The topic of fine arts and fine arts education has come across the desks of many superintendents and administrators in school systems all over the country. Many schools are being pitted with the argument of whether or not to keep classes like music or art as a part of their curriculum. Without much support, fine arts educators are forced to argue for fine arts in their individual school systems. Someone like a superintendent or a principal might not plainly see how the arts is beneficial to their students and schools, so the programs will get disbanded due to the cost of resources or trained educators. Many teachers struggle to communicate to their administrators exactly why fine arts education is an important part of their curriculum. So, why is it so important?

As a student that has been involved with the fine arts in many different ways and at many different levels, this question intrigued me. My family, specifically my father, advocated for music education in our community. He raised money and organized instrument drives to provide a way for less fortunate kids to get involved with music. It only made sense for me to get involved. I entered a band program in the sixth grade that was just beginning a rebuilding phase. A long-time teacher had just retired and it seemed like all of the student involvement retired with him. I watched a new director take the wheel to a sinking ship, and somehow keep it afloat. He convinced the administration to provide funding for our music program, something that it clearly lacked for many years. Slowly, the membership returned, and it grew even more. First hand, I watched my new band director save a program that would have likely been suspended without his influence. My band program is only one example of the hundreds of schools that this situation is happening at every year.

New York Times reporter Robin Pogrebin, whose main focus is art institutions, has compiled the research on how fine arts effects a student's education. In her article "Book Tackles Old Debate: Roll of Arts in Schools" she interviews arts educators and teachers who do not advocate for the fine arts. Her research shows that students that are involved in classes like art, music, or theater have shown positive improvement and understanding of core subjects such as math and English. An arts educator being asked to encourage their administrators and principals to help save their program might want to use evidence from Pogrebin's article. If you could show the positive impact that fine arts programs are having on the students grades in other subjects, it might convince the administrators to help fight for the fine arts in their schools.

Much like Robin Pogrebin, Bob Bryant, the Executive Director of Fine Arts at the Katy Independent School District, is trying to convince the opposition that fine arts does not only effect a students development in that subject. Bryant was a band director at the high school level for 26 years, so he has seen the developmental effects that the arts can have. In his article, "The Importance of Fine Arts Education" Bryant, like Pogrebin, explains how the fine arts have a positive influence on student's performance in core subjects. He also highlights that fine arts classes like music, dance, theater, and visual arts, provide students with many other positive attributes such as creativity, cultural exposure, an appreciation for diversity, and even social skills. An educator of any of these subjects could advocate for the arts by promoting the positive social attributes that these subjects can provide to students.

Unfortunately, not all administrators will be easy to convince of the arts. Tina Beveridge, a professor of music at Lower Columbia College in Longview, Washington presents why this might be true. Beveridge is a music educator that has been affected directly by the Bush administration's "No Child Left Behind" Act. In her article, "No Child Left Behind and Fine Arts Classes" she explores the lasting effects of the act on fine arts programs across the country. "No Child Left Behind" placed priority on tested subjects like math and English. The act considers these core classes more important, because these test scores matter on things like performance reviews and national standards. Inadvertently, this act puts non-core classes, like fine arts courses, on the back burner. This is usually when the funding and support for these programs fall through. The principals and administration don't find any relevance and sometimes the fine arts programs get cut from the curriculum entirely. Fine arts educators are then pushed to fight for their programs and their jobs. Presenting research from advocates like Robin Pogrebin and Bob Bryant could prove to be the answer to what the administration needs to keep a fine arts program.

Every year, in school systems across the county, administrators find themselves struggling to find the significance of a fine arts curriculum in their districts. The problems of substantial funding and certified staffing cause many programs to fall apart. However, arts educators can fight for their programs by presenting the positive academic and social improvement that comes along with many fine arts courses. Hopefully, they'll be able to save their programs and provide their communities with socially and culturally developed students.

