Walzak, Magen
Mr. Gibson
Honors English 11
17 May 2023
Funding for the Arts in Public Schools
Time and time again, school has been associated with one of the most influential times that a person can go through in their life. Throughout their thirteen years in the school system, a child grows and recognizes who they are, and who they are to become. Beyond education, schools offer a variety of activities and programs to help kids expand their horizons and be who they want to be, whether this includes sports, music, STEM activities, and more. Recently, however, many schools have begun to cut programs to save money, including several different music programs. As Laura Zakaras of Cultivating Demand for the Arts: Arts Learning, Arts Engagement,
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It’s been proven many times that music activities help students in a variety of ways, so it is essential to take advantage of the resources that are available to further their success. It may cost more money, but it is a well-invested way to support students. First off, music activities boost students’ performances in other school subjects, whether it be grades, standardized test scores, or other classwork. Secondly, participating in the arts has been proven to help with a person’s health, both mental and physical. Lastly, the arts help to strengthen and improve several areas of the brain, leaving sustaining life-long impacts for many people. Without these programs, students would not have as many resources to receive the positive outcomes that music provides, and many would feel quite lost without them. Music education should not be treated as something that students can live without, rather, it should be considered as something as essential as the language arts or mathematics. Public schools should provide more financial support for the musical arts because it helps students to thrive in other academic areas, improves a person’s mental and physical …show more content…
E. Glenn Schellenberg, the author of “Music and Cognitive Abilities,” presents information about a study on the results of IQ tests between music students and non-music students. Schellenberg tells the reader that “An incidental finding was that the drama group had increases in adaptive social skills that were larger than those in the other three groups” (319). In life, social skills help many people find success, so it is important to take advantage of programs that will improve one’s chances to achieve their