Sunday, March 01, 2009
Why Arts Education Is Crucial, and Who's Doing It Best
Edutopia: "'Art does not solve problems, but makes us aware of their existence,' sculptor Magdalena Abakanowicz has said. Arts education, on the other hand, does solve problems. Years of research show that it's closely linked to almost everything that we as a nation say we want for our children and demand from our schools: academic achievement, social and emotional development, civic engagement, and equitable opportunity."
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6 comments:
I agree with the ideas stated in this article. Art appreciation at a young age is as important as any other form of education. I know there are elementary schools that require a certain amount of art and music time per week, but I wonder how much students actually get out of this time and whether it should be constructed differently.
Art education is so important. Not only in the well-roundedness of our country's population, but in our individual brain development. The artistic side of a person's brain must be educated or else they will have a very one-sided view of every problem they come across, and it will probably be very hard for them to come up with creative solutions for problems.
I believe everyone needs an artistic outlet of some sort in life and believe giving everyone a chance to explore that idea is necessary. By spreading the joys of art and artistic experience to all, i believe people in general would be less stressed and more cool calm and collected.
Art education id important for the content you learn, but the real importance comes from the new way you learn to think about and analyze the world. However, I believe that the schools that force arts classes just because of regulations only do harm in opening a child's mind to interpretation of art (and also the world).
I definitely agree that art education can help in the other fields which are normally though to be the antithesis of Art such as math and science. Although to some extent these traits are scientifically proven to be genetic, in terms of visualizing the form of things, it is key. A well rounded understanding in the sciences is not only understanding things in a linear formant through words, but also being able to see what is going on. Therefore,with the no child left behind plan, there should not be less implementation of art education, but more if we are to increase our nations standards and average scores.
It is encouraging that some people are aware of this issue. The lack of funding for arts programs in this country is appalling. As the article says, art education not only teaches you how to draw or dance, but how to work collaboratively and increases focus and concentration. It also, perhaps more importantly, teaches how to think and approach the world in different ways. I like the concept of requiring schools to offer art classes in four areas (I can only assume they would be visual arts, music, theater, and dance). This variety allows a student to find what is right for him or herself and not be forced into one particular outlet. It is important to make sure that schools are not just glossing over this requirement, but actually following it.
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