Task 4.D Literature

The Importance of The Arts For Teenagers

Having been involved in the arts my whole life I find it hard to imagine a world without it. Growing up in a creative environment has allowed me to express difficult emotions through the arts and become the person I am today. Spending time with other creative people I believe has made me a more positive person and brought much joy to my daily life. Looking over my inquiry questions and thinking about the topic of conversations they have brought about makes me realise it all comes down to one thing, the importance of the arts especially for teenagers. Working in a secondary school I have to say I feel like I am constantly defending the importance of my subject whilst playing tug of war between other subjects such as Math, English and science.  I feel these subjects get far more credit, when actually I believe performing arts brings about just as much if not more progress and importance in a young person life. Talking to my fellow performing arts colleagues the biggest problem in school is the view of the importance of arts and how whenever something has to give, it falls on our department. For example a classic problem at the moment in our school is space for the dance classes, at the moment they use the main hall but whenever there is a parents evening or event of any kind the dancers are forced into class rooms which are always unsuitable for practical work. This leaves the teachers feeling frustrated and applies great pressure as they only see the students twice a week as a pose to English and maths who see the students 4 times. So my question is this, are the arts really important and if so why do we feel as instructors that others think it’s not? I am currently still looking for more books and literature to support my theory as I have found so many interesting facts just from researching this question, but here is a speech that MP Harriet Herman gave on the performing arts recently which has helped me to narrow down and develop my inquiry questions.

Arts are important for individuals

I think we should talk about rights here.  It is every child’s right to open up and explore their artistic and creative potential which should be a journey which goes on for the rest of their life. It gives them the opportunity to learn to enjoy, understand and make a rich contribution to every aspect of their lives – social, political, economic, psychological. A sense of where they’ve come from historically, a sense of where they’re going; and how they may want to change that and take control of their lives. It helps them in every way to become that unique person that they, and they alone, have the potential to be. So, that being the case,  how, then, can we accept a situation where some get that opportunity and others do not? How can we tolerate cultural exclusion? Creative and cultural learning supports attainment in all subjects including in literacy and maths.And research shows that taking part in arts activities at school can make up for early disadvantage in terms of:
likelihood to progress to further education; employment outcomes; and more general benefits, like participating in society through volunteering and voting. Having an appreciation of, and an engagement with, the arts gives a young person what many of you have described to me as cultural capital - which is important in and of itself, but also contributes to social mobility.

After reading this I find it amazing that not all schools actually offer performing arts. When I went to school we only did a few lessons of drama and there was no dance, dance wasn’t even a GCSE option! Upon searching this question I found another great resource on the effects of performing arts on teenagers, it’s a list of reasons supports the arts for teenagers and the positive effects it can have (Why the arts are important by Dee Dickinson).

Why Are the Arts Important

1. They are languages that all people speak that cut across racial, cultural, social, educational, and economic barriers and enhance cultural appreciation and awareness.

2. They are symbol systems as important as letters and numbers.

3. They integrate mind, body, and spirit.

4. They provide opportunities for self-expression, bringing the inner world into the outer world of concrete reality.

5. They offer the avenue to "flow states" and peak experiences.

6. They create a seamless connection between motivation, instruction, assessment, and practical application--leading to deep understanding.

7. They are an opportunity to experience processes from beginning to end.

8. They develop both independence and collaboration.

9. They provide immediate feedback and opportunities for reflection.

10. They make it possible to use personal strengths in meaningful ways and to bridge into understanding sometimes difficult abstractions through these strengths.

11. They merge the learning of process and content.

12. They improve academic achievement -- enhancing test scores, attitudes, social skills, critical and creative thinking.

13. They exercise and develop higher order thinking skills including analysis, synthesis, evaluation, and "problem-finding."

14. They are essential components of any alternative assessment program.

15. They provide the means for every student to learn

I think there are so many interesting points made by Dee Dickinson especially those about the arts improving student’s attitude, discipline and even academic skills. This is something I think I would like to research more, even if it is only to argue the importance of the arts in the next friendly staff room debate. I also agree with the part about developing students independent and collaborative work, often during my lessons students will work independently, with a partner or as group. Dee also mentions that the arts are the same in every language that cut across racial, cultural, social, educational, and economic barriers and enhance cultural appreciation and awareness, I know this to be very true as I have worked on many different pieces with music from around the world which has sparked an interest with the students and their own curiosity has lead to further research.

Continuing my research and browsing the net I came across a post about the arts in the Washington Post which I found very interesting. Some are challenging the curriculum and pushing to change STEM into STEAM, I did not know this was happening and to be honest had never even thought about it until now, I intend to research this further. Valerie Strauss a reporter for the Washington post wrote this on January 22 2013.

