If
young Americans are to succeed and to contribute to what Federal
Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan describes as our 'economy
of ideas,' they will need an education that develops imaginative,
flexible and tough-minded thinking. The arts powerfully nurture
the ability to think in this manner." Riley goes on to
state that "the arts teach young people how to learn
by giving them the first step: the desire to learn."
Current
research shows that exposure to the arts has a direct impact
on the learning capabilities of children. One research endeavor
in particular, Champions of Change: The Impact of the Arts
on Learning, has undergone extensive examination of a variety
of arts programs to determine the impact of arts on a child's
ability to learn. Engaging seven teams of researchers, Champions
of Change discovered that children can attain higher levels
of achievement through their exposure to the arts. Researcher
James Catterall of the Imagination Project at UCLA, in his
analysis of over 25,000 students in a database provided by
the Department of Education, discovered that students participating
in a number of arts programs at their school greatly outperformed
"arts-poor" students in nearly every area of academia.
According to ArtsEdge, which hosts Champions of Change, "Since
arts participation is highly correlated with socioeconomic
status, which is the most significant predictor of academic
performance, this comes as little surprise." The result?
The impact of high arts participation on low-income students
tends to be much more significant than that of students from
high-education backgrounds. Furthermore, Catterall also found
clear evidence that sustained involvement in particular art
forms - music and theater - are highly correlated with success
in mathematics and reading.*
What
does this mean for our kids? When a child is engaged in a
learning environment involving the arts, whether it's a music
class, a painting class, a Shakespeare program, etc., the
child's creative side becomes stimulated. No longer is the
child focused on finding the "right answer" to a
posed question. Rather, the child is encouraged to look inside
his or herself for the "answers." In essence, this
is where art flourishes - in the creative mind of the artist.
The child develops a natural desire to participate, examine,
and learn. The child discovers his or her unique artistic
ability and is given the opportunity to display such talent
for others. The result is a sense of accomplishment, which
spills over into other areas of learning. According to Champions
of Change researchers, "When well taught, the arts provide
young people with authentic learning experiences that engage
their minds, hearts, and bodies. The learning experiences
are real and meaningful for them."
In
the acclaimed feature film Music of the Heart, Meryl
Streep portrays real-life arts education heroine Roberta Guaspari,
who overcame personal circumstances to establish a violin
program at an inner-city school in East Harlem. Despite the
skepticism of the kids, parents, and principal of the school,
Guspari taught with a passion that infected her students and
led them on a journey of making beautiful, sophisticated music.
Despite their circumstances, Guspari's disadvantaged, inner-city
students proved to be dedicated, disciplined and talented
young musicians - and they competed with one another for a
spot in Guspari's class. Ten years later, however, due to
budget cuts, the school board canceled funding for Guspari's
program. But Roberta Guspari fought back and her battle is
one that is unfortunately all too common in present-day arts
education funding.
According
to Streep, "We made noise with this picture...but it
hasn't helped schools in Connecticut where I live. They're
cutting music programs...I think we're doing a good thing
with this picture. It's corroborated by every single study
that talks about kids learning that music enhances discipline
and focus, and expands out into all different branches of
academic excellence, and it makes them feel good."
Co-star
Gloria Estephan agrees, "[Arts] lets kids come out of
their shell, it gives them opportunities to compete and express
themselves creatively...and at the same time, a valuable learning
experience." Angela Bassett, who co-stars in the film
as the school principal adds, "Studies have shown that
music and art increases [a child's] IQ, their ability. It's
something that should be studied and given importance to."
The
theatrical release of Music of the Heart last year
certainly increased awareness of the need for arts education
in public schools. But the road for arts education funding
is long and paved with the potholes of legislative red tape.
In
Los Angeles, one organization has taken matters into their
own hands. P.S. Arts - a non-profit organization is dedicated
to restoring arts education to public schools by expending
community support. P.S. Arts was founded by Paul Cummins,
Ph.D., the Executive Director of the New Visions Foundation
and the President of Crossroads School, a private institution
located in Santa Monica, California, where there is enough
private funding to place a high importance upon the arts.
Having observed first-hand the benefit his students received
from being exposed to the arts at Crossroads, Cummins was
shocked to discover the dramatic lack of funding for the arts
in the public school system. He decided to take action and
created P.S. Arts, which is making a difference one school
at a time. So far seven schools in Los Angeles County have
benefited from the work of P.S. Arts receiving enough monies
to provide arts instruction despite the lack of funding due
to budget cuts by the Los Angeles Unified School District.
P.S.
Arts is rooted in the conviction that there is a direct correlation
between arts programs and academic achievement. Intensive
research such as that of Champions of Change supports this
belief and continues to prove that exposure to the arts is
vital in increasing the quality and effectiveness of our children's
education.
Brought
to you by our friends at
Creative Child
Online
*What the Arts Change about the Learning
Experience, artsedge.kennedy-center.org
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