In a time of budget cuts and global economic competition, many pundits and politicians are questioning the wisdom of arts programs in schools. And as elections approach, the debate about the place and value of the arts in our schools and communities is vibrantly on the agenda.
As teachers, directors and those working in the creative arts, we are all too familiar with science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) being considered to be the subjects that have "real value." So, as we go headfirst into election season, let’s consider why the performing arts are so valuable. It’s good to say these things out loud sometimes!
Ask any teacher—or any student—and they'll tell you how important music, visual arts, and drama programs are. They'll tell you that not only do these things give students of all ages a reason to come to class, to get excited about learning, and to find and connect with a real passion inside themselves, but that they also make learning and teaching other subjects more effective.
We're not saying that kids can't get excited or passionate about science, maths, and technology; they can, and many do, and that's fantastic. But no matter where an individual student's interests lie, exposing them early, frequently, and continuously to the arts makes them better able to use their excitement and their passions to contribute to our society.
And the theatre arts hold carry extra weight in this regard.
Building Better Worlds Through Drama Education
More than any other artform, the performing arts enable students—and their teachers—to imagine worlds, relationships, and roles that represent things as they could and should be, and to bring them to life fully-fleshed. Drama provides a safe yet challenging means to explore issues, to look within and without for solutions, to build confidence and compassion for oneself and for others.
Theatre cannot be created, in the classroom or at the professional level, without conscious and concerted collaboration. There is a give and take not only of ideas, but of personalities and of power, that helps every participant build self-esteem and develop an understanding of their intrinsic value. It helps define their worth as part of the whole and as an individual in and of themselves.
Young children play make-believe all the time. They act out the roles of the adults they see as a way of understanding the giants who seem to control the world, and as a way of preparing themselves to be a part of it.
As we grow older, we take on the attitude that make-believe is improper, and that such preparation is futile in a world where we are more powerless than empowered.
It's a sad development, made all the sadder by its falsity.
We can remain empowered, increase our understanding of ourselves and others, and continue to prepare for the changing roles we take on in a changing world, and all it takes is a continued focus on and use of our artistic sensibilities, whether through our professions or our hobbies.
Encouraging this in our youth creates a generation more capable of creating the world they envision. And surely such encouragement is the most essential role of education.
Progress isn't made through a better understanding of the facts. Progress is made through a better application of what we know, and the continued exploration of what we don't. The performing arts promotes this progress in a way no other human endeavour can match. It's time the art form was once again respected as it has been for most of human history, and the classroom is the place to start.