Cut off Fine Arts and Sever Success

At a time when the world is so full of violence, sorrow, and hopelessness, why should we deprive our students of the one thing that may help them escape from this repetitious misery? The fine arts programs are not only another class to fill up your schedule, they are an outlet from what may seem a bleak existence to a life filled with creativity and excitement.

Fine arts, such as music, drama, or painting, often give students who otherwise do poorly in school, an opportunity to excel. There are many students who may not fully comprehend concepts in subjects such as math or science, but are given the chance to show that they are intelligent by their performance in some fine arts courses. Who is to say that intelligence is only measured in physics exams and geometry finals? The ability to create wonderful works of art, such as those created by Rembrandt or Picasso may very well be a sign of genius. If we take fine arts programs out of our schools, we may crush these creative geniuses before they are given the opportunity to grow to their full potential.

Those who are critics of the fine arts claim that more attention should be paid to academics and less to music lessons. Because of this, when it’s time to make budget cuts, fine arts are the first placed on the altar to sacrifice. If those who believe fine arts to be mere distractions took the time to do their homework, they would find that studies have proven that those students, who play a musical instrument, usually have higher grades as a result.

When taking all of this into consideration, how can we even think of cutting out these vital programs? When our goal is the students’ success, why should we thwart that path by taking away the keys that would unlock the door?