The Importance of Art in Education
In My Own Words
Mary Reid
To begin with I would like to just say that there is no truth to the argument that we have all heard at some point that students who are exposed to the arts as part of their curriculum score better on math and science tests than students who are not. When I say there is no truth to these claims I mean that there is no proof of tests or results to back them up. I know this is not exactly the best way to prove to you the importance of art in education, by taking away the strongest argument that has been given over and over since the mid eighties when Reagan told the world that American students were falling far below other countries in the areas of math and science and, more recently, the No Child Left Behind legislation. Since then the arts have slowly been erased from public school systems all across the country. I intend to make my case for the arts in education with the real reasons why our children can’t do without them.
Art and History
How do we know what life was like for the ancient Egyptian, the Native American, the 14th century European? Most of what we know was initially unveiled by the artwork uncovered from the period. New developments are investigated frequently spurred by the discovery of hand made objects found on cave walls or architectural digs. Art makes history a more interesting, more descriptive and more tactile way to connect to our past. Art gives visual images to help make those connections and understand why events occurred, how the civilization reacted to them and what came next in their development. These discoveries help tie our global history together and fill in some of the gaps between them. When a student thinks about ancient Egypt a visual of the bust of Nefertiti may come to mind, when he thinks of Ancient Rome the architecture of the coliseum and when he thinks of 18th century Europe the flamboyant fashion of the Royal Court. Not only do I stress the importance of art in learning about history but I also worry about the absence of art as part of our daily practice and the impact that will have on how our future generations will connect us to their history. Can data alone express the human reaction and emotions caused by events?
Adaptability and Reasoning
When it comes to solving math problems there is not much room for error, two times two is four, period. It doesn’t require a group discussion, it doesn’t rely on outside input, reactions or opinions. Rearranging the order of the numbers or adjusting the color of the digits won’t help us come up with that one answer to solve that one problem. Nothing stimulates that part of our brain that allows us to tap into our imagination than the arts. Music, dance, painting and creative writing allow us and encourage us to come up with many answers to many questions. When we find ourselves in difficult predicaments it is the ability to creatively think of solutions that help us out of them. Regardless of our career path the necessity to reason and adapt to situations are required skills for success. For example a finance accountant can’t change the fact that the numbers don’t support the action but the action still needs to happen. Without tapping into the reasoning and adaptability that he acquired in his middle school music class he might not be able to find the solution, failing to help make the action happen. Now, imagine a whole generation of children who will never have a dance, music, drama or art class in their education. Without including the arts in their curriculum we are handicapping them from the very start.
Creative Expression
The world we live in can be confusing and painful at times. Events occur that cause us to act out or recoil into ourselves. Sometimes expressing how we feel in words is difficult, in some cases impossible and our mental health is reliant on the ability to process situations in creative ways. Participating in the act of creative expression is not only therapeutic for the participant but unearths a new language for him to communicate his thoughts and feelings. A whole new field of therapy focus’s on art as a way to communicate with individuals who have been through difficult or disturbing experiences validating the importance of the arts in the mental health field. Children in particular benefit from art as a form of communication and the songs they create, pictures they paint and movements in their dance can tell us more about how they feel than the verbal language that they haven’t quite got a hang of yet.
To make a convincing argument for the arts we have to start by removing false information and unproven benefits. These tactics may get some initial attention but when these benefits are not substantiated, credibility for the argument is lost. Why not focus on things we know the arts deliver? The arts help students learn to make visual connections, to mentally picture the past and better understand the people and events that shape history. The arts help to teach the skills of problem solving, perseverance and interaction with society. Finally, the arts enable individuals to convey ideas, feelings and emotions and work through psychological issues through the language of artistic expression.
