Last fall, I wrote a series of articles about the importance of art in education. As I previously mentioned, art education has been severely limited in the schools over the past 20-30 years. Budget cuts, state curriculum mandates, and a public perception that while the arts are lovely, they are not essential, have all contributed to the decline in art education.
As you know, I believe that art education is critical to student success and research is now clearly proving this. Studies show that students who are highly engaged in the arts are four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement, including higher GPA/SAT scores and improvement in spatial-temporal IQ scores. Math scores are also dramatically higher by grade 12. In addition, self-confidence and ability to express oneself is significantly improved.
Interestingly, a National Center for Education survey showed that in 2009-10, 1.3 million elementary students in the United States had no access to music instruction and 3.9 million had no access to a visual arts class. The numbers for dance and drama classes are even worse.
Thanks to extensive research about the impact of art in education, the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, the White House Domestic Policy Council, the U.S. Department of Education and the National Endowment for the Arts, along with several private companies including the Ford Foundation, Crayola, Inktel and many others, have stepped up to provide funding and expertise for arts activities in the schools for children and young people.
Support is also beginning to happen at the state level. The bottom line is that we simply cannot afford to allow kids to go through school without an arts education. They will grow into more self-confident, well-rounded individuals if we will provide the proper studies in this area.
So, I am excited to share with you ways in which the UAFS Academy of the Arts is getting involved to encourage more art in education. Last spring, I began visiting with public school officials about the need for after-school arts programs at the school site for elementary-age children. The interest was overwhelming.
Principals and other leaders in the Arkansas/Oklahoma area recognize that although arts activities are built into the school day curriculum, there is certainly a need for additional activities. In the fall of 2013, the Academy, in partnership with several area elementary schools, launched an after-school on-site program of arts classes to students in grades 3-6 as a means of providing many more opportunities for students to get connected to the arts. The response has been amazing, and I believe it is one of the best services the Academy provides to this region.
Here is how it works: The Academy provides top-quality professional instructors who go to specific school sites for a weekly class. Students are invited to enroll in the class by their principal or music instructor. Students who are admitted to the program must commit to attending every week for the entire semester. As many as 30 students per class get to participate.
Currently, the Academy offers classes in dance, drama and children’s choir. These three activities are typically not offered at the elementary level, so they are a perfect fit for most schools. The school officials get to choose the activities that work best at their school. Some schools have even chosen to offer more than one activity.
Several positive things are coming from this new program that I would like to share.
1. Students participating in this program typically would not get to participate at the Academy on campus because they do not have transportation. Parents pick up their child after work at the school site.
2. Students are getting hands-on training in arts programs that are not normally part of the school day curriculum at that age. This allows for students to be more prepared for junior high and high school level arts programs.
3. The discipline, self-confidence and communication skills that develop in these children who participate are extraordinary. These skills will last a lifetime and will ultimately help students to improve academically.
4. Performances at the school and at UAFS, and in some cases tours, are built into this program. Students love this because it makes them feel special. Parents, family and friends get to hear their child perform during the semester.
5. UAFS college students also assist in this program. College students who have an interest or background in dance, drama and music are paired with our professional instructors and work directly with the students and instructor weekly in the classroom. This has been such a great opportunity for UAFS students, particularly those who are planning to be teachers.
6. Literally hundreds of children are going to be participating in this program as it develops over the next few years.
So, not only are many more students getting an opportunity to participate in the arts, we are identifying lots of students who have real artistic talent. Some of them are even getting connected to our on-campus Academy programs for further specialized activities. It’s a winning situation all the way around.
So before we end today, let me remind you that the Academy’s company of 28 teenagers will premiere the Arkansas performance of “Shrek the Musical” April 12-13 at the Breedlove Auditorium. Based on the Oscar-winning DreamWorks’ film that started it all, the hilarious story of everyone’s favorite ogre comes to dazzling new life on the stage. In a faraway kingdom turned upside down, things get ugly when an unseemly ogre — not a handsome prince — shows up to rescue a feisty princess. Throw in a donkey who won’t shut up, a bad guy with a short temper, a cookie with an attitude and more than a dozen other fairy tale misfits, and you’ve got the kind of mess that calls for a real hero — Shrek. This show is full of all-new songs, great dancing and hilarious characters along with great sets and amazing costumes. — “Shrek the Musical” is part romance, part twisted fairy tale and a whole bunch of fun for the entire family to enjoy.
Show times are April 12 at 2 and 7 p.m. and April 13 at 2 p.m. Tickets are available at the UAFS Box Office at 788-7300, online at uafs.edu, and at the door.
Rosilee Walker Russell is the executive director of the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith Academy of Arts. Contact her at email@example.com or call 788-7546.