Stephanie Perrin, the head of the Walnut Hill School, Natick, Mass, is a strong supporter of arts education in schools. In her article “Why Arts Education Matters” for Education Week she discusses five different challenges that art education helps students to be successful in our current society. Even though studies have shown that art does have an effect on test scores, Perrin presents the positives of fine arts in a way I hadn’t quite thought about before.
The challenges that Perrin discusses are issues that are a big deal in America today. She then addresses those issues by explaining how art education can help solve some of these. A few on these points really stuck out to me. The first of the challenges “America continues to face declining social engagement and a culture of division.” Perrin explains that art education does the following in schools:
“…one finds self-motivated students, greater parental involvement, intensified student and teacher engagement, strengthened collegiate aspirations, and respect for cultural differences.”
This is something I had never though of before, but it makes perfect sense. Because of arts parents are more involved. The regular curriculum in schools that typically consists of English, Math, Science, and Social Studies provides very few opportunities for parents to really get involved with the things that their kids are doing in school. While practical every art program provides multiple occasions for students to demonstrate the things they have learned in class. Band and choir have multiple concerts through out the year. Drama and theater have a number of performances that are put on. Then arts like photography, painting, drawing, and pottery etc. provide different art shows and competitions for students to participate in. These are all examples of the possible ways students can show and be proud of the things they are doing in school. It’s no wonder kids aren’t passing standardized tests. Their doing work that half the time their parents don’t seen and thus have no reason to take pride in what they are doing.
Also, I didn’t realize how these events that the arts create really do solve the challenge that Perrin proposes. The events create social situations for students. It teaches them how to behave in social engagements. Also, exposes them to various cultures in different forms of art.
The next point that stuck out to me wasn’t because it was completely new to me, but the way it was approached was different. The challenge that Perrin suggest is, “The crisis of this American century is not material or intellectual, but spiritual.” The spiritual conflict of in America is something that we see everyday. Whether if be who’s religion is right and who’s is wrong, or just basic beliefs. Perrin then explains the importance of art in this spiritual clash,
“Unlike traditional academic disciplines, arts education can support an outcome greater than personal success, cultural advancement, or economic influence. The study of the arts asks young people to consider the meaning, both personal and communal, of the work in which they are engaged.”
In short, art helps adolescents examine their own beliefs about the world. Everyone knows that art gives people a way to express themselves, but it also is a way to reaffirm ones own beliefs. With so many different beliefs this gives students a chance to explain their beliefs while experiencing other cultures and other beliefs. This then goes back to challenge one with promoting cultural diversity and providing a practical reason for art education.
Why Art Education Matters
By Stephanie Perrin
29 January 2008
5 Comments
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January 31st, 2008 at 2:43 am
mypedablogy
I think it was Van Gogh who said that the only time he feels alive is when he’s painting. That’s an interesting thought. I think the most sincere point that this post makes is that art is a crucial part of how we perceive the world. Art is expression. For art students, expression is an important outlet that not many other courses can provide. Have you ever felt like you were expressing yourself doing a math worksheet? Or have you ever said to yourself, the only time I feel alive is when I’m reading my history textbook? Art is powerful in that regard.
Most classroom environments have students looking at culture from a birds eye view, studying it from some external context. What your post purports, and that I never really considered before, is the extent to which an education in the arts asks the student to look for those same kinds of reactions to culture from within. So much of life is reconciling the notions of what were given from outside sources with what were feeling in our soul. An education in the arts helps students recognize and listen for their own voice. I’m wondering, in your opinion, what sort of art is the most efficient in terms of helping students to meet with that kind of inward thinking?
February 1st, 2008 at 11:12 pm
Jeremy Battaglia
I like the above comment. I think it’s right on the money. What kid does feel alive when doing math homework or feel that they have a better understanding of their dark and contemplated soul all because of algebra? A famous defense of the arts that I have heard discusses this. Students loose so much when such class like art are cut from the schools. If the focus is just on the Three R’s, what will these kids write about? It saddens me when programs like No Child Left Behind seem to reinforce this, it’s backward. I have always felt one of the great parts of education is getting excited about something new, discovering a thing that touches your soul.
I think most subjects can be enriched by incorporating other aspects. Imagining studying History for example. Many students find memorizing dates boring, and frankly, I do to. Sometimes such things are important. An understanding of the past and how a people came to be where they are is very crucial, especially when a child can incorporate such information and use it in new and personal ways that lead to a greater insight. I think that by interjecting various aspects into classes such as history can have a snowball effect. Just think of a 20th Century U.S. history class, sure knowing when WWI ended is important, classifying the next decade as the roaring 20’s is important, but turning your students on to the Jazz and music that came from that era is also important. I feel that looking at pieces of literature by Hemmingway and Fitzgerald can help to gain a better understanding of the time they were writing about. Just as experiencing pieces of art from the same time can also provide insight as well to a child. We should not be dropping classes such as art if students aren’t performing well in other subjects, ones that many small minded people consider to be more important or key. In fact, studying art can actually add to a child’s understanding of other subjects such as history. I feel our education system suffers when we take the narrow view. Why not expand our ideas and incorporate many aspects of thought, teach multiple subjects in hopes of a greater understanding.
April 11th, 2008 at 9:52 am
Allie
I really liked this article a lot. I think it’s CRAZY that schools are cutting art and music out of the budget to make room for one more literature or history class. I never understood who decided which classes are more important. While I understand that art, choir and band are often elective classes, I think they are just as important — if not more important — than many of the academic classes.
I liked the quote you included which argues that with art education, “…one finds self-motivated students, greater parental involvement, intensified student and teacher engagement, strengthened collegiate aspirations, and respect for cultural differences.” These things really rang true for me in middle school and high school. I never got involved in art until 7th grade, and the second I took Art 101, I fell in love. It became something I poured my heart and soul into. It was something I took pride in. It was something I could communicate to my art teacher through. It was something my parents wanted to hear about. It really worked to create connections outside of the classroom with many different things.
High school students need to realize that they all have different strengths and weaknesses. I think if students do not excel at math or English, they feel like a failure. If they are an amazing artist, it doesn’t really matter because “art isn’t important.” This is the wrong message to be sending these students. Art seems to be such an enriching activity that teaches creativity, opens doors between parents, students and teachers and even encourages self-confidence.
April 11th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
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