Academic Benefits from the Arts
Paintings of vivid artwork and playing of melodic music and takings of photos. These important experiences from art programs benefit students. Unfortunately, some schools around the nation reduce these fundamental art programs due to financial difficulties. However, these programs not only produce wonderful experiences and products but also improve academic performance according to research.
Therefore, art programs in schools should not be reduced due to the significant benefits which can boost students academically. Research shows that students who participate in art programs perform better in academics. Academic tests clearly show the relationship between the arts and high performances. In an instance, researchers at the University of California “found students with high arts involvement performed better on standardized achievement tests than students with low arts involvement” (Ruppert 9). Through these reports, the correlation between participation in art programs and high test scores shows the art’s initial impacts on student achievement.
Also, art programs prepare the brain for certain subjects. The connection between music and math is a prominent example. Not only do similarities appear in necessary skills but also in which areas of the brain they occur. By using imaging scans, researchers “have shown that musical training activated the same areas of the brain that were also activated during mathematical processing” (Sousa). As the result reveals the connection between music and math, it is possible for other areas in art to enhance other subjects in school.
Art enhances cognitive skills that add to the student’s performance in academics. Critical thinking, perception, and creativity manifest themselves in the arts that can be transferred to other subjects. One study takes “a group of 162 children, ages 9 and 10” (Ruppert 13) to look at artwork and draw inferences about them. The researchers discover the ability to “draw inferences about artwork” (Ruppert) transfers to their ability to reason about images in science as well. From these results, it is undeniable that students who participate in art programs do improve and transfer their cognitive skills onto their studies in academic classes.
As students benefit from higher academic performance, brain usage, and cognitive skills in art programs, schools should not reduce these benefits because of financial difficulty. Besides, everyone wants an opportunity to excel through enjoyable means. Because of financial difficulties, the arts are sometimes deemed by some as extras that are less important than subjects like math and reading and therefore are reduced. Although these critical subjects are fundamental to education, the arts can reinforce and supplement these subjects by improving skills like critical thinking and improve test results. The potential in art programs should be considered more like an important asset than an extra in the school curriculum.
Art programs beneficially enhance students’ abilities in academics. They help students achieve higher scores in tests, prepare their brain for certain subjects, and transfer thinking skills to other fields. With these advantages, who can deny the necessity of maintaining these programs in our schools? With these given points, support these programs and prevent their reduction in schools around the nation.
