Why Arts Education is Important for Children?
by Maddy Osman
The past decade has seen a decline in arts education in schools nationwide. There’s no single reason for this but several factors that may have contributed to it.
In 2002, the No Child Left Behind Act took effect. This program put a premium on math and science education, forcing some lower income and minority schools to scale back on other programs, including the arts. Then came the 2008 recession, which had 80% of schools facing budget cuts. Again, the arts were among the first to go.
A challenge for arts education is proving that investing in it provides educational value.
A recent study by the Rice Institute for Urban Research found that arts learning experiences benefit students by lowering discipline rates, increasing compassion for their peers, and improved scores on writing tests. Arts education experiences also improved school engagement and college aspirations.
Truly, there are several reasons why cutting out the arts can be detrimental to the educational experience for kids.
Why Arts Education is Important for Children
Arts education encompasses several disciplines: music, drama, dance, design, and visual arts, among others.
It’s especially important for young children to be exposed to these various aspects of arts education, as the arts can encourage the development of soft skills such as creativity and perseverance, while building tangible skills such as motor and visual skills.
Here are some big reasons why arts education is important for children:
Arts Education Fosters Creativity
Humans have to contend with both logic and emotion.
While logic is important because it helps us evaluate arguments and reasoning to distinguish right from wrong, creativity is equally important because it allows humans to better express themselves. Creativity also aids in problem-solving, which allows us to better deal with uncertainties. Creativity allows us to see differently and come up with original solutions.
Much like art, creativity isn't a hard skill, unlike computer coding. It’s a soft skill, but one that can only be acquired through years of practice.
Some people may be innately more creative than others. That said, according to Stefan Mumaw (who has authored six books on creativity, and teaches courses on the subject), “Creativity is a skill and any skill that you can undertake, you can get better at it”. He adds, “We've never really thought of creativity as being something that we can get better at, but you can”.
Creativity is a prime skill in the job market today. With so many processes becoming automated, process-driven jobs are becoming more obsolete because we can outsource them to robots. What companies need now are people that are able to solve problems in original ways.
Arts Education Encourages Collaboration
Arts education such as drama, choir, or band will require children to work and interact with peers. They will learn that they must share responsibilities and compromise to achieve success. They’ll also learn that even if they're not the star of the show, their contribution is integral to the success of the team.
Arts Education Teaches Focus
It’s been said that focus is the gateway to all thinking. If you can't think effectively, you can't produce the type of high-quality work needed to be successful. Sadly, this essential skill focus has become rare in a world full of distractions.
Children that grow up with the arts will find that once they're older and their executive functions are developed, their ability to sustain their attention to tasks is much greater.
Arts Education Teaches Perseverance
A side effect to doing something you love is wanting to become better at it, to work hard at things even when they are difficult.
Arts Education Improves Memory Function
Whoever says that art does not contribute to better academic performance just isn’t aware of the facts.
According to Mariale Hardiman, a neuro-education professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Education, “A lot of the information we teach [children] doesn’t stick”. In her time as a school principal, she observed that children would remember information better when they were taught through the arts.
Interestingly, the positive effect of incorporating arts in teaching was largest for the “slow learners” — these students tended to remember the material more. Dr. Hardiman surmises that this is because the arts allow for elaboration and repetition, and memory is enhanced through repetition.
Arts Education Improves Visual and Motor Skills
Visual-spatial skills involve the ability to visualize and interpret the world accurately, while motor skills are the actions that involve muscle use. Both can be developed through art education.
Incorporating Arts Education Despite Budget Cuts
Some schools “compromise” by teaching art education in a structured environment. However, it’s important to note that younger children may benefit more if they are freely allowed to explore.
“We tend, as adults, to over plan and over structure young people’s experiences”, says Dr. Ronald Beghetto, professor of educational psychology at the University of Connecticut. “While structure is important, so is letting kids determine their own problems to solve, and their own ways to solve them”.
If the school cannot afford separate arts programs, another compromise might be to integrate arts in school lessons. Some ideas include using songs to aid in memorization, asking children to stage small plays so they can remember historical events, or asking them to draw ideas for inventions.
Final Thoughts: Why Arts Education is Important for Children
With arts education being among the first to go when schools face budget cuts, the challenge of arts educators around the nation is to showcase concrete proof that aside from the soft skills arts education brings, it can also positively affect academic performance.
