Why should the arts be an important part of a child’s education? How can learning to dance help a child solve a math problem? How can music help a child learn to read?
Current field research indicates that children learn by drawing on a range of intelligences and learning styles, and that the arts provide children with different ways to process cognitive information and express their knowledge. The arts teach youngsters not only how to sing and draw but also how to read and write, and how to think creatively in areas like math and science. The arts teach how to make connections between seemingly unrelated topics.
They also teach children how to be independent and how to collaborate. Young Audiences has always been committed to providing schoolchildren with quality arts experiences. There are lasting benefits that come from exposure to and participating in the arts, including building the skills vital to tomorrow’s workplace. Moreover, in more and more school districts, comprehensive arts programs are proving that they can provide a strong basis for the kind of education that equips children to reach their full potential.
Studies are finding a correlation between arts education and improvements in academic performance and standardized test scores, increases in student attendance, and decreases in school drop-out rates. Young Audiences and other arts-in-education organizations offer educators a powerful and effective tool--the arts to help children learn and excel.
What are some of the latest publications and/or studies that focus on the importance of arts in education?
There are several publications and studies that document the importance of arts in education, including:
- Critical Links: Learning in the Arts and Student Academic and Social Development
Edited by Richard J. Deasy. Arts Education Partnership. 2002. 159 pages.
This document is published in electronic format on the World Wide Web at www.aep-arts.org . For more information on ordering printed copies, please call 202-336-7016 or visit www.aep-arts.org.
Gifts of the Muse: Reframing the Debate About the Benefits of the Arts.
Kevin F. McCarthy, Elizabeth H. Ondaatje, Laura Zakaras and Arthur Brooks. The Rand Corporation. 2004. 104 pages. Commissioned by The Wallace Foundation.
To order RAND Documents or to obtain further information, contact Distribution Services: Telephone: 310-451-7002; Fax: 310-451-6915; E-mail: order@rand.org. RAND URL:http://www.rand.org/
Champions of Change: The Impact of the Arts on Learning.
Edited by Edward B. Fiske. The Arts Education Partnership. The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. Funded by: The GE Fund, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. 98 pages. Contact: Arts Education Partnership. http://aep-arts.org. or President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities. http://www.pcah.gov.
Arts Survive: A Study of Sustainability in Arts Education Partnerships.
Steve Seidel, Meredith Eppel, Maria Martiniello. Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. 2001. 232 pages.
Contact: Project Zero, Harvard University Graduate School of Education, 124 Mount Auburn Street, Suite 500, Cambridge, MA 02138. 617-495-4342. Fax: 617-495-9709. http://pzweb.harvard.edu
