Arts in education

Arts are necessary in the public-school system for several reasons. It helps children to see that in order to get results we have to put an effort in a project. Also, arts increase self-esteem, promote cognitive development, show different perspectives in learning other subjects, improve communication skills, and help to create life-long learners.

Arts in education are important for the physical, emotional, social and cognitive development. Many children who come from impoverished neighborhoods don’t have a stimulating environment to improve those skills. In order for a child to learn better, there has to be a lot of stimulation for the brain and the body. Some schools can provide with art and physical education but due to the high costs many principals cut these programs. Educators mostly concentrate on academic achievements because of the low scores in math and reading. Children need arts in their life to become successful life-long learners.

In the beginning of the life children have about 50 million neurons which is the maximum amount during the entire life. When child is not exposed to the specific environment, brain does not develop a connection with another neuron. This process is called pruning when brain is leaving out the information that is not used. For example, it is easier for a child to learn a new language than for an adult. Child is in the process of development where he/she can develop a neuron connection for the specific language. For an adult, it becomes a more difficult process and there are fewer possibilities to learn. Developed brain can build a new neuron connection, but exposure to the environment has to be much longer than for a child. This is why it is important to provide children with many opportunities to experience more things.

Researchers at McMaster University have found that babies who are exposed to the classical music smile more. Children show better communication skills and easier adjust to the new situations. Some children in school are shy, some of them are afraid of new things, and some don’t understand the lesson that teacher explains. This research shows that we can ease children’s life in many ways by promoting a better learning environment from the moment they are born. Communication skills are one of the important things in our life. Social life depends on it, people who have poor communication skills cannot get a job or perform in a group. It affects their self-esteem and might lead to a depression.

To promote life-long learners we have to help children to discover passion for learning. Arts help to see learning experience through different perspective. In order to succeed in ceramics we don’t have to memorize any formulas. All we have to do is practice more. Practice makes perfect and children learn it from the arts. They see the result of their work which makes them more self-confident about their skills. The joy of creating something with your hands increases self-esteem and ability to see what you can do by yourself if you put effort in it. This kind of effort projects onto other subjects because child realizes everything is possible it is only a matter of time.

The entertainment business and creative industries in Los Angeles employs more than 600 000 people. It created a profit of $115 billion dollars in 2010. Without arts education less children will discover the creativity talents. Many companies won’t be able to find employees and city could lose one of the biggest money makers. It will affect the economy of United States and might lead to more serious issues. Creative people are needed everywhere in the world. We all enjoy music, paintings and décor art at home. Without arts education we could lose many creative people because they won’t be able to discover a passion for arts.

Arts can also be used as a learning tool for general subjects like math, history and writing. Teacher can help children to write and perform a play about historical events. When students actively engage in creative learning they are able to learn the material better. Music notes can help to learn math fractions. Also, music itself can reduce stress and help to relax. After relaxation children can concentrate better on more difficult subjects. Better concentration increases tests’ results because children pay more attention to the subject.

By looking at these evidences we can see how important art education is from many perspectives. It promotes cognitive development, helps to create life-long learners, improves communication skills, increases self-esteem, improves learning of general subjects, and creates future creative people. Children and adults benefit from art education in many different ways. It would be crucial for our world to lose creativity in our lives.