State Superintendent's Web Message Archive

The arts are not a luxury; they are essential

As a former music teacher, drama director, district fine arts coordinator, and principal of a creative arts magnet school, I know the critical value of music and the other arts for all youth and adults.

Students who are involved in the arts learn what it means to be part of a small community: a community where everyone is important and has something to contribute. This camaraderie and collaboration can have an amazing impact on students. The arts are a powerful means for youth and adults to learn about themselves and develop skills for life.

Consider the work of Frances Rauscher, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. She studied behavior in the various subject areas in our schools in her research on the relationship between music and intellectual development. She observed that during a performance, musicians constantly assess progress, make adjustments, and improve results, turning their thoughts into action. In no other subject Rauscher studied were students called upon to make four or five decisions per second and act on them continuously for long stretches of time.

Theater, drawing, painting, design, dance, writing, and other artistic pursuits help students stretch their creativity, hone their critical thinking skills, exercise their decision making, practice diligence, develop their ability to articulate what they believe, and gain the confidence to take risks. Whether working alone or in a group, students who study the arts develop a cluster of skills that Wisconsin business people tell us our young people will need to work and compete in the 21st century. Statewide business leaders, when asked what skills and knowledge they would advise an eighth-grade student to develop in preparing to work for their company five to 10 years from now, cited critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, adaptability, team building, communication, and personal responsibility as important for success.

As much as the arts capture beauty, touch the soul, and inspire the mind to envision new solutions, a report from Americans for the Arts puts the value of the arts in dollars and cents. The group's report, “Arts and Economic Prosperity III,” found that the nonprofit arts and culture industry generates more than $166 billion in economic activity and supports 5.7 million full-time jobs annually in the United States. In Wisconsin, arts and culture generate $418 million in local economic activity annually.

Between the important 21st century skills the arts develop in our students and the economic benefit of the arts and culture industry, we have ample reason to sustain and support arts education in our schools. The present and future quality of life in our state and world depends on people who have vision, passion, and the confidence to take risks: qualities the arts help to develop in our students. The arts are not a luxury; they are essential.

November 29, 2007 -- Return to message archive index

For questions about this information, contact Debra A. Bougie (608) 266-1598

Last updated on 2/26/2008 10:38:37 AM