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Chelsea Dickens English 111 Nancy Elliott December 9, 2013 Let it be "It's on the strength of observation and reflection that one finds a way. So we must dig and delve unceasingly." (Claude Monet). There is a crucial aspect of education that is considered the least important and easily cut program to date, the arts. The performing arts programs are a collection of creative clubs and classes such as theater, band, choir, and dance. These programs are cut from school funding and dwindle in districts because no one realizes or cares to support the importance of the program in education. Most of the programs are forced to become after school programs or independent clubs that require no funding and all volunteer help. Performing arts programs offer students creative outlets in education. It broadens thinking and prepares students for the world that awaits them after graduation. With these programs students are more apt to enjoy learning and actually be able to apply newly acquired knowledge. Test scores and academic ability in schools are bound to increase, and so will the abilities of the students. Surely, there must be some way or another to fund and support these types of programs in schools and apply them in the classrooms. Without the arts programs students are not receiving the full education they ought to receive. Schools must keep and uphold arts programs in order to give their students a well-rounded education and many added benefits. The job market today is even more complex than it was over the last one hundred years. Careers are being created every day, largely due to technology improvements. The economy itself has a creative sector that is growing larger than its knowledge sector (EPLC, 3). In order to

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meet the demand of new jobs, schools must educate students to think creatively. In order to adequately educate, we must balance and promote all of the forms of thinking. Enabling a worker to visualize new ways of creating and thinking comes from their previous creative education. I firmly believe this allows them to be prepared for getting a job later on after schooling. According to Professor Fredrick Walters, professor of psychology at Mid-Michigan Community College, the highest form of thinking is creativity and that is only reached through creative programs such as the arts. One student can delve into their mind, and create the most abstract and beautiful ideas. With this ability harnessed a person can form ideas and creations that can be used in any field such as technology, education, architecture, and medicine. The idea that there could be a cure for cancer in one students mind and it cannot be accessed because they have not been able to harness the creative mind is astounding. Even if it is not a groundbreaking idea, creative thinkers can perform successfully at their jobs with their ability to think steps ahead and think broadly. As Thomas Friedman, the most influential syndicated political columnist, once put it, We live in an age when the most valuable asset an economy can have is the ability to be creative (10). There are creations, ideas, and game changers out there, but they can only be found through the exercise of creative thought; that is schools must promote the arts program and help it succeed. There are several successful examples of schools that have committed to the arts program and integrated the arts into their curriculum. In an article from Education Week, by Erik W. Robelen, assistant editor; he visited a network of school districts that have actually succeeded in promoting the arts programs. In Oklahoma, one performing arts academy has lead seventy other districts in the state to put a strong emphasis on the arts. Not only do these schools encourage the programs, but they agree on the practice in the curriculum of each and every course school wide.

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The students of Millwood Arts Academy displayed what they learned in drawings, skits, and projects. These displays were placed in hallways and classrooms around the school. Classes such as algebra included dance choreography to teach concepts the students can learn through muscle memory (Robelen). Millwood Academy in Oklahoma was not the only school to promote this learning approach. The idea actually came from North Carolina and has since expanded to Arkansas and now Louisiana. The states have actively involved districts that believe in the power of creative learning. This was a marvelous example of utilizing the arts to increase student interest, achievement, and motivation. Through schools supporting their arts program students can achieve new levels of learning and better test scores. It is proven that students who have some sort of art curriculum or arts studies excel on standardized tests and academic achievement. Students excel in high school, college, and adulthood when they have arts programs in school. According to Catterrall, Dumais, and Hampden-Thompson, researchers for the American Council for the Arts, students that were involved in arts programs had higher standardized test scores and lower dropout rates. Also, a study done concludes that increased SAT scores correlates with arts programs and the longer a student is in the program the stronger the gain ( EPLC, 7). Schools must have arts programs because it is so important later in life as well as to their education. Another, longitudinal, study was taken on high school students with high arts involvement. The result was those more involved in the arts had higher academic achievement and higher college attendance. Thirty percent of the college students that had As and Bs came from art-rich schools as opposed to the twenty percent from schools offering less art (EPLC, 7). The difference is clear. Schools that offer arts programs give their students a better chance at academic success. Students who have significant opportunities for studying the arts in school develop what Harvard researchers have

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identified as eight habits of mind comprising the Studio Thinking Framework (6). In order to compete with other state schools in academics, and even with other countries, there must be a foundation built on the arts. In the words of Christine Harrison, senior principal at Milwood Academy of Arts, and A+ network in Oklahoma, It can be [teachers] want better test scores. It could be richer activity-based-learning ideas. It could be taking success to the next level. It could be more arts (A5). Students can create a skit and apply it to a topic in school in order to be able to understand it. Students young minds typically have not fully matured. According to Jack Mezirow, a professor at Teachers College, most students have not reached comprehension and transformative learning abilities until they are more mature and practiced. Students have no desire to learn, let alone have an understanding as to why they are learning what they are. Therefore, in order to be certain students are comprehending and are at least attaining the knowledge, apply the arts to the curriculum. From what I can conclude applying the arts will keep the students interested and fascinated on their studies, they will remember it, and be able to fully synthesize what they learned rather than regurgitating it. Understanding the material means they must be able to teach someone else, the same material, correctly. There is a way to teach students so that they can understand as well as keep it interesting and creative. There are people that argue that the arts are a waste of school funds, are distractions, and hard to comprehend for most. In general, the opposition believes that the time spent on the arts could be spent on more productive classes to help students get a job later in life. Aaron Reynolds, a previous writer for SchoolSports Magazine, claims that schools would save money if the arts were cut, it is not for the whole student body, it is a distraction to others, and hard to learn (1). Another argument is that the time students should be studying and focusing on main courses they are doing other things such as art or music. Some would argue that the majority of

