Why the Arts Belong in the Classroom

The study of fine arts goes beyond painting a portrait in class. It explores an array of different arts — such as music, theater, drawing and sculpting — through studying both theory and practice. The importance of fine arts in education should never be forgotten, for the arts belong in college prep boarding schools and high schools.

Importance of the Arts

The study of art is an integral part of education and human development. In other words, it’s a part of who we are and how we learn, and shouldn’t be pushed aside. The impact of arts in college prep boarding schools and elsewhere include changing the learning environment and structure for one to make discoveries. With that, art challenges students in many different ways by tapping into their creative side. Art in school teaches students to be self-directed learners by challenging them to learn without strict instruction from someone else. This is because arts require participation, which is a key component to learning in all academic areas.

Fighting the Cuts

Unfortunately, some college prep boarding schools and high schools are making large budget cuts to art education around the country. For some, they have dismantled art teaching completely. However, art education has continuously demonstrated academic achievements and benefits for all students — and is something that should be fought for. These demonstrations aren’t just a word on the street, but they are real findings across many studies on arts in education. When schools are forced to make budget cuts they turn to the arts first, but this should be avoided at all costs, for arts are an integral part of education and development.

Neuroscience Research Agrees

Neuroscience research and cognitive development findings have yielded results supporting the importance of using arts as a learning tool. This could mean anything from using music to teach fractions to acting out a play that portrays a history lesson. As you can see, art integration doesn’t always mean focusing on one specified fine art, but practicing different fine arts within traditional education areas — a trend that should be adopted more often by schools, because art belongs in education.  

Alyssa Koenig is an academic writer for Fusion 360, an SEO and content marketing agency. Information provided by Wasatch Academy. Follow on Twitter.