Dear School Board Members,

I am an alumni from the school in question to which whether or not you should provide
funding for the arts education program. I am a product of the endless benefits that come from
a school with an arts education program. Without it I might have chosen a different path in my
education. Beginning in the 5th grade, I started playing the flute in my schools band. From then
on I continued all the way until I graduated high school. I made new friends, was able to travel
to local fairs, Pismo Beach, and even Disneyland to perform and march down Mainstreet. Being
in the school’s band is one of my fondest memories I have throughout my entire education.
There are many more like me who were fortunate enough to have come out of these arts
education programs. There a variety of classes and opportunities from the arts and there are
plenty more reasons as to why you should continue to fund it.

Art is a major form of communication. Some people are unable to put their feelings and
emotions into words so they use art as a way to express themselves. If students learn this at an
early age. If students learn this at an early age then they will be able to gain, confidence, social
skills and stimulates creativity. Art also helps people with disabilities express themselves. You
do not need to be able to see to paint to relieve stress. You don’t need to be able to hear to
appreciate the vibrations of music. Art is something that exemplifies inclusion. According to
Daniel R. Schwarz in an article from the Huffington post (2013) ,”I would stress that the arts
take us into imagined worlds created by different minds and enable us to understand how
others live. We are what we read, the museums we visit and the performances we see and
hear.”

Art creates a sense of community. There are some students who feel as though they do
not belong. They rely on the arts to fill that void. For example, theatre builds teamwork and
communication skills thus creating bonds between those working to make the best show
possible. Some students prefer not to perform and enjoy literature. These students have book
clubs and enjoy art through descriptive words as opposed to spoken word. Without works from
Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, and Maya Angelou, we would not have many of today’s
masterpieces that we all get to appreciate. Art give students the chance to grow within
themselves and gain new experiences. According to Lauren Martin in an article for Learning
Liftoff (2014) , “Art education teaches students how to interpret, criticize, and use visual
information, and how to make choices based on it.” Students just want a sense of consistency
and new experiences that help their growth in and out of the classroom. Art is only the gateway
to leading students on to bigger and better things.

Art can help students understand lessons in the classroom. Teachers use various
strategies to try to implement art into their lessons. For example, when it comes to
understanding the main point of a book or lesson they use acting as a way to portray
understanding of the piece.

Art helps students become more socially aware. It teaches them a variety of cultures.
Comparing visual art between different cultures creates a better appreciation for those
cultures. Two people from two different cultures could be staring at the same image but have
such different interpretations because of their backgrounds. There is no language barrier when
it comes to art. Different cultures have different pottery ,ceramics or sculptures that have a
certain meaning or stories to them. For example, Greek and Roman pottery had various stories
on marble vases. Without those we would not have a proper sense of the history that occurred
and changed our world. Photographs of history also tell different stories from the past.

Dance is also another powerful outlet for students. There are so many movements that
can express a simple feeling all the way to a full storyline with a beginning, middle and end.
Dance is not limited to the ones most people know of such as ballet, jazz, hip hop and ballroom.
There is also contemporary and free expression where people can dance, however they please
to release stress or convey certain things. When music is applied to the dances, the story can
change completely. Some students prefer expression through movement as opposed to visual
art or theatre art. They feel as though they have more control of their expression. According to
an article from the Camarillo Academy of Performing Arts (2011), “Dance also enhances skills of
perception, observation, and concentration which will undoubtedly help students in all of their
school subjects.”

Art creates concentration skills. For a student who plays an instrument, they need to be
able to be patient enough to learn sheet music. They also need to be able to learn new notes
and how to implement those notes. For a student who likes drawing, painting, and creating
visual art, their creations take time. Some can be created in as short as a few hours while others
can take, days, weeks, or even years to create depending on the detail and size. They carry
these skills into the real world with them. These students are the ones in the future that know,
true results take time to complete. They use this especially in the workplace. In an article from
the inspired classroom, it states, “ Studies have found that music can reduce burnout and
improve mood states.” In intense and high stress situations music can be a relief and an escape
from the outside world.

As you can see the arts should always have a place in our education system, due to the
positive influence these classes have in our students. Imagine having your child enrolled in this
type of education system. A system that only want the best for their students. A system that
wants to thrive in the future. A system that wants to give their students the best possible
chance they can to succeed in the future. As a future parent and educator, I would want my
children to have the amazing opportunities that I was so fortunate enough to have. I would
want them to engage in all the possible art activities and classes that they can in order to reach
their full potential. These are not just classes for students to participate in to pass the time. For
some of these students, the arts is all they have. Their homelife is not the best and they depend
on these programs as a positive outlet. These classes might even have the next upcoming artist
or director. We want to be able to provide the most opportunities in order for them to succeed.
I sincerely thank you for your time and careful consideration.

Signed,

Emily Chavez
 References

Camarillo Academy of Performing Arts. “Why Dance Is Important.” Camarillo Academy of Performing Arts,
www.camarilloacademy.com/2011/09/why-dance/.

Schwarz, Daniel R. “Why Study the Arts and the Humanities?” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 7 Dec.
2013, www.huffingtonpost.com/daniel-r-schwarz/why-study-the-arts-and-th_b_4059078.html.

“Why Is Music Education in Schools Important?” The Inspired Classroom, 4 Jan. 2018,
theinspiredclassroom.com/2017/05/why-is-music-education-in-schools-important/.

Laurenmartin. “10 Reasons Why Arts in Education Is so Important for Kids.” Learning Liftoff, 15 Aug. 2018,
www.learningliftoff.com/10-reasons-arts-in-education-important-kids/.