- The Case for Arts and the Humanities
in Youth Development
-
- Organized youth activities can deter risky behavior in
adolescents,
- according to a recent national study. Students who participate
in
- band, orchestra, chorus or a school play, for example,
are
- significantly less likely than nonparticipants to drop out of
school,
- be arrested, use drugs or engage in binge drinking.
Unfortunately,
- this same study also notes that today's most vulnerable youth
spend
- less time in activities like these and are therefore deprived
of their
- benefits.
-
- Quality youth programs, whether organized around the arts and
the
- humanities, sports, science or outdoor exploration, are a
crucial
- source of supportive relationships and vital experiences. Arts
and
- humanities programs are particularly potent in promoting
youth
- development. We see this most clearly in educational
settings
- when the arts and the humanities are fully integrated into
the
- curriculum.
-
- Several integrated educational models currently exist in the
United
- States. The Duke Ellington School of the Arts in the District
of
- Columbia provides its high school students, most of whom
come
- from disadvantaged backgrounds, with the chance to attend
a
- school where academics and the arts share the school day
equally.
- In Kansas City, 7 public school districts, 11 arts
organizations and
- 35 donors have banded together across state lines to form
Arts
- Partners, an initiative to integrate community arts resources
into
- the school curriculum. Schools benefiting from this approach
have
- seen the transforming effect of the arts and the humanities on
the
- quality of education and on student achievement.
-
- While humanities disciplines such as history, literature and
language
- have long been accepted as part of the standard school
curriculum, the
- enlightened educator who understands the value of the arts has
had
- insufficient educational theory and research upon which to
base his or
- her insight. In the last several years, this gap has begun to
close.
-
- Studies are exploring the role of arts education in the
development
- of higher order thinking skills, problem-solving ability
and
- increased motivation to learn. Other studies are finding
- correlations between arts education and improvements in
academic
- performance and standardized test scores, increases in
student
- attendance and decreases in school drop-out rates. The
following
- points elaborate on the important ways culture counts in
the
- development of children and youth.
-
- The arts and the humanities draw upon a range of intelligences
and
- learning styles. Experts believe that people do not possess a
single
- general intelligence, but several different kinds:
linguistic,
- musical, logical-mathematical, spatial,
bodily-kinesthetic,
- interpersonal and intrapersonal.2 Schools by and large focus
on
- linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligences. In so
doing,
- America's educational institutions may consign many children
to under-
- achievement and failure. As eminent psychologist Howard
Gardner
- notes, "[S]tudents with strengths in the spatial,
musical, or personal
- spheres may find school far more demanding than students who
happen to
- possess the "text-friendly" blend of linguistic and
logical
- intelligences.
-
- The arts and the humanities provide children with different
ways to
- process cognitive information and express their own
knowledge.
- Using processes different from traditional approaches, the
arts and
- humanities provide children with unique methods for
developing
- skills and organizing knowledge. Each arts and humanities
- discipline has its own distinct symbol system, whether it
is
- nonverbal, as with music or dance, or uses language in a
particular
- way, as with creative writing or oral history. Exposure to
these
- alternate systems of symbols engages the mind, requiring
analysis,
- synthesis, evaluation and application.
-
- The arts have the potential to enhance academic performance.
The
- arts give youngsters a richer reservoir of information upon
which
- to draw in pursuing other subjects, such as reading,
writing,
- mathematics and history. "Drawing helps writing. Song and
poetry
- make facts memorable. Drama makes history more vivid and
real.
- Creative movement makes processes understandable."
-
- By honing nonverbal skills such as perception, imagination
and
- creativity, the arts also develop vocabulary, metaphorical
language,
- observation and critical thinking skills. The elements of
sound,
- movement, space, line, shape and color are all concepts
related to
- other subject areas such as math and science. The concepts
taught
- in the arts permeate other scholastic disciplines, and a
child's
- comprehension of an artistic concept can extend across
the
- academic curriculum.
-
- Furthermore, the teaching methods used in many arts and
- humanities programs provide alternative approaches to
learning.
- For example, some children can process and retain
information
- more effectively when they learn by doing, engage in
apprentice-
- like relationships and use technology such as in computer
graphics
- and videography.
-
- The arts and the humanities spur and deepen the development
of
- creativity. By their very nature, the arts and the humanities
place a
- premium on discovery and innovation, originality and
imagination. As
- such, they can be powerful vehicles for stimulating creativity
in
- young people, a valuable trait throughout their lives.
