CornerstoneSection29 FineArtsBudgetCuts JesseHeath

FineArtsBudgetCuts:
StrugglesInsidetheClassroomandOut
JesseHeath
UniversityofNorthernIowa

CornerstoneSection29 FineArtsBudgetCuts JesseHeath

Ithinkthathighschoolwasadifficultplaceforfreshman:betweenthestudyingandtrying
togetadecentGPAforcollegeandstrugglingwiththeawkwardnessofitall,Ithinkitwasa
difficulttimetofindyoursocialgroup.Therewasoneguythatseemedtohaveanextrahardtime
andhehadalwaysparticipatedinsportsthroughoutmiddleschoolandhedreamedofbeingon
theATeambut,moreoftenthannot,hewasluckytogetoffthebenchduringaBTeamgame.
Whenhewasafreshmanhebelievedthatthingswouldchange:thiswouldbehistimetoshine.
Notevenoneweeklater,afterfootballsdreadedtwoadays,hedecidedthathewouldputhis
patheticathleticlifebehindhim.Duringschool,thisguydidntreallyknowwhotosocializewith
becauseeveryoneelsehadprettymuchshunnedhim.Thatswhenhefoundthefineartskids
andtheyhappilyacceptedhimintotheirgroup.Hereisanimportanttidbitofthestory:thatkid
wasme.WhenIwasafreshman,IwaslostinaseaofpeopleandIreallydidntknowwhereto
goorwhototalkto.ThenIassimilatedwiththefineartsstudentsandIstartedparticipatingin
Choir,Band,andTheatreandIfoundoutthatthesewerethingsIpersonallyexcelledat.Bythe
timeIwasasenior,Iheldleadershippositionsinallofthemandtriedtorecreatethewelcoming
atmospherethatwasaroundwhenIwasafreshman.Thatswhythistopicissoclosetomeand
whyIgetdefensivewhenIhearofproposedbudgetcutsfromtheseprograms.Asidefromthe
nurturingsocialaspect,involvementintheseactivitiescanalsohelpstudentsintheclassroom.If
wecutthefineartsprogramsfromhighschool,ourstudentswillsufferbothacademicallyand
socially.Imgoingtoexplainaboutwhatthefineartsdepartmententails,howthefineartshelp
students,explainhowfundingcutsareaffectingtheseprograms,anddescribehowtheissue
canberesolved.
Alotofpeopleareunsureaboutwhatthefineartsdepartmentcompletelyentails.
Accordingtodictionary.com(2014),fineartisavisualartconsideredtohavebeencreated
primarilyforaestheticpurposesandjudgedforitsbeautyandmeaningfulness,specifically,

CornerstoneSection29 FineArtsBudgetCuts JesseHeath

painting,sculpture,drawing,watercolor,graphics,andarchitecture
(http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fine+art).Ithinkthatthisisagooddefinitionforthe
legitimateartclassesthataretaughtinschoolbutthefineartsdepartmentputsonsomany
moredifferentactivities,suchasdrama,music,dance,andpoetry.Overtheyears,thefinearts
haveexpandedtoincludeTheatre,Choir,Band,Dance,andevenMockTrialandSpeech.Ifeel
likethisappealstoawidevarietyofstudentsbecausetherearesomanydifferentactivitiesto
getinvolvedinandtheycatertoeachofthestudentsdesires.Youlovetosing,youcanjointhe
showchoirorgleeclub.Youlikebandbutyoulackcoordination?Stayawayfromthemarching
bandandgowithconcertorjazzband.
ThewaythatIseeit,thefineartshelpstudentsintwodominantcategories:sociallyand
academically.AsIvesaidbefore,thefineartsgivestudentsachancetofindanewgroupof
friends,soitobviouslyhelpsthemwithrelationshipbuildingtechniques.Inadditiontothis,italso
helpsthemfindtheirleadershippositionsamongtheirpeersbygettingassignedtasks
completedforthedirectors.TheOrionGazetteconfirmsthisbyreportingthatmembershipin
bandandchoirteachesteamworkandleadershipskills,inadditiontoboostingselfesteemand
selfconfidenceandpromotingcommunityservice.
(http://www.oriongazette.com/article/20100505/News/305059800).Iknowfromfirsthand
involvementthatthefineartsiswhereIreceivedallofmyleadershipexperience,whetheritbe
frommypresidencyofthechoirmysenioryearormyvarioussectionleadershipsIhad
throughoutmyentirehighschoolcareer.
Inadditiontohelpingstudentsformsocialgroupsandholdleadershippositions,italso
helpskeepthemoutoftrouble.Thereclaimingjournal.comstatesthatartprogramscanhelp
decreaseyouthinvolvementindelinquentbehaviorandimproveyouthsattitudesabout
themselvesandthefuture.FurtherresearchbyAmericansfortheArtsindicatesthatyoutharts

