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Where does art fit into the picture? |
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Written by Katie Gilbert
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Wednesday, 10 March 2010 |
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In high school, college-bound students face an increasing amount of pressure to take on a heavy course load in order to impress those universities they dream of attending. This includes extracurricular activities and Advanced Placement (AP) courses as well as the required science, math, English, and world language courses. With so much going in their busy lives, where do students find the time to seek out what they really want in their futures or find a release from all their academic work?
Performing arts teacher Trisha Todd and fine arts teacher Judi Brandel have observed that high school students, especially those with heavy course loads, are forgetting about the art programs offered in high school. With six different art programs and 15 different classes offered during multiple periods of the school day, there are still those who have yet to see how art fits into their high school educations.
The US Department of Education recommends the arts to college-bound middle and junior high school students, asserting that: “Many colleges view participation in the arts and music as valuable experiences that broaden students’ understanding and appreciation of the world around them.” Junior Beth Carlson agrees. Carlson, who has been interested in the arts since her childhood, has been involved in theater at Grant since her freshman year and is currently a member of the Royal Blues. She has found that her participation in theater and Royal Blues have helped her in multiple ways.
Carlson joined theater her freshman year partly to overcome her stage fright, and partly to see what the course could offer her. “It didn’t really come naturally to me," she said. Theater was a challenge for Carlson because of her stage fright but it proved to be very rewarding. She was able to overcome her nervousness and put on a good show. “It’s a really good feeling,” said Carlson of her experiences of getting up on stage in front of peers. The best part of theater for her, however, is the response she receives from her classmates after a performance.
Whether they follow a small skit, a Royal Blues performance, or a school play, the reactions from those kids when they see her and her friends arrive on stage in their blue dresses and tie or the applause from a crowd in the Grant auditorium make her the happiest. In her words, “you perform because you like it, but you keep doing it for the reactions.”
If it wasn’t for the art classes offered at Grant, Carlson would probably not have experienced the passion she feels for performing or the arts. “Without art in school I would be pretty lost. It’s everything that I really like to do,” she explains, adding, “I think, overall, if you didn’t have art in school or if there was less of a focus or was taken less seriously the school would be less well rounded and less diverse. You need to have art as well as academic classes to have a good school because it is important to have an outlet for everyone."
Creative outlets are not only key to students on a personal level but are also fundamental to maintaining a well-rounded education. As a performing arts teacher, Todd explains that it isn’t good for kids to come to school and sit all day listening to lectures; they need to be able to do more. Art allows students not only to express themselves and become more creative, but also to work on using both sides of their brain, something that is “necessary in terms of intelligence,” says Todd. “It’s like exercise: if you don’t exercise your whole body, then you’re out of balance."
Todd believes that as students are maturing a balanced education is fundamental to becoming a balanced human being. Art is a key component of this. “It teaches us what it is to be a human being,” says Todd. She believes that art teaches people to get in touch with their inner selves and creativity. In her opinion, those who are in touch with their creativity have richer lives.
Carlson and Brandel also agree that an art course is essential to a student’s education as it teaches them what our other classes do not. It teaches creativity, a different way of looking at things, and it promotes in-depth analysis of subject matter. Carlson explains that theater has helped her to understand people and life experiences better and has taught her to think in different way.
Despite all of this, students still do not realize the importance of art in their lives. Brandel and Todd hypothesize that this is because students have not been exposed to art in their lives or schedules. We aren’t reaching beyond the academic aspect of school. We aren’t adequately discovering all that Grant has to offer us or seeking out what truly interests us. We are too focused on getting into college, following the trend of electing to take AP classes over those that might offer a little bit more — those that might teach us about ourselves and what we want for our futures.
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