You don’t find school reformers talking much about how we need to train more teachers in the arts, given the current obsession with science, math, technology and engineering (STEM), but here’s a list of skills that young people learn from studying the arts. They serve as a reminder that the arts — while important to study for their intrinsic value — also promote skills seen as important in academic and life success. (That’s why some people talk about changing the current national emphasis on STEM to STEAM.)

Lisa Phillips an author, blog journalist, arts and leadership educator, speaker and business owner talks about the benefits of arts in her books.

1. Creativity – Being able to think on your feet, approach tasks from different perspectives and think ‘outside of the box’ will distinguish your child from others. In an arts program, your child will be asked to recite a monologue in 6 different ways, create a painting that represents a memory, or compose a new rhythm to enhance a piece of music. If children have practice thinking creatively, it will come naturally to them now and in their future career.

2. Confidence – The skills developed through theatre, not only train you how to convincingly deliver a message, but also build the confidence you need to take command of the stage. Theatre training gives children practice stepping out of their comfort zone and allows them to make mistakes and learn from them in rehearsal. This process gives children the confidence to perform in front of large audiences.

3. Problem Solving – Artistic creations are born through the solving of problems. How do I turn this clay into a sculpture? How do I portray a particular emotion through dance? How will my character react in this situation? Without even realizing it kids that participate in the arts are consistently being challenged to solve problems. All this practice problem solving develops children’s skills in reasoning and understanding. This will help develop important problem-solving skills necessary for success in any career.

4. Perseverance – When a child picks up a violin for the first time, she/he knows that playing Bach right away is not an option; however, when that child practices, learns the skills and techniques and doesn’t give up, that Bach concerto is that much closer. In an increasingly competitive world, where people are being asked to continually develop new skills, perseverance is essential to achieving success.

5. Focus – The ability to focus is a key skill developed through ensemble work. Keeping a balance between listening and contributing involves a great deal of concentration and focus. It requires each participant to not only think about their role, but how their role contributes to the big picture of what is being created. Recent research has shown that participation in the arts improves children’s abilities to concentrate and focus in other aspects of their lives.

6. Non-Verbal Communication – Through experiences in theatre and dance education, children learn to breakdown the mechanics of body language. They experience different ways of moving and how those movements communicate different emotions. They are then coached in performance skills to ensure they are portraying their character effectively to the audience.

7. Receiving Constructive Feedback – Receiving constructive feedback about a performance or visual art piece is a regular part of any arts instruction. Children learn that feedback is part of learning and it is not something to be offended by or to be taken personally. It is something helpful. The goal is the improvement of skills and evaluation is incorporated at every step of the process. Each arts discipline has built in parameters to ensure that critique is a valuable experience and greatly contributes to the success of the final piece.

8. Collaboration – Most arts disciplines are collaborative in nature. Through the arts, children practice working together, sharing responsibility, and compromising with others to accomplish a common goal. When a child has a part to play in a music ensemble, or a theatre or dance production, they begin to understand that their contribution is necessary for the success of the group. Through these experiences children gain confidence and start to learn that their contributions have value even if they don’t have the biggest role.

9. Dedication – When kids get to practice following through with artistic endeavours that result in a finished product or performance, they learn to associate dedication with a feeling of accomplishment. They practice developing healthy work habits of being on time for rehearsals and performances, respecting the contributions of others, and putting effort into the success of the final piece. In the performing arts, the reward for dedication is the warm feeling of an audience’s applause that comes rushing over you, making all your efforts worthwhile.

10. Accountability – When children practice creating something collaboratively they get used to the idea that their actions affect other people. They learn that when they are not prepared or on-time, that other people suffer. Through the arts, children also learn that it is important to admit that you made a mistake and take responsibility for it. Because mistakes are a regular part of the process of learning in the arts, children begin to see that mistakes happen. We acknowledge them, learn from them and move on.

Problem solving, perseverance and focus, these are all things I believe students apply when taking part in the arts. When I am teaching dance I will always leave a section of time for the students to create their own work, this can be frustrating for them but ensures they are developing their confidence, problem solving skills, perseverance and focus. I though what Valerie Strauss said about Children learn that feedback is part of learning and it is not something to be offended by or to be taken personally was a very important point to make. Through teaching dance and drama I know I am constantly giving feedback throughout the lesson and my students are grateful for it. For new students feedback  on areas to improve may be a little upsetting or make them feel downhearted but as the lessons progress t hey understand it is a natural part of the learning process and welcome it with open arms.

So far I have only found three pieces of literature on the topic of the importance of the arts for teenager but I have so many new lines of inquiry and many more questions I feel I need to research.