The l of the AImagination
is more important thanragon and Performing Arts require thatImagination
is more important
"IMAGINATION
is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited;
IMAGINATION
encircles the world." Albert Einstein
Why
Study Art?
What does recent research*
say about the arts and academics?
" Since the early 1970's, when
financial constraints forced schools to reduce programs, the
arts have taken the brunt and were severely cut or eliminated.
Extensive research during the past decade now confirms the arts
improve academic and personal success. The arts are vital to
a complete education, and education policy makers now realize
this."
Students involved in the arts
are more motivated, more imaginative and show more critical thinking
skills than those who are not
Arts students outperform
their non-arts peers on the SAT
"Arts rich"
students, particularly from low-income backgrounds, outperform
"arts poor" students in other academic subjects
*From An Arts Education
Research Compendium California Arts Council, 2001
Arts
& Education
High school students who take
four years of Arts score 100 points higher on the SAT.
Teaching reading
and writing, math and science are essential, but not enough to
equip our children to complete for the best jobs in the future.
The Arts teach the very skills essential for success in the new
global market place: risk -taking, out of the box creative thinking,
team problem solving, excellence as the standard, and academic
discipline.
Kids who are involved
in the arts have improved self-esteem and are less likely to
skip school or engage in disruptive classroom behavior. You can't
tech reading and writing to kids who aren't in school or who
don't care.
Kids who take Arts
have improved attention spans, increased interest in school and
foundations of success on which to build.
There is growing
evidence that involvement in music helps students understand
and perform better in math.
Students involved in drama and
theater have increased reading/comprehension levels.
68% of Californians polled say
that the Arts are equal to or more important than academic subjects.*
74% say that the Arts improve
the quality of children's overall education.*
71% say the Arts help children
develop strong social skills.*
64% say the Arts make children
better citizens.*
63% say the Arts help prepare
children for college.*
Students involved in dance programs
have improved spatial reasoning skills.*
Participation in the Arts promotes
tolerance for other cultures and reduces tensions between disparate
groups.*
The Arts are about working together,
about communication, about bridges and connections.
The Arts are for
everyone.
*Public Opinion
Survey-BRS Group -2001
Arts
& The Economy
The Arts generate 2.5 billion
a year in economic activity (not counting the entertainment industry).
The Arts provide
over 200,000 job and contribute over $100 million annually to
local and state tax coffers.
Cultural tourism
is the fastest growing sector of the travel industry. And tourism
is one of the state's major economic engines.
The
Arts Are Everywhere
There are 1,200 + Theater companies,
210 Orchestras, 600 Dance troupes and 520 Museums in California.
More than 10 million
people attended Art Fairs and Festivals every year in California
There are more artists
living and working in California than any other state in the
nation.
California has more
Artists in Residences than any other state.
Reprinted in
part from the:
San Francisco
Chronicle Magazine, Sunday, October 7, 2001
YOU are the most powerful voice
for change!
For more information
contact the California Arts Council or www.cac.ca.gov
www.culturevista.org
SMARTS, The California
State PTA and California Alliance for Arts Education (CAAE)SMARTS,
The California State PTA and California Alliance for Arts Education
(CAAE) have designed a workshop presentation to instruct groups.
Contact caae@artsed411.org
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