CornerstoneSection29 FineArtsBudgetCuts JesseHeath

programsarepowerfulcrimepreventiontoolsbecausetheyoffersafe,engaging,and
constructiveenvironmentsforyoungpeoplewholackadultsupervisionduringnonschoolhours,
atimewhentheyaremostvulnerabletocommunityviolenceandgangrecruitment.
(http://reclaimingjournal.com/sites/default/files/journalarticlepdfs/15_1_Respress_Lutfi.pdf)Itis
clearthatstudentswillstayoffthestreetsandawayfromillegalactivitiesaslongasyougive
themconstructingtodo,suchasparticipateinaplayorpracticeaninstrument.Shiftingtheir
focusesfromgangsandotherdestructivedecisionsandchangingittopracticingandrehearsing
withagroupopensanentireprofusionofopportunities.Handinhandwiththisgivesthestudents
areasontodowellinschoolbecauseyoucantperformifyouareincompleteorfailingaclass.
Beinginvolvedwiththefineartswillprovidetheambitionandtheinternaldrivetogettheirwork
completedandpasstheirclasses.
Notonlydotheartshelpfosterasenseofcommunityinstudentsandprovideacreative
outlet,italsohelpsthemintheclassrooms.Readingandmathskillsarethespecificfieldsthat
excelthebestfromparticipationwiththefinearts.Musichelpschildrenlearningtoreadandwrite
becauseithelpsthemassociatesoundswithlettersandevenhelpswithlearningalanguage.
Globalpostalsodiscovered,ResearchconductedbyNASAA,orNationalStateArtAgencies,
foundmusicinstructionhelpsstudentsdeveloptheirspatialtemporalreasoning,meaningthat
studentshaveagreatercapacitytocomprehendhowobjectsorideasrelateinspaceandtime
(http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/benefitsfineartsperformancesstudents12179.html).
Knowingthesefacts,itiseasytosaythatkeylearningstrategiesneededforbasicacademic
skillsareencouragedbymusicanddrama.Andifthatisntgoodenoughproofforyou,
artinaction.orgfoundastudyfromtheNationalAssociationforMusicEducationthatsaid,
ScientistsusedfunctionalMRIstoscanthebrainsofpianistsandnonmusiciansofthesame
ageandsex.Theyfoundthat,comparedtononmusicians,thebrainsofthepianistsaremore

CornerstoneSection29 FineArtsBudgetCuts JesseHeath

efficientatskilledmovementsandoverallbrainprocesses(http://www.artinaction.org/w/whyart).
ThoughIthinkthatpeoplewhocanplaypianoareprodigiesingeneral,itisreassuringknowing
thatthereisphysicalproofthattheyhavemorebrainactivitywhencomparedtothosewhodont
playaninstrumentatall.
Whilelookingatthebenefitsoffineartsforthehighschoollevel,Ithinkthatitisvery
importanttotakeastepbackandlookatthebigpicture.Thefineartssignificantlyhelpchildren
whenitcomestoimportantcognitiveattributesusedlaterinadolescence,suchascreativeand
criticalthinkingandproblemsolvingandreasoning.Accordingtoartsedsearch.org,Researchat
theearlychildhood,middle,andadultlevelssuggestsastrongrelationshipbetweenmusicstudy
andspatialtemporalandotherabstractreasoningskillskillsnecessarytomentallyvisualizeand
solvemultistepproblems(http://www.artsedsearch.org/students/researchoverview).Keeping
thisinmind,Ithinkitscrucialthattheartsstayinschoolduringthesecriticaltimesof
developmentinchildren.Thefineartsnotonlyimpactspeoplewhoareintheiradolescence,it
aidsthemintheiryearsofyouthbyhelpingtheirbrainsandmindsflourishalike.
Nowthatyouhaveabetterideaofhowthefineartsbenefititsparticipantsinmoreways
thanone,nowisthebesttimetoaddressthebudgetcutsthataredevelopinginschools.WhenI
wasinschool,Ithinkthatitwasperceivedbythestudentsasatopicoffineartsvs.athletics
whichreallyisntthecaseatall.cbpp.org,ortheCenteronBudgetandPolicyPriorities,states,
Withtaxrevenuestilldecliningasaresultoftherecessionandbudgetreserveslargelydrained,
thevastmajorityofstateshavemadespendingcutsthathurtfamiliesandreducenecessary
services.Thesecutshavedeepenedstateseconomicsproblemsbecausefamiliesand
businesseshavelesstospend.Thecutshaveenactedinatleast46statessince2008have
occurredinallmajorareasofstateservices,includinghealthcare,servicestoelderlyand
disabled,K12education,highereducation,andotherareas

