I'd like to reply first to the MENC SAT scores article, which I have referenced in my college teaching since its publication. But I reference it with quite a large grain of salt. Just looking at the higher SAT scores is not enough - there is a major, unmeasured variable that must be considered, which falls into the "which came first, the chicken or the egg?" realm: that is, we don't know whether those higher SAT-scoring theatre (and other arts) students got those scores because of being in the arts, or whether students who are in the arts are the kinds of students who get higher SAT scores. So I think it is not that productive to simply quote the stats as if to imply that if a child is involved in the arts h/she is likely to score higher on the SAT.
That said, there is a ton of research, largely overlooked by education powers, I am distressed to say, that tells us that when students participate in the arts both in school and outside of school, they learn better, feel better about themselves, and have more empathy towards others. This is in direct conflict with the current "Race to Nowhere" (see the film if you haven't already) mindset of damning critical thinking in favor of testing, testing, testing. From my vantage point, sadly, I don't see any of that changing in the near future.
Which brings me to my next reply: my vantage point: I am a musician, with 35+ years as a teacher in singing, theatre, classroom music pre-K through adults, and an array of other arts-related "hats" that I wear. My newest hat these past ten years, is that of an Independent Education Consultant, working with high school students on their college search and application processes. Part of my preparation for this career was taking a Certificate in College Admissions through UCLA. Calling on my experiences through the years, I specialize in working with performing arts students. There are many myths that float around,dealing with whether to take arts courses in favor of AP's, IB's, and such. There are no black and white, hard, cold answers to that conundrum.
The fact is that there are schools that want to see that students have taken "the most rigorous academic program" (a phrase used by many colleges) that is offered in a student's high school. There are many factors, as in that "points system" noted on this post, that are taken into account. One course in and of itself, may or may not be a deal-breaker, depending on the colleges the student is applying to. Students have to try to create a carefully balanced picture of themselves, especially if they are applying to really highly selective schools, such as the Ivies or co-Ivies, such as Duke or Stanford. For those kinds of schools a student would be much better off taking and ace-ing huge numbers of high academic courses, including 4 years of Foreign Language, yet also showing, in extra-curriculars (or by giving up sleep or lunch periods!) strong interest in a few focus areas, plus of course gobs of time in community service activities (which could certainly be theater or arts-based) and basically looking like Superman. And even those accomplishments are no guarantee of admission.
In schools that are less competitive (which is about 90% of the rest of the schools in this country) a student does need to show academic prowess but does not need to show that level of all-academics-all-the-time, and can perhaps make other choices of courses that would include high level arts courses. College admissions reps have said time and time again that they are more concerned with unweighted GPA's but often look at both weighted and unweighted, and sometimes even recalculate a student's GPA in their own model, for comparison.
Students who are arts/humanities-bound in college can possibly get away with taking HS courses that align more closely with their artistic and career goals. These students should look at applying to schools that will value their interests and use a more holistic admission process.
And yes, I agree, med schools nowadays are very interested in students who have arts backgrounds, but not to the exclusion of the bio, chem and other science/math pre-requisites.
Students, teachers and counselors don't always understand this "dance of the college application" process, hence the myths and confusion. But it is a confusing process, no doubt, and puts huge pressure on everyone.
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Amy Goldin
COPA, Inc.: College Options in the Performing Arts
www.performingartsoptions.com -------------------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 03-10-2014 08:01
From: Jeanette Arvay-Beck
Subject: Changing a mindset
A study done by MENC in1999 showed that among the arts, directing scenes and plays increased SAT SCORES the most. So we started doing senior directed one act play festival. We started with 2 seniors and just finished with 16. The scope of the project enables the senior to enact their personal vision of their choice of one act. Teacher acts as producer, with final say. Each student receives sufficient funds which vary from year to year. All seniors are required to be at all performances, whether to do tech or Foh. They create the show portfolio, the publicity, the rehearsal schedules, etc.
With creative problem solving high on colleges and technical colleges list of desired applicants, this performance project has served many students in the application process.
When the guidance department receives feedback from colleges, they schedule theatre IVhonors so that it will not conflict with too many AP classes. Theatre is math and English in motion. The portfolio students often take to interviews. That was the tipping point for a student lady year when she interviewed at Brown.
Several helpful Teaching theatre articles on prompt books and lesson plans on this subject can be found in archives.
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Jeanette Arvay-Beck
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