Dear Members of the School Board,
Today’s high school’s are continually giving less funding and support to arts programs across the country. However, better supporting and encouraging these programs will help the individuals in our society with the unique situations that they are facing today.
In an education week article by John R. Gerdy, he argues that while football and music programs are similar in the way that they promote and teach positive characteristics and bring the community together, music has a far greater educational capacity for the rest of an individual’s life. As someone who has been a recipient of musical education in my high school years, I agree with Gerdy that the advantages of arts programs should not be overlooked.
Historically we can see trends in the romantic period that focus heavily on the feelings and imaginations of the individual. Today’s society continues to be very focused on feeling. However, a major difference is the fact that feelings are sometimes the source of our problems. We witness this is a host of mental illnesses that are prevalent in society. The arts should not be disregarded because it is an important connection to feelings. Music, for example, has a soothing and therapeutic quality that helps us connect to our feelings. I have felt this myself as I have learned piano pieces and then shared them on slack. Throughout the romantic period, talented artists like Beethoven were revered for their work because romanticists saw emotional connection music created and recognized it as an important element of life. Today’s society needs this healing emotional connection more than ever.
Supporting music and art programs allow us to support something that is universal. We can combat harmful elements of nationalism and imperialism that continue to exist today and use art and music to unify and help us connect with people who are different from us. In our history class alone, we were able to connect with each other through music. Jillian Peterson posted a spotify playlist about the Enlightenment which really gave me a connection her. I knew and loved some of the songs that she had put on the playlist which helped me understand her better as a person. I think that the arts have a unique power to overcome barriers and help people connect with each other through one mutual human characteristic: a love of something beautiful to look at, touch, taste or listen to.
In the renaissance time period, sprezzatura, the idea of being a well rounded individual, was an ideal that was expected. Today, we see the expectation of that ideal continued. Today medical schools and other higher education programs often claim that they are looking for more artful approaches to science. Many of the world’s unparalleled genius’s were both scientists and artists. Sir Jonathan Ive, a modern example, placed emphasis on both art and science in his early years, resulting in world-wide fame as the product designer for Apple. Exercising the artistic parts of ourselves will ultimately help us with our other accomplishments. It allows for wider life views, greater creative capacity, and more empathy. We need to be well-rounded and recognizing the importance of arts programs will help us to accomplish that.
This is some excellent advocacy for the arts in public schools! Your integration of history was very effective and interesting, and I think this is a very persuasive argument for most people. However, since you are addressing the school board, I think changing your angle just a little bit might make your argument even more persuasive. I think your last paragraph, which mentions the arts enhancing someone's chances of getting into medical school, would be the most persuasive to them. Schools have limited funds, and the school board is likely going to allocate them to the areas they think will have the biggest impact on students' economic future. Because of this, I think concrete arguments that explain how arts education will benefit students economically would be the most persuasive to your particular audience. Music leading to better mental health is nice, but what if you included a study about how mental health affects income throughout a person's life? You mention that art is universal, but science is also universal. How exactly can art do what STEM can't in terms of interpersonal relationships, and how will that lead to a better economic future for students? I know that not everything is about money, but in this case, since you are essentially trying to convince people on how to spend limited funds, it might be wise to speak the language your audience knows.
ReplyDeleteAs being a product man of music and the arts, I absolutely loved this post, and connected well with it! I agree the arts have been overlooked and have within themselves a great holding of importance within the education realm.
ReplyDeleteMy one critic would be to give more detail or specifics to your examples. How music helped bring forth change, or how it gave you specific skills to help you throughout your life or education. I was able to do a study in one of my classes on the therapeutic methods rap has on individuals. I would have loved to have seen a strong academic example of the therapeutic uses of music and the arts. This would have given more persuasive credibility.
Overall love it. Thank you for your passion and a new look through your opinion and eyes!