Art Education in Public Schools Essay Example
Art Education in Public Schools
One morning, a fifth grader took in her hand a violin, and it changed her life forever. Her fingers grasped the bow, and drew it across the strings creating a beautiful sound. She developed the patience to learn to play and continued to play the violin for the rest of her life. The girl had found something, not only in the instrument, but in herself. Ever since that day, her test scores improved, her grades rose, and she had something to take pride in. Like that young girl many individuals have found in music the desire to learn that they failed to find in any other class. Unfortunately, due to insufficient funding, many students never have the opportunity to experience this motivation. Art education should be a part of the core curriculum, because art education helps students develop thinking, social and personal skills that help increase responsibility and integrity in everything they do.
Arts education has vanished from many of the nation's public schools over the past fifteen to twenty years. School districts often cut art, music, and drama programs as expendable trimmings to solve a budget crisis. Arts education is not mandated in the states, however, most state laws maintain that if schools teach arts, districts must adopt standards for arts that meet or exceed the state standards. Officials at state or city levels may feel the need for art education is not as significant as the need for more academic based programs like mathematics, history and science. School officials believe that students must prepare and become accustomed to standardized testing to prepare them for higher education and their future. "History is basic, and art history is part of history, but, by itself, art history is not to be considered a requirement" (McLennan, 2003).
At a School Board meeting in 1988, Mr. Whyte (1996) first heard an argument against art education in schools:
"A well-dressed, well-spoken woman stood to complain that children
One morning, a fifth grader took in her hand a violin, and it changed her life forever. Her fingers grasped the bow, and drew it across the strings creating a beautiful sound. She developed the patience to learn to play and continued to play the violin for the rest of her life. The girl had found something, not only in the instrument, but in herself. Ever since that day, her test scores improved, her grades rose, and she had something to take pride in. Like that young girl many individuals have found in music the desire to learn that they failed to find in any other class. Unfortunately, due to insufficient funding, many students never have the opportunity to experience this motivation. Art education should be a part of the core curriculum, because art education helps students develop thinking, social and personal skills that help increase responsibility and integrity in everything they do.
Arts education has vanished from many of the nation's public schools over the past fifteen to twenty years. School districts often cut art, music, and drama programs as expendable trimmings to solve a budget crisis. Arts education is not mandated in the states, however, most state laws maintain that if schools teach arts, districts must adopt standards for arts that meet or exceed the state standards. Officials at state or city levels may feel the need for art education is not as significant as the need for more academic based programs like mathematics, history and science. School officials believe that students must prepare and become accustomed to standardized testing to prepare them for higher education and their future. "History is basic, and art history is part of history, but, by itself, art history is not to be considered a requirement" (McLennan, 2003).
At a School Board meeting in 1988, Mr. Whyte (1996) first heard an argument against art education in schools:
"A well-dressed, well-spoken woman stood to complain that children