Arts Education Faces Uphill Battle

Despite clear benefits, many arts programs are falling by the wayside

edCircuit Breakdown:

• The California Education Code specifies that schools must teach arts education, but that isn’t always the case.
• Some states and districts are fighting to support the arts. In Georgia, the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Georgia Council for the Arts (GCA) has a new program highlighting the importance of arts education across the state.
• Some outside organizations, like the Grammy Music Education Coalition (GMEC) and VH1 Save The Music are stepping up to support music and arts education programs.

edCircuit Analysis:

In the battle for mandated accountability involving test scores and teacher evaluations, manydistricts and states across the U.S. are having to leave behind arts education programs, which get cut out of ever-tightening budgets.

But advocates for the arts are stepping up, whether it be states, districts or individual educators. In the Los Angeles area, GRAMMY-nominated teacher Henry Miller remembers the battle to save arts education programs in his state starting back when he was in high school with Proposition 13. He is now a middle school music teacher who compares playing in band or orchestra to being on a sports team.

In Iowa, Benjamin Heinen is leading the charge for arts education with his program Turnaround Arts: Des Moines. Their mission is to improve performance in low performing schools by integrating arts back into the daily curriculum.

While many fret over the fact that arts programs are being cut, there are individuals doing everything they can to preserve arts education, which is so beneficial to the development of young minds.

Further Reading

1. The Guardian – The Guardian view on musical education: it needs social harmony
2. EdTech Magazine – Tech in the Music Classroom Creates Efficiencies, Improves Accessibility
3. Education Week – Turnaround Arts Program Is Expanding

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