The Importance of the Arts in Our Schools

Years of research show that [the arts is] closely linked to almost everything that we as a nation say we want for our children and demand from our schools: academic achievement, social and emotional development, civic engagement, and equitable opportunity.

This quote is from an article in Edutopia, titled Why Arts Education Is Crucial, and Who's Doing It Best. Involvement in the arts is associated with gains in many areas, including academic development and positive character traits. Over the last few decades, arts in the schools have been eroded, but there is hope. Some school districts are now revitalizing the arts, many prompted by new findings in brain research and cognitive development.

Edutopia has a whole series of articles on the importance of arts education, including

• Why Arts Education Must Be Saved 
• The Arts Are Essential 
• Tucson Schools Enhance Learning with the Arts 
• Dallas Schools Draw on the Arts Community 
• Troubled Teens Explore Their Artistic Side 
• Art in Schools Inspires Tomorrow's Creative Thinkers  

Take some time to read these articles and encourage the arts in your child’s school. Incorporate art into your family activities. Development of the arts is at the very basis of highly civilized societies.

Do you want to know what your state policy is on arts education? Search the database at the Arts Education Partnership.

The Value of Instrumental Lessons

I am a very strong advocate of instrumental music lessons for children—especially gifted children.

When I was a child, it seemed that almost every young person took piano lessons and, once they entered junior high (today’s middle school), they often took an additional band or orchestral instrument. It was all considered part of a rounded education. This is no longer the norm.

I am making a personal plea to parents of bright kids to enroll their youngsters in music lessons. There is so much to be gained from this instruction. In his article, The Prodigious Power of Piano Playing, Brian Chung lists some great reasons to take piano lessons. These reasons also apply to lessons on other instruments. Taking lessons and practicing will help young people learn to

• work hard
• focus
• be responsible
• pay attention to details
• be self-reliant
• be creative

All of these skills can transfer to other areas of the student’s life.

I have a few extra words of advice.

• Don’t expect your kids to enjoy learning music that you do not play in your own home. It may be too foreign to their ears. Play—and hopefully enjoy—a wide variety of types of music at home, including classical, jazz, folk, contemporary, and music from other cultures.
• Take your children to concerts of many types, letting them hear a wide variety of music genres.
• Present the opportunity to take music lessons as an honor, not a duty.
• Be willing to sit with your child during practice, especially in the beginning.
• Research and interview a variety of teachers before choosing one. It is very important that your child and the instructor be able to “connect” on many levels.

In Hearing the Music, Honing the Mind, the editors of Scientific American discuss studies showing that instrument training from an early age enables the brain to better focus, concentrate, and learn subtleties in sound, thereby enabling one to more easily learn a foreign language.

Serious practice on an instrument also helps students acquire self-discipline. It is enormously satisfying to work very hard at something and then reap its rewards. If a student participates in playing instruments with a group, there is a great deal of teamwork involved. Above and beyond all of this, learning to play an instrument promotes a lifelong joy in music.

Music Appreciation for the Gifted

Online Resource Center at Carnegie Hall provides resources for teaching and learning, including

• Activities, lesson plans, and multimedia resources for K-12 educators
• Games and listening guides
• Creative learning project where high school choruses and composers work with the musicians
• Master classes
• Best practices for professional artists in educational and community settings
• Community-based musical work in healthcare settings, correctional facilities, homeless shelters, and senior centers
• Live events from Carnegie Hall
• Artist interviews
• The history of Carnegie Hall 

Here is an example of what can be found in Games and Listening Guides. This section was designed to teach kids, ages 6–12 about sound, music notation, text, and instruments in a fun, interactive exploration. Teacher resources are included along with the following adventures:

• “An Interactive History of African American Music” where you can trace the development of African American musical styles from the music created during slavery to today's popular styles. At each stop on this musical journey, you can view photos, historical images, and listen to audio clips.
• “The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, by Benjamin Britten” where students join Violet as she embarks on an instrument safari, guided by her uncle Ollie, collecting all the instruments of the orchestra.
• “Carnegie Hall Animated History” hosted by Gino the cat who leads an adventure through Carnegie Hall from its founding in 1891 to the present day. It includes a game featuring important figures from this landmark music venue's past.
• “Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9” teaches kids about the structure of the symphony as well as the instruments that are played. This is done with help from Dvořák himself via excerpts from his letters and instructive comments about his life. Engaging activities are also included.

Arts Education and Brain Research

The research is there. It's difficult to deny the influence of the arts on learning of all types.

The Dana Foundation--a private philanthropic organization that supports brain research, has available at its website, numerous articles that support arts education, including the following:

• Music Training Changes Brain Networks 
• Why the Arts Matter: Six Good Reasons for Advocating the Importance of Arts in School 
• The Arts Will Help School Accountability 
• Learning,Arts, and the Brain from the Dana Press Blog 
• Arts Educators Should Be Asking One Key Question 
• Learning,Arts, and the Brain 

Take time to browse not only through these articles, but all the other resources at the website. You will find an enormous amount of material.