the 2009-2010 year from previous years. Even worse, the poor have very little access to the arts. For example, in the year of 1999-2000, according to the US Department of Education 100% of the schools with 76% of the student population receiving free or lowered lunch had music class. Meanwhile, in the 2009-2010 school year, only 81% schools with 76% of the student population receiving free lunch had music class. According to the “The Role of the Fine and Performing Arts in High School Dropout Prevention,” by the Center for Music Research at Florida State University, “Students at risk of not successfully completing their high school educations cite their participation in the arts as reasons for staying in school. Factors related to the arts that positively affected the motivation of these students included a supportive environment that promotes constructive acceptance of criticism and one where it is safe to take risks.”
So how can we balance the Arts along with all the other subjects in a school setting. It is not as hard as most would think. All it takes is are two classrooms, two dedicated teachers, and some basic supplies to launch a generation of lifelong artists, musicians, and inspired learners. The Arts are not just "added classes" that take up space or please parents. They are important creative spaces where students can discover themselves and grow as people. And so I say, while you may go to this school. Go to other schools, help out, show them how important the Arts are. Show them how they can change and help their students.
So why would the Arts matter? After all, art is all about just drawing, painting, and just relaxing all the time. I mean, what kind of job can you get with an art degree? Students need to be taught from an early age that Math, Science, and Engineering are the way forward. Well, from someone who plans on becoming a mathematician, I am telling you that the Arts are equally as important. Science, Math, and Engineering are critical to becoming an educated person and progressing in society, but the Arts are critical to creating whole, well-rounded people, instead of just a boring calculator. The Arts can allow students to find and express themselves in ways only they can imagine.
So I will ask you this. If becoming a musician is a fairly common desire among many students, then why shouldn’t the basic foundation for music be taught to them? Is school not there for the purpose of teaching generations of children so that they may be prepared for their future and become lifelong learners? The fact is that music is just important a class if taught well as all the other classes in a school. Just because it requires perhaps a rearranged classroom with room to stand up or for instruments or for singing does not mean that it is a “makeshift” class. For example, my own music teacher is very structured in how he carries out his class. At the beginning of class, we receive an outline of what the day will look like and we go through it step by step. Having access to our church, we can even see music in action where it is very critical. So if music has had real world applications in the present and in history, how can it possibly be useless?
The arts throughout history have been deeply rooted in religion. Be it with the writing of the bible itself or magnificent cathedrals. By studying and practicing the Arts, students will not only be learning about the Arts themselves, but about the pillars of their faith as well, and the core beliefs of society. An example could be when in Ms. Stula’s class, we were asked to study the Middle Ages at the very same time that in Religion we were studying how the
Church survived through the Middle Ages. At that point, with the church being such a central figure at the time, our textbooks read almost the same. It was incredible. Students can relate what they are learning in Religion and put those same images and representations into their art. They can see how people before them showed their faith through art and can thus show that same faith in the art they create.
To demonstrate just how much of an impact a single art class or teacher can be, I’m going to share an experience that happened to me just recently. I was conversing with my mother about art and somewhere in the conversation came up the painter Bob Ross. For those who don’t remember him, Bob Ross was a painter who ran a television show called “The Joy of Painting” in the late 1980s to mid 1990s. Eventually, I mentioned that he had died in what I thought was only a few years ago, but in fact was in 1995. My mother was shocked, during our time in New York when we had first come to the United States in the early 2000s, she used to always watch his show, never knowing that he had died years earlier. This particular moment impacted me greatly. I realized that a simple painter in a small, thirty minute TV show could still inspire future painters and artists far after he was gone. This is what I believe makes the art program so important. It really does not take much to change a child’s life. To light the spark to a child’s inspiration forever. Most assume that when I say “Arts”, I am strictly referring to painting and drawing, but I am also including Literature, Writing, and Music, three equally as important parts of the group colloquially known as the “Arts”. Luckily for students all around the nation, Literature and Writing have been receiving more attention in recent years and thus more funding, as they should. However, Music is still being dropped from many schools despite how common it is now for people to listen to or even produce music.
For example, in my art class with Ms. Stula, I find it incredible just how much all of her classes go together. We can be reading about a historical time period which refers to a movement of art that was taking place at the same time, with one of the paintings featuring a religious figure. As I mentioned before, it has happened many time where two sets of textbooks can read almost the same as they are talking about almost the same thing. Religion, Social Studies, and Fine Arts are all deeply ingrained in human history, yet continue to be relevant to this day.
Comparatively, in the rest of the nation, the percentages of elementary schools with a visual arts program decreased from 87-83% in the 2009-2010 year from previous years. Even worse, the poor have very little access to the arts. For example, in the year of 1999-2000, according to the US Department of Education 100% of the schools with 76% of the student population receiving free or lowered lunch had music class. Meanwhile, in the 2009-2010 school year, only 81% schools with 76% of the student population receiving free lunch had music class. According to the “The Role of the Fine and Performing Arts in High School Dropout Prevention,” by the Center for Music Research at Florida State University, “Students at risk of not successfully completing their high school educations cite their participation in the arts as reasons for staying in school. Factors related to the arts that positively affected the motivation of these students included a supportive environment that promotes constructive acceptance of criticism and one where it is safe to take risks.”
So how can we balance the Arts along with all the other subjects in a school setting. It is not as hard as most would think. All it takes is are two classrooms, two dedicated teachers, and some basic supplies to launch a generation of lifelong artists, musicians, and inspired learners. The Arts are not just "added classes" that take up space or please parents. They are important creative spaces where students can discover themselves and grow as people. And so I say, while you may go to this school. Go to other schools, help out, show them how important the Arts are. Show them how they can change and help their students.