THE CASE FOR ARTS-IN-EDUCATION

A total theatre experience (whether a creative dramatics/arts in education activity in a classroom or a full-scale production for the school community) provides ample opportunities for the writer -- in preparing the script; the mathematician -- through measurement, scale drawings and budgets; the visual artist -- in both the staging of movement and the design of costumes, props and scenery; the musician -- in developing the sound effects and music for the production; the physically oriented student-through acting, movement and construction of production elements; the intrapersonal student -- in research and the development of believable characterizations; the interpersonal -- in the coordination of the myriad activities associated with putting on a play; and the existential thinker -- who can see to it that the essential themes of the performance are integrated into every aspect of the activity.

The preparation and delivery of a performance can address every learning style simultaneously. It is the ultimate arts in education experience.

It is impossible to give a public performance completely by oneself.  In addition to the inherent interaction between the presenter and the audience, students have no option but to work and learn together in order to accomplish a common goal when creating and producing a  play.  From concept through scriptwriting and interpretation, to design and production, to rehearsal and publicity, through performance and audience participation, cooperation is essential to success.

Conflict is more likely to be artistic than personal, and is more likely to be resolved by consensus in any creative endeavor. Arts in education naturally encourages cooperation.

Acknowledgment of one's achievements is one of the strongest motivators for anyone, regardless of his or her age.  The presentation of a performance provides instant feedback of how well a student has accomplished his assigned tasks, both for the student himself and for his teachers and peers.  Statistical surveys strongly indicate that students who participate in arts in education programs are more conscientious about their school attendance and more focused on learning whatever they need to successfully achieve their objectives.

Getting a child truly interested in what he or she is learning is a key to effective education. And arts in education holds the key to a child's interest.

Reading, writing, listening and speaking (the four components of literacy) are endemic in the creation and performance of any dramatic work.  Writing, of course (whether transcribed by the teacher from student role playing, or actually written and rewritten by the students themselves) is essential to the creation of a script.  Reading is a necessary activity both in research and ongoing script evaluation.  The oral interpretation  (speaking) of a play is an inherent part of the literary form, and listening -- for both audience and actors -- is a vital part of the whole communication process.

In theatre, literacy becomes a functional as well as a stimulating arts in education activity.

Active involvement in cooperative arts in education activities allows each student to do what he or she can do best, learn new skills, understand the purpose of what is being accomplished, and assess his or her own progress and ultimate achievement.

Knowing that you have done a good job in contributing to the whole, makes you feel good about your self and provides an impetus for boldly meeting your next challenge. This is what arts in education can do.

"(The) National Arts Standards are a statement of what every young American should know and be able to do in four arts disciplines-dance, music, theatre and the visual arts.  Their scope is grades K-12, and they speak to both content and achievement."

"The benefits of Arts Education.  Arts education benefits the student, because it cultivates the whole child, gradually building many kinds of literacy while developing intuition, reasoning, imagination, and dexterity into unique forms of expression and communication."

National Standards for Arts Education

Arts in Education is the best way to assure that all National, State and City Arts Standards are fully met by all students.

Core curriculum standards in every subject are rapidly becoming the hallmark of American education.  Educators across the country are developing thematic, interdisciplinary curricula and discovering that the arts provide excellent integrating activities that help students make the connections between what they are learning in language arts, social studies, math and science with their daily lives.

"(Arts Standards provide) a firm foundation for connecting arts-related concepts and facts across the art forms, and from them to the sciences and the humanities.  For example, the intellectual methods of arts in education are precisely those used to transform scientific disciplines and discoveries into everyday technology."

National Standards for Arts in Education

The complete integration of these seven principles -- the addressing of all learning modalities, cooperative learning, student motivation, literacy, confidence and good self-esteem, and the meeting of both Arts Standards and Core Curriculum Standards can provide transformational educational change by producing graduates who are literate and imaginative, competent and creative -- young people who not only understand the world, but who can as well make their own unique contributions to society and prosper thereby. Arts in education is the most inclusive way of making this happen.