CornerstoneSection29 FineArtsBudgetCuts JesseHeath

(http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=1214).Withthatbeingsaid,weneedtoseethe
problemnotasschoolsrefusingtofundthefineartsprogramsbutbeingunabletohelpthem
becauseoflackofgeneralfunds.Thearticlelaterstatesthat,Stateeducationalgrantsto
schooldistrictsandeducationshavealsobeencutinnumerousstates,includingIowa
(http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=1214).Ourschooldistrictsneedthosegrantsand
generalfundsinordertothriveandexist.Itsimportanttoseethingsthisway:withthese
massivecutstoeducation,itsmoreimportanttokeepteacherintheclassroomratherthankeep
afterschoolorganizationsoperational.Consideringthefactthatschoolsreallyarenttheones
responsiblefortheirinflowoffunds,Idontcompletelyseeitastheschoolsresponsibility.
However,itisimportantthatwekeeptheseorganizationsfunctioning.
Oneofthebestwayswecankeepthefineartsfundedisthroughuseofboosterclubs.
TheFineArtsBoosterswereliterallyoneoftheonlyreasonsthatmyschoolwasfortunate
enoughtohaveanyfineartsprogramsatall.TheBoostersweretheonestoraisemoneyby
sellingmembershipsthatusuallyhadafewdifferentlevels,likebronze,silver,andgold
dependingonhowmuchyoudonated.Inadditiontothis,theywereabletomakemoneyfrom
workingattheconcessionsstandsduringperformancesandathleticevents,takedonations
frombusinessesaroundthearea,andevenraisemoneywithraffles.Boosterclubscanreally
choosehowthemoneyisspenttoo.Ihaveanexamplefrommyhighschoolcareerofhowthe
fineartsboostershelpedusoutimmensely:mysenioryearthefineartsboosterscashedinon
oneoftheirCDs,orcertificateofdeposits,andwereabletopullout$100,000forbrandnew
marchingbanduniforms.Theonesthatwehadbeenusingwerethesameonesusedfromthe
1970sanditwasevident,seeingashowtheyweresoworn.Thesearethereasonsthatboth
fineartsandathleticsprogramshavelastedforsolongbutoneofthekeycomponentsthatare
neededforagoodboosterclubarecommittedparents,teachers,andstudents.Alotofdistricts

CornerstoneSection29 FineArtsBudgetCuts JesseHeath

lackthisanditsacrucialelementforthesurvivaloftheseprograms.Withoutthecaring
membersofthecommunity,theboosterscantevengetorganized,letaloneraiseanyfundsfor
theirprograms.
AlotofpeopleIwenttohighschoolwithdidnthavealotofinterestinthedifferentfine
artsprogramssoIwonderedifthatishowthegeneralpublicthoughtaboutthemandbelieved
thattheydidnthavemuchworth.Totestthistheory,Ithoughtthatitwouldbegoodtoruna
surveyabouttheinvolvementmyclassmateshadinthefineartsduringhighschoolandifthey
thoughtthattheydeservedtocontinuetobefundedandexist.Iwasastonishedthatevery
personsaidthatthefineartsdeservedtoexistfornumerousreasons,whetheritgivestheman
activitytheyloveorithelpsforexperiencethatstudentscanputonscholarships.Theimportant
thingtotakeawayisthefactthatthesekidscamefromawidevarietyofbackgroundsandhada
diverseinvolvementwithacademics,athletics,parttimejobs,andfinearts.Peopleknowthatthe
fineartsareimportantandthattheydeservetocontinuetooperate,nomatterhowtheyare
funded.
Iwouldsaythattheevidenceisfairlyclear:thefineartsarenecessaryfortheclassroom.
Itsmuchmorethanacreativeoutletwhenyoulookatallofthefacts:thefineartsprogramshelp
studentscognitivedevelopment,improvetheirreadingandmathskills,helpthemlearnproblem
solving,provideawaytocreatemorediversesocialcirclesaswellasgivestudentsareasonto
workhardinalloftheirclasses.Itseasytoseethatifwecutfundingandletthefineartsdiein
highschool,ourstudentswillsufferbothacademicallyandsocially.Lettinggoofthefineartsis
likelettingourcultureslipthroughourfingersandwherewouldwebewithoutthat?

CornerstoneSection29 FineArtsBudgetCuts JesseHeath

WorksCited

Archuleta,Nadia.(2013,Winter).WhatAretheBenefitsofFineArtsPerformancesforStudents?
Retrievedfrom:
http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/benefitsfineartsperformancesstudents12179.html

finearts.2014.InDictionary.com
RetrievedMarch30,2014.Fromhttp://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fine+art

HowArtHelpsStudents.(2014).RetrievedMarch30,2014from:
http://www.artsedsearch.org/students/researchoverview

Johnson,Nicholas,Oliff,Phil,&Williams,Erica.(2011,February9).AnUpdateonStateBudget
Cuts:AtLeast46StatesHaveimposedCutsThatHurtVulnerableResidentsandtheEconomy.
Retrievedfrom:http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=1214

Respress,Trinetia&Lutfi,Ghazwan.(2006,Spring).TheFineArtswithStudentsatRisk.
Retrievedfrom:
http://reclaimingjournal.com/sites/default/files/journalarticlepdfs/15_1_Respress_Lutfi.pdf

Wyant,Teresa.(2010,May5).Fineartsparticipationbenefitsstudentsinmanyways.
Retrievedfrom:http://www.oriongazette.com/article/20100505/News/305059800/?tag=1

WhyArt?(2013).RetrievedMarch31,2014from:http://www.artinaction.org/w/whyart