Webster 1

Aliya Webster

Mrs. Cramer

Comp Pd. 4

5 Oct. 2018

Artists Know Where to Draw the Line

How important or necessary do you think art education is? Over the past few years, there

has been a trend in schools cutting the arts from their curriculum. These programs are cut for

reasons such as not enough money in the budget or they do not think the classes are important

enough. Art education is learning, instruction, and programming based upon the visual and

tangible arts. Art education includes some of the following: dance, music, theater, and visual arts

like drawing, painting, sculpting, and designing. These classes are important because they lead to

improved physical development and have more benefits that contribute to the reasons for

keeping art education. The arts reach students in ways they are not normally reached and helps

those students, which leads to better attendance and lower dropout rates. People study art

because it can help improve performance in other subjects. Art helps development within the

whole brain, which aids in hand-eye coordination, problem solving skills, lateral thinking,

complex analysis, and critical thinking skills. Art can also have a huge impact on our mood and

releasing emotions, which can be beneficial as well as detrimental. Art causes lots of kids who

don’t fit in to feel successful when they don’t feel that way in other classes. Art may help kids

bring out a side of themselves that they might not have known they had and build confidence.

Art education is overlooked in most schools, but it has benefits for students who take it such as

improved academic performance, motor skills, and improved self-confidence.

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Firstly, the most appealing thing about art education is how it helps to improve academic

performance. Students who have a low-income and are highly engaged in the arts are more than

twice as likely to graduate college as opposed to peers with no art education. A report by

Americans for the Arts, says that young people who participate regularly in the arts (at least three

hours a week) are four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievements. Enough

data exists to support that study and participation in the arts is key in an educational environment

(“Katy”). Studies measuring creative thinking, critical thinking, problem solving, and reasoning

all find these functions increase and improve when arts education is added to the educational

mix. For example, a dancer tested better on memory and motion processing than a non-dancer.

Another example is with visual art studio classes, students develop habits of mind for sustained

focus, imagination, and close observation. Art does provide challenges to students of all levels.

Each student can find his or her own level based on skill level. A good education in the fine arts

helps students to see what they look at, what they listen to, and feel what they touch (“Katy”).

With art, students can express themselves in a different way instead of just reading a book and

having to retain information. Overall, students who take a class in the arts will most likely

benefit from it and achieve positive results with their academics.

Another benefit with art education is the improvement of motor skills. A motor skill is a

learned ability to cause a predetermined movement outcome with maximum certainty (Martin).

Motor learning is the relatively permanent change in the ability to perform a skill because of

practice or experience. Performance is an act of executing a motor skill. This benefit is mainly

for younger kids who play an instrument or engage in an art class. The smallest tasks like

holding a paint brush or coloring are important elements in developing a child’s fine motor skills.

According to the developmental milestones, at around age three, a child should be able to draw a

circle and begin to use scissors. Then around age four, children may be able to draw a square and
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begin cutting straight lines with scissors. "The arts develop neural systems that produce a broad

spectrum of benefits ranging from fine motor skills to creativity and improved emotional

balance” (“Katy”). An example would be when a teacher demonstrates in art class and teaches

you how to paint properly or how to use certain supplies that people use in everyday life. Art

helps a child learn basic skills they will continue to use throughout their lives.

Lastly, confidence is something most kids lack but it can be brought out and improved

with art education. With art classes being offered, children can practice skills and when they

improve, it usually helps build up that student’s confidence. Additionally, art education helps

with focus, creativity, and collaboration (Martin). Focus is needed when working on visual arts

and it improves growth within your work. Also, creativity and decision-making come with

practice and discipline. For example, a kid having the chance to get on stage to sing gives that

kid a chance to step outside his or her comfort zone. Then with practice, that child will see

improvement and see their own hard work pay off, as they become more confident doing

something, they are good at. After putting one’s heart and soul into a project of some sort, the

student grows to have more confidence the longer he or she spend on it. Letting kids express

themselves freely can build up their confidence (Trombetta). When kids have more time to

express and explore, they get more confident in their own work and find out what they are good

at. Students who get discouraged and need rebuilding of their confidence level benefit from

exposure to works of art that shows them unusual images of reality. Overall, art education can be

a big boost to anyone’s self-confidence, and it can help them in other areas of their life as well.

Finally, the importance of art education is often overlooked because of budget cuts but it

is a crucial part of education and should be kept, because it improves academic performance,

motor skills, and encourages self-confidence. Students who enroll in art class tend to do better in

school than the ones who don’t. Kids with art education are faster and better with motor skills.
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Lastly, it can really help encourage a child and build up their self-confidence. There is a

universal need for words, music, dance, and visual art to give expression to the innate urgings of

the human spirit. The reason for including fine arts is that it engages many areas of the brain. The

arts also help us understand and share cultures too. To help the history of arts, the classes must

stay in school. Art is an easy way for kids to express themselves and can bring a school together

filled with color and imagination. Finally, art education is an important contribution to education

in schools in America and should be kept as part of the curriculum.

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Works Cited

“Katy Independent School District.” The Importance of Fine Arts Education,

www.katyisd.org/dept/finearts/Pages/The-Importance-of-Fine-Arts-Education-.aspx.

Assessed 19 Sept. 2018.

Martin, Lauren. “10 Reasons Why Arts in Education Is so Important for Kids.” Learning Liftoff,

15 Aug. 2018.

Trombetta, Anne. "The freedom to express." School Arts, Apr. 1992, p. 27. Academic OneFile,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A12157431/AONE?u=pl1949&sid=AONE&xid=ec1f

7573. Accessed 19 Sept. 2018.