Why teach art?

Why teach art? When asked this question the first thing I think of is fostering creativity in children. All kids are creative but some of them don’t know how to show this creativity. Along with that is imagination. So many kids have such a vibrant imagination but we would never know. Through art we can see the kids imagination show through. There are so many other reasons to teach the arts in schools.

“By exposing children to creative experiences, we give them the gift of a rich and memorable childhood while laying the foundation for a lifetime of creative expression - all topped off with a heaping helping of important learning skills.” I love this quote I found by MaryAnn F. Kohl. As previously noted fostering students creativity is one of the main reasons I think art should always be included in schooling.

In the reading, The Arts and the Creation of Mind it states, “One important feature of the arts is that they provide not only permission but also encouragement to use one’s imagination as a source of content.” I could not agree more. At times in schools kids are reprimanded for using their imagination because it is not what they are focusing on in the classroom. The arts allow the use of imagination and are encouraged to do so. Another quote from that text that I loved was, “The arts provide a platform for seeing things in ways other then the way they are normally seen.”

Our text emphasizes many different reasons that there should be art education in the school systems. They include cultural understanding, national needs, making the ordinary important and special, personal communication and expression, general and artistic creativity, vocations, aesthetic awareness, literacy and cognition, a core participant in learning in school and a different way of learning and communicating in school. The ones that stick out to me when I read through them were making the ordinary important and special, personal communication and expression, general artistic creativity and aesthetic awareness. These things are things that art can teach so easily.

Something that I didn’t really think of that is awesome is the fact that the arts can reach kids who can’t be reached through any other way. In Champions of Change: The Impact of Arts on Learning it states, “The researchers found that the arts provided a reason, and sometimes the only reason, for being engaged with school or other organizations.” Why not teach the arts when it can reach some kids that are troubled with school.

In another article it stated that it has been proven that early exposure to visual art, music, or drama promotes activity in the brain. Why wouldn’t you want to teach art if it can help other subjects as well. If it promotes activity in the brain students can find different ways to look at different subjects and problems. Another article backs up this fact with this statement, “Brain research confirms that Arts education strengthens student problem-solving and critical thinking skills, adding to overall academic achievement, school success, and preparation for the work world.” For all these reasons I think art is so important to teach.