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students have a skill for main courses such as math or English and very few have a skill in a creative area. Better yet, students have an easier time learning something more definite rather than creative thinking. The idea that students cannot have the arts program because it takes away from formal learning is unacceptable. There are many ways that the arts are a positive rather than a negative such as creating social acceptance and purpose for students. The arts have a very important social purpose. People should understand the value it holds in the heart of students and focus on their best interest. It can be a sense of belonging for a student that does not quite fit in with other groups that form in school. The arts can be a new form of identity for a student where they can find their likes, dislikes, who they are, and who they want to be. One or more classes can give someone a sense of purpose or direction in their life. A sense of belonging is crucial for younger kids as they focus on forming friendships with peers and achieving that relationship outside of their home. It is truly important for a student to find a place to belong, find a passion they excel in, and begin to form friendships; the arts can do this if it is offered in schools. The schools themselves should realize they hold the cards; they are the ones that can offer an arts education to their students. Schools, although facing economic struggles themselves, are able to expose students to creative works and thoughts through the arts programs. In fact, in Europe they believe that stimulating the arts will help with the loss of funds. The best anecdote for an economy lacking funds is actually the arts (EPLC, 11). They offer what some parents cannot in the form of creativity and exploration through activities and field trips. Some parents cannot afford to do this for their students. The programs will not only inform and teach but also enlighten on many techniques and the histories of the subjects. Schools can show students and educate them on the painting styles of Monet and Picasso. The theater programs can teach

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students the many styles of theater such as drama and comedy. Some schools may even allow for state competitions where students have a chance to be competitive in a non-athletic way. The choir can offer students the opportunity to compete in choir competitions, and also teach them the art of acapella and the many ranges one can sing. Choir students can also learn the different voice ranges they will be identified as such as soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone. Not all of these ideas can even be introduced to students unless a teacher of that particular discipline teaches them. The students do not even receive the opportunity to go to art galleries, to plays, or choir performances are far worse off. The Michigan government recently passed a law stating that the new Common Core curriculum hosts standards that are arts related. Also, No Child Left Behind, a national legislative program, requires schools to have arts programs (EPLC, 26). If the state and national government believe in the arts surely it is a positive program for schools. Students need the chance to learn and observe the arts programs, without it there is a component of a complete education that they are missing out on. Arts programs are beneficial to the student in many ways, such as depth of education, self-confidence, and belonging. The argument for the precedence of the arts in schools is strongly based on the fact that it offers so many benefits to the education of students. According to Richard Siegesmund, Professor of Qualitative Reasoning, Assessment, Art-Based Inquiry, and Aesthetic Theory at Stanford University, the justification of the arts is all in the person. In the end it comes down to the school. They can embrace the fact that the arts play crucial roles in education and the development of a student. There are some though that would disagree with the positive effects of the arts in school. In regards to the student themselves, the student can create a sense of identity and social development. The student can find a place of belonging where other peers share the same interests as them, and they might not belong in sports or in FFA so they

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have a place for themselves in school. Social development is found in creating not only a place they can belong, but it also is finding acceptance amongst peers and learning how to behave amongst their peers in different situations. Schools benefit too, they can see high academic scores and higher attendance in their students. When students learn to think creatively they can apply their learning to different disciplines. This improves their understanding of the material being taught to them. In response, test scores increase and math and English ability accelerate. In relation to attendance, students will find a new interest in learning. The arts gives a new and interesting way to apply concepts and actually understand them. If school work becomes more interesting then students will actually want to be in the classroom and learning. The number of students that attend school on a regular basis will increase. There are those that oppose the purpose of the program because they claim it to be disruptive to main courses and the students will not focus on math and English if they have other things to do. This is not true. If the students can utilize the arts they will be able to make time for their other courses and be able to better understand the concepts they have to learn. The arts only increasingly add to the progress of a school system. It offers well-rounded education, a chance at a job in the future, a sense of being, a brand new hobby, and a way for them to apply their learning. All the kids will really see it as a fun new way to enjoy learning and enjoy being in school.

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Works Cited Americans for the Arts, . "Arts Education." Americans for the Arts on Arts Education. Americans for the Arts, n.d. Web. 13 Nov 2013. <http://www.artsusa.org/>. EPLC. "Creating Pennsylvania's Future through the arts and education." Harrisburg, PA:2012. <http://www.eplc.org/wpcontent/uploads/2012/03/Creating_PAs_Future_NewColor_final.pdf>. Mezirow, Jack . Transformative Learning: Theory to Practice. 1st ed. Boston, MA: Pearson Learning Solutions, 2013. 268-274. Print. Robelen, Erik W. "A Schools Infusing the Arts, Other Principles Into Study." Education Week [Langhorne, PA] 05 Dec. 2012, Daily Pg 10-11. Print. Siegesmund, Richard. "Studies in Art Education." Berkeley : 1998. Walters , Fredrick. "Discovering Psychology Sixth Edition: Lifespan Development ." Psychology 101. Mid-Michigan . Michigan, Bad Axe. November 2013. Address.

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