Andrew Martini

PRL 215
3/24/16
Keeping the Arts Alive in Early Education
What is the more marketable skill: the ability to play an instrument or the understanding
of global economic development and policy? Modern school curriculum seems to point to the
latter. According to an article in U.S. News & World Report, Funds have been cut from more
than 80 percent of U.S. school districts since 2008. The emphasis is being put on the
employable or marketable majors in the STEM (science, technology, engineering &
mathematics) fields. While these disciplines are important, they do not encompass all of the ways
in which the brain can develop, especially in children and young adults.
In a study conducted by Concordia University, Virginia Penhune posits, Musical
training, particularly instrumental training, produces long lasting changes in motor abilities and
brain structure....These changes last into adulthood. This assertion is perhaps the most practical
reason to keep arts programs in school, especially institutions of early education. It is no secret
that the mind is malleable from a young age, but not all things have such a lasting affect as
musical training. Beyond being a personal experience for the student, it provides practical skills
that can propel a student to a higher level of development. These practical changes to motor
abilities developed from musical training help bridge the gap between the hemispheres of the
brain. By applying both functions of the right brain and the left brain, musical training is nearly
vital to advanced cognitive development.
Furthermore, arts programs in educational settingswhether it is music classes, art
classes or home economics classesprovide students a chance to express themselves through
art. Traditional classrooms are built for one kind of student and do not take into account the

various other types of learners who inhabit those classrooms. If schools continue this trend of
cutting arts programs from their curriculums, these different types of learners are going to
continue to feel abnormal and under valued. Their outlets for expression will be taken away from
them and those feelings and opportunities for development will either remain dormant or
channeled into outlets that could be potentially harmful to the student. Students in late
elementary school and middle school are already experiencing a confusing collection of
hormones and emotions that come with the onset of puberty. Sometimes, their creative outlet is
the only thing that makes sense to them during this time. If those are taken away at school,
students may not have access to them at home. This could leave more fragile students feeling
trapped and hopeless.
Arts programs also work to legitimize careers in the arts for students. So much
concentration is placed on getting real jobs when students get older. These jobs are typically
ones that are either already quite visible in their lives (i.e. teachers, the occupations of their
parents) or the standard nine-to-five desk jobs. Careers in the arts are already too often
denounced as hobbies or not viable enough to make a living off of in the future. This sets a
dangerous precedent for young students. It can be quite damaging for a student to feel stifled by
what society expects of them. If a student is not experiencing the arts in school, the student
comes to the conclusion that it is because it is not a worthwhile career to explore. Education is
such an influential factor in a young students life. It is imperative that the presence of arts
programs is strong in order for them to feel as if they have the opportunity to explore careers in
what makes them happy, rather than just the job opportunities society deems as successful or
worthwhile.

While the United States does trail other major countriesnamely Chinain STEM
fields across the board, it does not mean that these are the only careers worth pursuing. If more
funding or attention is going to be funneled toward these programs, it should not be at the
expense of arts programs in schools. If anything, schools should demonstrate how these fields
can be integrated and work in tandem with each other. That would be much more effective than
getting rid of the arts programs because the schools believe those to be less important. What is
less important to the administration might mean the world to the students. Those arts programs
might be the reason why some students still go to school. By getting rid of those programs and
alienating those students who feel so inspired by those arts programs, schools are running the
risk of imposing detrimental effects on their students.

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