Satterfield 1

Lukas Satterfield

Nikki Bliss Carol

ENG-112

06/30/2019

Art Regression: Why the Arts Programs are Necessary in Education

Music. This one word is so powerful. Music can have an undeniably positive effect on

almost all aspects of human life. Anyone involved in music will say nothing but positive things

about their experience from their beginner days to their mastery level. Music can be quite an

enjoyable hobby. As shown by many studies, arts programs improve the minds of our youth in

many ways. The benefits of the arts program are confidence, creativity, and academics; however,

some governments harbor the opinion that there are a lot of better things to pour government

money in to and cost less. Music is undoubtedly improving the lives of children as well as adults

day in and day out.

Our arts programs provide the youth with many benefits that include things like math,

science, history, motor skills, understanding and mental quickness. (Vitale) There have been

multiple music studies to link music to an enhanced life in plenty of ways. It has been well

documented that music can create a huge change in emotions, bring back an old memory, and

even enhance the speed in which our children can grasp new information. (Vitale) Most

importantly, music has many long-lasting intellectual effects. Music all around gives everyone an

opportunity to better themselves in many important aspects of life. Without these programs,

students’ growth and emotional well-being could take a toll. (Kuzki) The understanding of the

unified language of music could become just another piece of overlooked history. To prevent
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this, the board should make it mandatory for schools to have a music program to offer their well

deserving and hardworking students.

Some governments of today sadly never see the true value of these programs. There are

some that are talking about not giving grants for arts programs and then there are some that have

already gone along with the process of killing them off. Although this should be a nonpartisan

decision, it seems a lot of the conservative parties around the world are the ones that are adopting

this idea. "The cuts are largely driven by an ideology to shrink the federal government and

decentralize power. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, argues that government

should not use its “coercive power of taxation” to fund arts and humanities programs that are

neither “necessary nor prudent.” The federal government, in other words, has no business

supporting culture” (Knochel) Although this point makes it seem as if they are defunding just

national museums and things, a cut in this funding would also mean the money in the federal

reserve for arts would be cut so no money would be given to public schools to support their

recreational and historical arts programs. In Canada, they were faced with a similar situation that

could be presented to the U.S. “For the most part, they fail to recognize the research which

supports music as a necessary core subject. In so doing, education fails to address the broad

concept of a culture which includes music - a culture which is supposed to be the core, the basis,

of an all-encompassing education system. Although research supports the values of music in

education, it alone will have little impact on Canadian education.” (Hills) This quote from an

article gives America a little taste of what it would feel like to have a country with no arts

programs. It gives just an example of how lifeless a town, city, or even a state could be with no

community or school arts programs at any sort of level. Even if it is taken for granted, the world

without any sort of arts programs would feel like an empty and lifeless atmosphere.
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While some governments want to get rid of arts programs, some schools also agree with

this proposition but for different reasons than the government advocates. In a book written by

Ryan D. Shaw from a Michigan State research facility, he states “There are many other academic

classes we can pour school funding into rather than what some students abuse as a free class.”

(Shaw) Shaw was not the first person to come up with this idea, this is something that some

schools across all of America feel and believe is true. The main argument to be found within

schools that want to defund arts programs is that they would rather put their money towards

athletic programs or more rigorous academic courses. Some schools today just don’t think that

societies youth can succeed through a music program like they do athletics or rigorous

academics. On the contrary, there are also schools that do not agree with this thinking. These

schools have done their research and are doing anything they can to keep their programs alive.

For example, John L.Vitale, a worker in the school system himself, composed an article on

everything music can do for our youth. “Musical instruction influences a child's perceptual and

literacy skills, numeracy, intellectual development, general attainment, and creativity. Similarly,

Schellenberg (2006, 2004) found that IQ can be associated positively with musical instruction.”

(Vitale) He then goes on to elaborate with different sources of research to support the claim that

music can be just as rewarding as another academic class to a child’s brain. Music can also be a

very fun recreational activity so children wouldn’t have another academic class to be stressed out

about if they had some sort of arts class in that spot. Their education would not suffer either

because of all the great things these arts classes can do for the brains of our youth.

Some governments and local facilities advocate shutting down for other reasons as well.

“We needed to cut costs because of declining attendance revenues and rising costs.” (Leong)

With this, it is clear some institutions feel that there can be so much more intellectual ground
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covered without an arts program taking a huge chunk of money from the school and government.

This can especially be said if there is not a sizable attendance at their performances or

competitions. However, the cost that issues these benefits to the children are well worth it.

“Music is an important developmental connection to one's society and to one's inner self which

also connects and integrates all the other arts. Indeed, music is a means by which an individual

can assimilate internally the many key concepts of one's culture and express them personally.”

(Hills) Without music or any arts, children may not be able to express themselves as easily and

slowly become just a number on a grade sheet.

Society needs to -ensure that we have music classes available for all the passionate or

curious students wanting to pursue their dreams. Even if it is not for the kids with a dream, it can

be for the enhanced test taking, motor, science, math, and comprehension skills that can better

the minds of our youth. Everyone should try to do their part and write letters to school boards

and local government officials urging them to create and fund more musical education programs.

It is also important to vote in officials that back this issue. A student's future success -can come

down to each letter that a caring person in our society may write. The world is obviously losing

its arts, and putting it back into schools is the first step to a world bustling with unique creations

for any genre of arts.

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Works Cited

Emily-Jane, Hills O. "A Place for Music: The Importance of Music Education in the

Public School System (Elementary Grades 1-6)." The Canadian Music Educator, vol. 48,

no. 4, 2007, pp. 38-41. ProQuest,

https://login.proxy039.nclive.org/loginurl=https://search.proquest.com/docview/2311878

83?accountid=10163.

Knochel, Aaron D. "Why do Conservatives Want the Government to Defund the

Arts?" University Wire, Feb 05, 2017. ProQuest,

https://login.proxy039.nclive.org/loginurl=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1865210

954?accountid=10163.

Kuzik, Adam. "Do we Need Music in our Schools?" ATA Magazine,

vol. 90, no. 3, 2010, pp. 18-19. ProQuest,

https://login.proxy039.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/231470

22?accountid=10163.
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Leong, Melissa. "National Gallery Cuts Arts Programs." National Post, May 19,

2010. ProQuest,

https://login.proxy039.nclive.org/loginurl=https://search.proquest.com/docview/3114717

85?accountid=10163.

Shaw, Ryan D. The Vulnerability of Urban Elementary School Arts Programs: A

Case Study, Michigan State University, Ann Arbor, 2015. ProQuest,

https://login.proxy039.nclive.org/loginurl=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1713682

548?accountid=10163.

Vitale, John L. "Music Makes You Smarter: A New Paradigm for Music Education?

Perceptions and Perspectives from Four Groups of Elementary Education

Stakeholders." Canadian Journal of Education, vol. 34, no. 3, 2011, pp. 317-343.

ProQuest,

https://login.proxy039.nclive.org/loginurl=https://search.proquest.com/docview/9032025

77?accountid=10163.
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