The Importance of Art Education in the Classroom Essay Example

📌Category: Art, Education, Learning, School
📌Words: 1120
📌Pages: 5
📌Published: 29 January 2022

The concerns among young people in Wilson, North Carolina, are plentiful. Some of us feel as though we are not being taken seriously, that we are not a priority, or that we are not being heard within our community. I believe that the number one priority in my community should be to incorporate the arts within the classroom environment. The arts can be a crucial factor in the making of a person’s identity, and it is important that they be involved within the growth and development of a person’s life. 

Wilson is a very art-deprived city, which is something that I know most community members would agree with. Our schools have no arts programs other than those of a normal high school, such as chorus and band. However, could one even consider those programs to be art since there is no room for individuality or expression within them? We perform and sing what we are told to and how we are told to do it. It is not the artistic break from academic classes that the faculty claims they are providing for us. Students are not given the proper opportunities to be themselves through their true passions at school. We are taught that the basic curriculum is all we need for success. They teach us to pay no mind to the arts, as they will not matter towards achieving professional, adult jobs. We are allowed no room for enjoyment, which is why most students have such a deep disliking for school. We are supposed to be the minds of tomorrow - the future. If that is true, then why do we keep getting told to fit the mold and blend in with the crowd? Change is not possible in any way without expression. We cannot evolve any further as a species if we do not allow for the individuality or creativity that comes from the arts to occur on a regular basis. 

If creativity and art are not practiced or taught within the classroom environment, the children of tomorrow will not know how to change the world. I am a senior in high school now, and the only thing I have been hearing my teachers telling me since I started school was that we were all going to change the world one day. I do not believe that such a future is attainable, given that without regular practice and exposure to the arts, the world will stay the same in the years to come. 

The arts are practiced and explored by the young people in this town. However, every day we are faced with more individuals who encourage us not to pursue our dreams and talents any further. They tell us that our dreams are unattainable because dreams are not reality and they do not come true often.. When adults see us carrying out our passions, they tell us to stop, and to get back to our homework because singing and dancing “won’t help you in the real world.” I refuse to think this way.  

Having the arts be incorporated into the schools in our town has been a huge priority among the youth for a long time. So many of us enjoy our passions so much that we believe we have what it takes to make a difference in the world. Schools do not have any programs that provide students with any artistic freedom or opportunities because of school funding. Another reason as to why we have no such programs is because many people believe that the arts are insignificant towards a child’s development or education. I beg to differ, as do many other kids my age and younger.  

According to an article from www.pbs.org, art being incorporated within the classroom environment can even help to bring children improved academic performance. The website states, “young people who participate regularly in the arts (three hours a day or three days each week through one full year) are four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement, to participate in a math and science fair or to win an award for writing an essay or poem than children who do not participate.” The statement from this source is another reason as to why the arts should be considered as serious, effective, and prioritized aspects of school curriculum. If academic achievement is why we are not allowed time for the arts, then maybe we should check the stats and rankings of other schools that do provide arts programs. We should prove the benefits to those in charge, using those other schools who already incorporate such programs, as examples.  

Rhonda Phat, my mother, stated, “If this concern continues to be ignored then kids may look for other ways to fill their time. These ways could include violence, crime, or recreational drug use. Since these kids are being taught that art does not matter as much as things like math and science, they may stop doing what they love. This leads to unhappiness and empty places inside of them that they cannot fill. Without the help that they need and the outlets necessary to bring the joy back, kids could be led down the wrong paths. They may feel as though these bad outcomes are the only ways to make them feel better again.” I agree with my mom one hundred percent. Her words hold so much meaning, and I think the community could benefit from hearing from all citizens who think this way.  

National Geographic held an interview with the musician, David Byrne in 2015. He was asked his opinions regarding keeping the arts, as well as math and science within a school’s curriculum. The interviewer, Neil deGrasse Tyson, asks about the importance of teaching an all-inclusive curriculum, rather than having to cut one or the other. In his reply when discussing the creative thinking one gains from arts education, David Byrne states the following: “...but you can use that kind of thinking and apply it to anything else. Business, engineering, science – and be better at that. You succeed more and you bring more to the world because you have these abilities that came from outside of your discipline. Bringing different worlds together has definite tangible benefits. To kind of cut one or separate them is to injure them and cripple them.” I could not agree more with this statement. Not having to cut one or the other out of a school’s curriculum is ideal, because for correct progress toward the future, all subjects must build upon one another.  

My first recommendation to help my community to implement this priority is to alert the school board of the issue at hand. It is unfortunate that we do not have the funding for any programs, but we could at least try to get approval for the forming of some artistic clubs. I would also recommend that we try to raise the funds for such programs. We could set up various fundraising opportunities to help pay for artistic outlets within our community’s schools. My last recommendation would be that we get petitions signed by those who wish for these programs to exist. Sometimes petitions are proven beneficial towards trying to create change for the better. 

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