Written by Jessica Campbell,
2nd Place article from Spring 2020 Youth Journalism Contest
The Arts are a large part of the world. History is told through different art forms. It is different stories told by millions of people; art shows a different perspective of the world. There are many different areas of arts; painting, animation, music, sculpting, dance, acting, architecture, photography, and everything in between.
Now there is the question of why should students study the arts? Everyone has a different opinion on that, the arts is a continuously changing form of history, and gives power to people, without them realizing it. By studying the arts, students can gain a sense of the world around them, they become more confident in themselves, and they can express themselves and have a creative outlet for emotions.
Temples are a form of art; artists created them to give their people a place to worship their Gods and Goddesses. The Temples were constructed to last forever and were built with incredible architecture, the best they could have done. People are continually studying the Temples and using their ideas to create their masterpiece. Without using the masterpieces of the past, we would not have the art pieces we have now.
Art is constantly changing, and the world is changing with it. Without art, we would not be living in the same world that we are now. If everyone decided to stop learning the arts, then we would have nothing, the next big hit on the radio would never come out. The animated movie that you wanted to have a sequel would never be created. Students are the next generation of the arts. If students are never taught about art, then they won't emerge and show what they can do.
Beethoven is a name that is known throughout the entire world because people study him and his music. When you listen to his pieces, you can sense all of the different emotions that he was feeling during this time, the passion that he put into creating it. The ups and downs are both equally crucial so that everything flows together, and people want to continue to listen.
Students who already study the arts have an understanding of it; it only gives back as much as you give it. When you put your all into a piece you created or character, you achieve the feeling of excitement after.
Students should be studying the arts because they can gain more confidence in themselves. A student who does not like public speaking, could take a drama class in school and learn to do public speaking in a safe environment. Someone who has a hard time memorizing information could join a theatre and play a character in a show, learning how to memorize their lines would help them in other areas. They would have the skills to remember information for an exam that they have or retain information in classes.
Students who do not feel confident in their core classes like english, math, social, and science would be able to work on confidence in the art classes by learning different ways to study and understand different material. A student may be able to gain confidence in other courses if they excelled in other courses, by excelling in one class, students would know that they can learn and that they are not incapable of learning.
Studies show that students who study the arts can have better motor control. By learning how to properly hold a crayon or a paintbrush in an elementary art class or preschool, students can use those skills in other courses when they grow up. Without learning to use motor skills when they were younger properly, they will have problems when they are older using these skills. Creativity in the younger years students is able to apply their knowledge when they are older. By practicing art, they could get a degree in architecture and make a career out of it, because they were able to design their creations when they were younger.
Studies have found that students involved in the arts have higher GPA and tend to do better in exams. They can advance their critical thinking process; when you create a piece of art, you have to think about what your next step is. You follow specific steps in your mind. You may run into a problem and not know what comes next; you will have to figure out how to go from there. This knowledge can be applied to problem-solving questions in math or trying to figure out how to solve a problem at work.
Art is a way for students to show their emotions to the world without having to explain why they feel that way. Students can use art to channel their feelings into something that doesn't harm them or others. Art has emotions built into it. When listening to a piece of music, you can hear the passion, or in a painting, you can see the feeling in it; if the colours are darker then it could have an angry or depressed mood to it, or a bright painting would have a happy and joyful atmosphere.
Dance has always been used as a way to tell a story. In New York, gang violence was a huge problem. So instead of fighting, people started to have dance battles as a way to emote. Students who study dance can channel their emotions into the dance and use it to tell others how they are feeling.
Studies also prove that students who are involved in the arts are less likely to drop out of school. They are engaged in a group where individuals are wanted. So they stay off the streets and can continue their education. By staying in groups, they can connect to other people; they can create their passions in a safe place where people won't judge them for thinking in a specific way. In classes, students can be insecure about not answering a question and getting judged by other peers, whereas in the arts, they won't get judged for thinking the way they do.
By being involved in the arts, students would belong to a community full of people who all are passionate about the arts. They can take their passions into the adult world and continue to use them in their everyday lives. The knowledge that was learned in art classes would continue to help them with the students' daily lives.
All in all, the arts create a passion; people are involved in them because they love them and enjoy what they are doing. Teaching students more about the arts when they are younger through high school, then people would be able to study something that they love instead of just taking core classes that they may not excel in. By having a passion, people can connect to the world in different ways and show their view of the world to others without just speaking what they think.
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