-
- Businesses today increasingly look for workers who can think
and
- create. Clifford V. Smith, Jr., president of the GE Fund, is
typical
- when he says, "Developing business leaders starts in school.
Not in
- assembly-line schooling, but rather through the dynamic
processes
- that the arts-in-education experience provides."
-
- The arts and the humanities provide critical tools for
children and
- youth as they move through various developmental stages.
- Preschool children, before they are fluent in language,
are
- powerfully affected by music, visual arts and dance.
Preschoolers
- can paint, color, mold clay, sing songs, and dance in order
to
- convey feelings and ideas. These activities encourage
young
- children to express themselves and learn through the use
of
- nonverbal symbols.
-
- Teenagers struggle with issues of identity, independence,
- competency and social role. The arts help to mediate this
- confusion. Creative art activity allows the adolescent to
gain
- mastery over internal and external landscapes by
discovering
- mechanisms for structure and containment that arise from
within,
- rather than being imposed from outside. The artistic
experience
- entails repetition of actions, thoughts or emotions, over
which the
- adolescent gains increased tolerance or mastery. While
providing a
- means to express pain and unfulfilled longings during a
distinct
- maturational phase, the arts simultaneously engage the
competent,
- hopeful and healthy aspects of the adolescents' being.
-
- Similarly, the humanities encourage youth to read, write
and
- express themselves in a disciplined way.
-
- Changes in body image may be expressed through movement
and
- dance. Drama offers the opportunity to explore identity
by
- integrating childhood roles and experimenting with future
- possibilities. Music expresses emotional dissonance and
volatility.
- The visual arts provide a vehicle for translating inner
experiences
- to outward visual images. Writing and oral history projects
bring a
- greater understanding of one's family and neighborhood.
-
- The arts and the humanities teach the value of discipline
and
- teamwork and the tangible rewards each can bring. When
- children's efforts culminate in a performance or exhibition,
they
- have a chance to experience meaningful public affirmation,
which
- provides them with some degree of celebrity. For those
few
- minutes, children are in their own eyes every bit as important
as
- anybody-any TV, sports, music, movie or video idol.
-
- This can be an experience of particular potency for
youngsters
- whose lives are primarily characterized by anonymity and
failure.
-
- The arts and the humanities provide youth with a different
perspective
- on their own lives, a chance to imagine a different outcome
and to
- develop a critical distance from everyday life. For one adult
poet, a
- well-known children's book allowed her to envision a different
world
- from the abusive one in which she lived as a child. At a
conference
- for adults learning to read, she recalled this experience,
held up
- Smokey and the Cowhorse and said, "This is the book that saved
my
- life." Victor Swenson, executive director of the Vermont
Council on
- the Humanities, elaborates: "It [the book] represented
a world outside
- of her own circumstances; a world of honor and honesty, love
and
- loyalty and bad luck and good luck. It gave her something
outside of
- her own experience. And she could see that there was a way
out."
-
- Developing cultural literacy in children and youth gives them
a
- sense of perspective as they participate in traditions of
expression
- from which they learn and to which they can contribute.
As
- humanist John William Ward wrote in 1985,
"[H]umanistic
- learning is centered on the individual who has important
questions
- about self and society. To learn some of the answers to
those
- questions means the fullest and richest and most
imaginative
- development of every single self."
-
- A respected gang-interventionist writes, "One of the most
natural
- and effective vehicles for gang members is the road of the
arts,
- especially theater. New values only emerge through new
- experiences, and the arts provide a unique laboratory where
truth
- and possibility can be explored safely. Validating emotional
safety
- is everything."
-
- Because dance, music, photography and other visual arts
transcend
- language, they can bridge barriers among cultural, racial and
ethnic
- groups. The arts also can promote a deeper understanding
of
- similarities and differences among religions, races and
cultural
- traditions. For some children, the exploration of their
unique
- cultural histories can be critical to their sense of
themselves and to
- others' images of them. This knowledge can help bind them more
fully
- to the larger society of which they are a part.
-
- The arts and the humanities are a critical part of a
complete
- education. The true worth of cultural knowledge transcends any
of
- its specific applications.
-
- Source: Coming Up Taller, a report about youth arts
programs
- by the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities
- http://www.cominguptaller.org
-
-
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