I'D ALMOST forgotten my high school experience -- and that's no accident. I've tried to block it out for years. But sitting in U-Hall last week, watching Jacques d'Amboise and some of his students from the National Dance Institute lead hundreds of young children in a "trail dance," much of it came back to me. To say that the arts were a significant part of my secondary education in an understatement -- in fact, there's no question in my mind that singing kept me sane.
During my high school years, I had one major fear. And it wasn't that one of my classmates would embark on a shooting rampage. Instead, I worried that the county would cut back on funding for arts education. Fortunately for me, it never did. But now, as the nation begins to move towards a narrower curriculum, I'm afraid that arts education faces a more formidable challenge.
Jacques d'Amboise knows how much creative instruction in the arts can mean to children. This year, at 65, d'Amboise is making headlines all over the nation as he hikes the 2,160-mile Appalachian Trail, stopping along the way to teach local children the "trail dance" he choreographed. His mission: to spread his love of dance, and to raise money for NDI, an organization he created in 1976, "in the belief that the arts have a unique power to engage children and motivate them toward excellence" (www.nationaldance.org).
It is ironic, then, that the increasing recognition of d'Amboise and his organization coincides with a marked de-emphasis on arts in national curriculum.
Though a nationwide trend, we see this played out clearly in Virginia. When the Commonwealth implemented the Standards of Learning in 1995, they met with much controversy. One point of contention is that while the SOLs set stringent guidelines for English, history, social science, science and mathematics, the arts are left out entirely. Nowhere is it required that students receive any type of arts education at all.
This is not surprising. After all, arts classes always have fought against a reputation of being trivial or too easy. Here at the University, there still is a stigma associated with many classes in the fine arts, also known as "guts" -- Symphonic Masterworks being the most notorious example.
It is no wonder, then, that state legislators hope that a more concrete set of academic standards, focusing on more scholastic subjects, would be the most effective tool in improving the plight of education in Virginia. But they couldn't be more wrong.
The truth is that arts classes offer a tremendous amount of educational benefits, and if the Commonwealth truly wishes to give its children the most complete education, it will bring arts back into the classroom.
Perhaps one of the reasons that arts classes seem less beneficial is that the lessons they teach often are more abstract than those taught in academic classes. Taking a music class probably won't directly prepare students for the SAT, but it can help them become better learners, which in turn may lead to an improvement in academic performance.
Children who take music or dance classes, for instance, learn much about discipline and the rewards of dedicated practice. After all, even the most musically inclined individuals can't simply pick up the violin and begin to play. Studies also have shown that increased participation in the arts can improve memory and concentration.
But arts education can have important long-term -- and non-academic -- effects, as well. Performance-based art programs teach students the importance of cooperation in working with others. In a music or theatre ensemble, each member must pull his or her own weight, or the entire performance is weakened. Live performances, though sometimes nerve-wracking, also teach students poise and composure. All of these are qualities that can prepare students for college and job interviews and the professional realm in general.
The arts also build confidence, especially in younger children. Working on an arts project -- whether it be a sculpture, a poem, or a performance -- provides them with tangible evidence of their accomplishments. Think of the joy a student feels when his or her artwork is displayed in the hallway, or the direct positive feedback provided by applause from an audience.
If there's one thing Columbine taught us, it's that children are capable of an emotional turbulence that can be astonishingly destructive. Emotional growth is a vital part of education, and scholars are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of self-worth in children's psychological development. If schools have an opportunity to provide this kind of support through arts education, there is no reason not to seize it.
The truth is, I can't really be sure exactly what the arts has taught me. All I really know is that singing always has made me happy. And that this semester -- my first in nine years that I haven't sung with a choir -- has felt empty somehow. Maybe it's naïve to think that teaching children the arts can even begin to deal with the problems facing education -- and children themselves -- today. But we can't afford not to try.
(Katie Dodd is a Cavalier Daily opinion editor.)
Read More
EDITORIAL: Celebrating and reflecting on The Cavalier Daily’s independence
By Editorial Board | 5 days agoOur independence grants us the ability to ask the hard questions and to say what University representatives cannot.
ARRAS: U.Va. must revise the Sexual Assault Prevention Training module
By Aoife Arras | April 17, 2024In addition to its failures in interactivity, the module lacks details specific to the University and discusses key concepts in universal terms.
EDITORIAL: Pedestrian safety is an institutional imperative
By Editorial Board | April 15, 2024Amid a national crisis of pedestrian safety, Charlottesville and the University are also struggling to properly maintain pedestrian safety.
