THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, July 10, 1995 TAG: 9507070016
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A6 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Medium: 58 lines
In an article regarding the new standards for education in Virginia, Norfolk schools Superintendent Roy D. Nichols said:
``The public will forgive us if we fail to teach a kid to play a musical instrument or to paint watercolors, but the public will never forgive us if we fail to teach them to read or to do basic math calculations.''
I understand that Mr. Nichols, as well as school superintendents and principals across the state, are feeling increased pressure to ensure that their students will fare well on the imminent state standardized tests. However, I am concerned that Mr. Nichols' statement suggests the false assumption that the arts are a luxury and that our scarce tax dollars and instructional time should be spent only on the ``basics.'' The arts have long been a part of the fabric of school life, and with good reason. Mr. Nichols, parents and school employees need to realize that:
When a young person sees and paints a watercolor or composes a song, that youngster's mind is engaged in one of the most important, most intense forms of concentration known to humanity - the struggle to make something entirely from one's own mind. The abilities fostered by arts education overlap with skills needed to develop new technologies and develop business vision.
Music and art education enhance spatial reasoning, which is essential to success in a variety of academic areas, notably math, the sciences and engineering.
Arts programs in schools may enable children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds to learn on a much more equal footing with children from more affluent backgrounds. Because art and music are largely nonverbal, they do not force disadvantaged children to struggle with language or cultural differences. And unlike children with access to private music lessons and the like, disadvantaged children may find their only opportunity for arts instruction in schools.
According to reports by the College Entrance Examination Board, in 1994 SAT takers with course work in music scored 59 points higher on the verbal portion of the test and 42 points higher on the math portion than students with no course work or experience in the arts.
William C. Bosher Jr., Virginia state superintendent of schools, has said, ``It would be very difficult, if not impossible, to overemphasize the importance of music programs in public education. Music has appropriately been called `the universal language of mankind.'''
Virginia is one of only four states in the nation that has not yet adopted Goals 2000, which makes the arts a recognized part of the core curriculum.
All those who feel that arts education in our schools might be an expendable ``frill,'' something that can be easily tossed by the wayside when there is economic hardship or sudden pressure for our students to improve academically, should remember that the arts are crucial to a child's whole development, and their study is invaluable to overall academic success.
MARTI PITTMAN
Virginia Beach, June 24, 1995 by CNB