Written By: Alen Kuriakose, Trainer, HSSW.
A fine arts education — including music, theater, drawing, painting, or sculpture — whether in practice or theory, has been a part of any well-rounded curriculum for decades — but that may be changing. Schools have started changing their attitudes and are giving full importance on academics. Creativity blooms and perishes in school campuses because of this attitude.
The arts are as important as academics, and they should be treated that way in school curriculum. While the positive impact of the arts on academic achievement is worthwhile in itself, it’s also the tip of the iceberg when looking at the whole child. Learning art goes beyond creating more successful students. We believe that it creates more successful human beings.
Growth Mindset
Through the arts, students develop skills like flexibility, grit, and a growth mindset to help them master their craft, do well academically, and succeed in life. For students to truly grow and progress there has to be a point when intrinsic motivation comes into balance with extrinsic motivation. In the early stages of learning an art form, students engage with the activity because it’s fun. But later it becomes part of their day to day activity and goes on with it as life long process. It unknowingly influence even their character.
Self Confidence
It is the most important factor of developing a student’s overall character. A student’s comes to school unknowing his/her artistic competence. It is the responsibility of the teacher to find out and enhance it. It happened once that one of my students whom I insisted to join music classes was backing, because he was not sure about his talent. But because of my repeated action he was ready to join. After certain classes the music instructor herself reported to me that he is good at music and is improving. Building self-confidence is an unavoidable factor in student’s life.
Communication
Our world is built through communication. Students learn a multitude of communication skills by studying the arts. Through the very process of being in a music ensemble, they must learn to verbally, physically, and emotionally communicate with their peers, conductor, and audience. Likewise, a cast member must not only communicate the spoken word to an audience, but also the more insubstantial underlying emotions of the script. The arts are a mode of expression that transforms thoughts and emotions into a unique form of communication — art itself.
Better Cognition
Learning music will help to improve verbal memory, second language pronunciation accuracy, reading ability etc in students . By engaging students in arts education, you draw them into an incredibly complex and manifold work that combines many subject matters (like mathematics, history, language, and science) while being uniquely tied to culture.
For example, in order for a student to play in tune, he must have a scientific understanding of sound waves and other musical audibility principles.
To Deepen Self-Understanding
Art education is not just limited to develop academics or to gain academic benefits. Learning of arts is a worthwhile endeavor because a culture without art is impossible. The greatest gift we can give students — and humanity — is an understanding, appreciation, and ability to create art.
Arts education has always been important to those who value creativity. Now, as new evidence continues to emerge, more and more people are realizing its importance – especially when it plays such a crucial role in a well-rounded educational experience.
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