Rachel Lee 10-28-15 Pierce
Prompt: Throughout the years, school district officials have been forced to cut not only jobs but also various programs, all to save more money. The arts programs, which include art, music, dance, and drama, have been one of the first programs to be cut. Write an argumentative/persuasive essay in which you convince district officials of the importance of keeping the arts, especially the performing arts, in school.
Keep the Arts in Schools! “Follow your dreams, let your inner light shine and don’t let anyone stop you!” or so many teachers try to disclose. Envision a life without dancing, music, drama, art, and photography. This world would be silent, dark, dreary, monotonous,
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In my life, the arts has made a large impact on my social skills. For example, in the past, I always used to be afraid to introduce myself to new people, but ever since YGP started, I noticed that something changed about me. Now I love meeting new people and simply just saying, “Hi, I’m Rachel!” to unfamiliar faces! According to the Champions in Change, “students connect with each other better which leads to fewer fights, greater understanding of diversity, and greater peer support”. I remember in the beginning of YGP, I could never have imagined being friends with half of the people in this stream. Towards the middle of the stream, during Activity Period and Troupe Class, I made tons of new friends! This is because we had to sing, dance, and act. Therefore we all had to cooperate and learn to be a team! Obviously, if you put 10 random students together and tell them to sing as a chorus, they’ll eventually grasp the fact that they have to become friends and cooperate with each other because that is the only way they will be able to complete their task thoroughly. “The arts help them figure out who they are by exposing them to other cultures, new ways of thinking, of expressing themselves, and of communicating with others”. Students from many different countries all gather around and take the arts together. They will learn to accept each other and treat each other equally disregarding race and gender. A teacher name Catie Ramsey that teaches at K.T Murphy Elementary School stated that “the students created six feet by six feet murals, each representing a key social skill such as cooperation, empathy, responsibility, self-control, and assertiveness.” According to the Arts Education Partnership, drama helps with understanding social relationships, complex issues, and emotions. Dance helps with social tolerance, self-confidence, and persistence. As you can see, the arts teaches proper