Fund the Arts...or Fear my Wrath!

It is no secret that I am a passionate supporter of the Arts, especially music. Unfortunately, we live in a world that does not always agree with my belief that art, theater, and music are crucial to a have a well rounded and cultural school which embraces the passions of all the students. With a school's pressure to raise test scores and being forced to meet that standards enforced by the No Child Left Behind Act the Arts programs are slowly diminishing, if not being wiped out completely, in some severe cases. The belief supporting the funding of the arts is one which I am deeply committed, not simply because of my past and present, as I am currently involved in many of the arts programs, but on another level, the idea of keeping the arts in flourish is one that affects my future as well. I would fight relentlessly to keep music and art alive in schools as a student and later as a teacher.

If test scores are down, punishing the children is not going to motivate them to learn their academic subjects because there is no longer that rewarding class that makes school worth getting up for each morning. I say lets teach to the student's passion and interest, not just to the test that teachers are forced to build their curriculum around, trapping their expression and the desires of the students. How can one put a price on someone's passion? Just because there is no state test for the subjects can we simply push them under the rug? As a student, my family and I are members of VH1's Save the Music Foundation where we donate money so that hopefully this threat will never become an unchangeable and permanent reality. Even more so, if for any reason the funding was cut for our arts programs I would take drastic measures of protest and rallying to make my voice heard. I would put my reputation on the line and give my all to the cause, because without music, I have no future.

Hopefully, one day I will be a music teacher, giving private lessons or directing a band on a high school or college level. I need to make sure that when my time comes to go into the real world and pass on my knowledge of music, there is a job out there waiting for me. Luckily there are so many programs owned by commercial companies and even government funding that is stepping up to keep such programs in motion. The arts are not simply facts to memorize and equations to solve; they are an interpretation of emotion driven by our culture. The belief that music and art are essential to all school systems is one of strength and action. I know far too many talented people who have blossomed through the support and encouragement of the arts department. In our graduating class alone there are talented artists, fashion designers, musicians, photographers, dancers, actors, and vocalists who would never have known the talent they possessed without taking classes in school that supplied them with the opportunities to explore all their potential to uncover a hidden talent. Now, in a school where such opportunities never exist, children are deprived of exploring all possible careers paths and for those that have them taken away, those who were considering such a career path can no longer compete with the rest of the world that has continued to grow around them.

The arts are not only crucial to be pursued as a profession for students, but also consider the emotional outlet and how important that can in a student's life, regardless of their talents. Very few students rush into math class and breathe a sigh of relief because solving the equation calms them and they can unleash all their pent up emotions (well not everyone, though I can think of a few sad individuals who shall remain nameless). However, think of a time when you perhaps played an instrument for fun or drew some doodles after a test, it can be a very relaxing or emotional experience that is enjoyable and a change from the high stress competitive atmosphere of the academic portion of school. Art class is a place to unleash one's creativity, not to make everything precise, although some do. The teachers are not there to criticize your technique, but guide and encourage your inspiration. Of course every class has some form of structure, to play music one must know the fundamentals of scales, but it’s what one does with those fundamentals that allows for the creativity to be unleashed. Whether an individual is a musical virtuoso or a prodigy painter, that is not always the importance of such programs, the emotional aspect of the arts can relieve the anxiety of the day and perhaps even improve test scores as student feel more comfortable in a school setting.

The merits of keeping the arts alive in school go well beyond the idea of simply being fair and looking as if the school is diverse and embraces culture. Those elements are crucial, but the benefits that it can have on the students are even more important. In my life there is no cause more worthy of my attention than that of keeping the arts alive so that when my time comes I can take my place among the elite to pass on my passion and knowledge to a new generation that can go to school each day not only to learn, but to feel and grow on another level beyond information but emotion. The smooth stroke of the paintbrush and the flow of a simple melody can go along way and reach the youth of each generation on a personal level and gives them an outlet to express who they are whether they pursue this professionally of simply just for enjoyment, the important thing is they option is available to all students so they can make that decision with a well rounded background of all the world has to offer.