FORUM: Arts more than simple fun

By M. ELIANE WEIDAUER | Wednesday, April 9, 2008 1:17 PM PDT ∞

We can no longer allow the arts to take a back seat in our classrooms. They are much more than just "fun extra" classes for our kids.

Participation in the arts opens up children's worlds and minds, and offers them skills they need for a bright future. And chances are your students are being cheated out of a complete education.

A recent study by Arts Education Partnership polled 1,000 voters who indicated, nine out of 10, that they believe that arts are essential to students becoming good citizens and innovative workers.

According to a 2007 study by Americans For the Arts, of which Oceanside Cultural Arts Foundation is a member, "in schools with strong arts programs, teachers and students both benefit."

Students who have received high levels of arts training have been found to be more cooperative, and more willing to share what they have learned, than students with minimal or no arts training. "Fine arts" students are better able to express their ideas, use their imaginations, and take risks in learning.

Learning in the Arts, and Student and Academic Development, a study presented in 2002, found that "the arts do contribute to the general school curriculum, to learning for all students, to school and professional culture, to educational and instructional practices, and to the schools' neighborhoods and communities."

Studies in the '90s proved that students taking instrumental music classes do very well with math as well. The National Association for Music Education did a five-year study with the SAT Examination Board. In 2005, SAT takers with classes/experience in music performance scored 56 points higher on the verbal portion and 39 points higher on the math portion.

The information for the study gathered by the Student Descriptive Questionnaire showed that students involved in fine arts consistently scored higher than their counterparts with no arts coursework.

Theater majors come to the workplace with honed oral communication skills, creative problem-solving abilities, and the ability and willingness to work cooperatively. They have learned time-budgeting skills as well as the ability to work independently and learn quickly.

The arts bridge cultural and socioeconomic gaps as well as offering employment training and avocational skills.

If you question this, ask yourself: Were music classes frills for Leonard Bernstein? Were theater arts classes nonessential to Meryl Streep or Tom Hanks? Were dance classes trivial for Gregory Hines or Gelsey Kirkland?

If the arts programs are eliminated, will there be any more greats? If arts in the classroom continue to be regarded as "frills," how many talented, creative, innovative students will we deprive?

If you are concerned, we, the Board of Oceanside Cultural Arts Foundation, urge you to contact your local and state education officials. Write to your representative. Let the governor know that the arts cannot be neglected. They are critical to our young people's development.

M. Eliane Weidauer is a member of the Oceanside Cultural Arts Foundation Board.

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