Art Programs At My School - 1726 Words

The art programs at my school gave me a family I could have never had otherwise. All artistic classes and extracurricular activities that I have participated in have taught me how to be more engaged in my learning, express myself in a healthy way, give myself constructive criticism, and boost my self-esteem. The arts made me excited to wake up in the morning and go to school. When I am on stage, I am free to do what I love and be whoever I want to be without fear of judgment. I did not just learn about the arts. I have experienced it, I have felt it, I have lived it. The arts are who I am. The arts are essential in schools. United States arts funding comes from direct and indirect public funds, such as the state, regional, and federal†¦show more content†¦In order for the arts to survive in the United States of America, we need to raise the amount per capita and also be sure that the amount is equal for all fifty states. â€Å"Funds have been cut in more than 80 percent of U.S. school districts since 2008. The very first programs to go are often disciplines such as music, art and foreign language† (Boyd). As a student, thinking about going to a school without the opportunity to learn about and enjoy the arts is miserable. The arts create an extraordinary learning, safe, and social environment for students all over the world. Brain research has shown that music improves skills in math and reading, and also promotes creativity, attention, social development, personality adjustment, and self-worth. Music is poetry, so there is no doubt that it can improve skills in reading and language. Also, â€Å"Recent research offers a possibility with much better, science-based support: that focused training in any of the arts strengthens the brain’s attention system, which in turn can improve cognition more generally† (Posner). In 2008, The Dana Foundation published Learning Arts, and the Brain: The Dana Consortium Report on Arts and Cognition. Consortium director, Michael Gazzaniga, Ph.D., also director of the Sage Center for the Study of Mind at the University of California, discussed key highlights of the consortium’s findings of the arts. These