A growing body of research indicates that arts education teaches certain skills that extend far beyond the classroom. Arts education embraces a variety of learning styles, builds experience in persistence, innovation, and confidence, and motivates students who may be at risk.
Students who study music and drama in high school are more likely to score higher on both the verbal and math portions of the SAT. ~ Profile of College-Bound Seniors National Report for 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2005. Princeton, NJ: The College Board.
Students who are at risk of not successfully completing high school cite their participation in the arts as a reason for staying in school. ~ Barry, N., J. Taylor, and K. Walls (2002), "The Role of the Fine and Performing Arts in High School Dropout Prevention."
The opportunity to perform is a powerful tool to help youth overcome fears and see that they can succeed. ~ Kennedy, John Roy (2002), "The Effects of Musical Performance, Rational Emotive Therapy and Vicarious Experience on the Self-Efficacy and Self-Esteem of Juvenile Delinquents and Disadvantaged Children."
Experience on the Self-Efficacy and Self-Esteem of Juvenile Delinquents and Disadvantaged Children." Arts education makes a tremendous impact on the developmental growth of every child and has proven to help level the "learning field" across socio-economic boundaries. ~ Involvement in the Arts and Success in Secondary School, James S. Catterall, The UCLA Imagination Project, January 1998.
Arts programs teach a specific set of thinking skills rarely addressed elsewhere in the curriculum — how to see new patterns, how to learn from mistakes, and how to envision solutions. ~ "Art for our sake," by Ellen Winner and Lois Hetland, researchers at Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, September 2, 2007
Learn more about our Music Program and our Theater Program
