Why is an arts education important?
- Early exposure to visual art, music or drama promotes activity in the brain.
- Art helps students understand other subjects more clearly.
- Art aids in the development of self-esteem, self-discipline, cooperation, self-motivation, responsibility and leadership and communication skills.
- The arts connect learning experiences to the world of real work.
- 93% agree the arts are vital to providing a well-rounded education for children.*
- 86% agree an arts education encourages and assists in the improvement of a child’s attitude toward school.*
*Arts Education Partnership/ 2005 Harris Poll.
Will these be missed opportunities?
Ask anyone making a living in one of the professions below and they will tell you that if they hadn’t been introduced to the arts while a young student, they wouldn’t be doing what they do today.
| Artist Actor Musician Conductor Creative Director Copywriter Illustrator Architect Cartoonist Jeweler Television Producer Animator Theater Manager Set Designer Event Planner |
Sculptor |
Ceramicist Vocal Coach Graphic Designer Interior Designer Multimedia Producer Movie Director Theatre Critic Dancer Journalist Weaver Illustrator Choreographer Garden Designer Reporter |
It all begins with a “spark.”
Few of those lucky enough to have unlocked their creativity can remember when it happened…maybe it was the first time they took a field trip to a glass blowing studio or a museum. Or when they summoned up the courage to audition for the school play. Or it could have been when those doodles on the notepad began to look more like real drawings.
The next steps
Bringing the arts back to Jefferson depends on imaginative teachers, music instruments, cabinets full of art supplies, computers, resident artists, mentors…everything it takes to create a thriving program of arts abundance fueled with unlimited resources and driven by commitment.