The benefits of an arts education are undeniable. I’ve seen my students and my children light up and lighten up when making their creations—be it writing a new song on the guitar, finding one’s voice to participate in chorus with others, revealing another perspective through photography, storytelling with shadow puppetry or fingerpainting, or character development while performing on stage.
Engaging in performing and visual arts can be transformative for both participant and observer; perhaps that’s why many parents seek out such extracurricular activities for their kids. When touched by the arts, we sometimes tingle with feel-good vibes. For a time, our cares drop away. We’re more likely to become fully present with all of our senses, making memorable moments.
The effects of an immersive arts education experience linger long afterward, whether or not we realize it. Our children stand a bit taller, more confident. Their moods seem to melt into equanimity, becoming more stable, while they’re part of making meaning and cultivating their creativity. Their understanding of humanities broadens when they make personal connections.
Participation in arts education does much more than provide joy, confidence, and Aha! moments, though.
The Brookings Institution conducted a 2019 study in the Houston area that examined the effects of a sustained reinvigoration of schoolwide arts education. This randomized, controlled trial was based on the area’s collective efforts to restore arts education through community partnerships and investments. It included 42 elementary and middle schools with more than 10,000 students in grades 3 through 8. The results might not surprise you, but they’re important to note.
“We find that a substantial increase in arts educational experiences has remarkable impacts on students’ academic, social, and emotional outcomes,” writes assistant professors Brian Kisida and Daniel H. Bowen in their blog.
Kisida and Bowen found that the treatment (vs. control) group in the study had a 3.6 percentage point reduction in disciplinary infractions, an improvement of 13 percent of a standard deviation in standardized writing scores, and an increase of 8 percent of a standard deviation in their compassion for others.
“In terms of our measure of compassion for others, students who received more arts education experiences are more interested in how other people feel and more likely to want to help people who are treated badly.”
Their analysis of results from elementary school students, who were the primary focus of the program, revealed that increases in arts education “positively and significantly” affected school engagement, a desire to attend college, and their inclinations to draw upon works of art as a means for empathizing with others. Students in the treatment group also were more likely to have positive attitudes toward their schoolwork and believe that what their school offered helped retain their interest in attending school.
Some Monterey County school districts have caught on, prioritizing arts education and integration, which is even better. Arts integration is an approach to teaching in which students construct and demonstrate their understanding through an art form.
I’ve been fortunate to gain training in arts integration while teaching summer school. Each summer I’ve taught, I’ve received professional development in the arts through the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’ Partners in Education program. The program is based on the belief that teachers’ professional learning is an essential component of any effort designed to increase the artistic literacy of youth. The district I work in joined the program as part of the 2016 cohort with Sunset Cultural Center in Carmel-by-the-Sea as its local partner. The purpose of the partnership is to expand and deepen professional arts-integrated learning for teachers who, in turn, guide their students in arts integration experiences to enhance their literacy skills and provide them with tools and strategies for being successful in life.
This past summer, my students learned body percussion, making musical sounds using only their bodies, with a teaching artist from the Kennedy Center. With his guidance, I divided them into teams, and they had to write a team chant combined with their team’s “non-instrumental” music and then perform with confidence and conviction for the other teams (and him).
They learned about tone and pitch as they explored all sorts of sounds they could make with their bodies. Their work together required language and math skills as they navigated creating rhythmic patterns in their beats—and taking on leadership roles. My students had to find a way to collaborate to accomplish the performance task. It took some time, but they were inspired. Their efforts and commitment allowed them to experience the value of teamwork and expressing themselves in a supportive environment.
During the first lesson, my quietest student, who rarely spoke, uncharacteristically grinned and volunteered to be a team leader. By learning with her classmates an art form with which she was unfamiliar, she gained confidence and the willingness to take risks. Her mind was opened to possibilities. By the end of the week, she also took on one of the most visible classroom jobs, and you can bet she was engaged in her learning more than she was the previous week.
This is the power – and the promise – of an arts education.
WENDY J. ROSENTHAL is a writer and credentialed educator certified in Youth Mental Health First Aid. She’s also the parent of two teen boys. She and her children reside in Salinas.