Art builds empathy, connecting people across time, space, and culture. Young people who participate regularly in art face fewer discplinary infractions, as well as higher attendance, class engagement, academic success, test scores, and graduation rates. The postivie impact of arts education is far-reaching with tangible and intangible gains that students will continue to reap personally and professionally for years to come.
The Impact of Investing in Arts Education
In 2000, Texas band director José Diaz wanted to enrich his Houston community with an array of musical education, engagement, and leadership opportunities. He established the Diaz Musical Institute (DMI) to celebrate his Hispanic/Latinx heritage and infused into it the same growth-oriented arts culture that he knew as a kid in 1970s Chicago. DMI develops key partnerships with schools and other organizations in Houston’s lower-income neighborhoods to provide quality music instruction to students at a minimal cost.
Taking on the role of artistic director, Diaz formed four programs to meet the community’s needs: A repertoire ensemble called Caliente, an evening music festival called Noche Caliente, a Latin Jazz Summer workshop, and a Latin Jazz Jam Music Festival. His leadership has provided students and alumni with numerous chances to travel and play alongside top artists, such as Oscar Hernández, Tori Kelly, and Stevie Wonder.
Diaz remembers the importance of his music education growing up in Chicago, where many of his teachers were active musicians who played with B.B. King, Bobby “Blue” Bland, and Earth, Wind & Fire. When Diaz moved to Houston, he served as a band director in a school district with limited arts funding. It was during this time that he became frustrated with the lack of growth opportunities for kids in his new hometown. “I wanted [them] to develop that hunger and desire to play at a semi-professional, if not a professional level, while they were still in their teens,” he explains.
One of the most formative parts of DMI is its mentorship program, where famous artists come in and perform with the students. For the first major concert, they brought in Eddie Palmieri – a legendary, Grammy Award-winning jazz pianist and NEA Jazz Master. The further they developed the program, the more the kids in it excelled. They boast a 100 percent high school graduation rate with many alumni continuing on to attend prestigious universities and receive recognition at highly regarded award shows.
Why Art Matters
The Diaz Musical Institute is only one of many programs out there enhancing the creative experiences available to kids, but it also demonstrates the deep need and desire for arts education within schools and communities. Art builds empathy, connecting people across time, space, and culture. The role of art in our society is manyfold, but one of the most important parts it plays is in helping us place ourselves in another’s shoes. We can start to understand someone else’s perspective as we view their paintings, watch their performances, or read their stories.
Additionally, art instruction opens new avenues for presenting and understanding difficult concepts, especially for those who benefit from visual and tactile learning. It helps children develop motor, language, social, and decision-making skills. Additionally, visual arts teach about color, layout, perspective, and balance – all techniques that come handy in a variety of other academic and professional settings. Integrating creative problem-solving and artistic expression into other disciplines engages students and boosts critical thinking by encouraging them to observe the world in a more intentional, thoughtful manner.
In fact, a variety of studies in the past decade have shown young people who participate regularly in art face fewer disciplinary infractions, as well as higher attendance, class engagement, test scores, and graduation rates. They are also four times more likely to receive awards for academic achievement, written contests, or math and science fairs. The positive impact of arts education is far-reaching with tangible and intangible gains that students will continue to reap personally and professionally for years to come.
Creativity, Community, and a Cycle of Giving Back
I have worked as the Wall of Fame’s Marketing and Creative Director for nearly five years. But I did not always see myself as a creative person. From a young age, I participated in many forms of art through dance, music, and writing. Yet I tended to undervalue and overlook the creative skills I spent years developing. This stemmed partly from a belief that those skills and experiences were less important to society because it was always my academic performance, especially in math and science, that received greater praise. For fifteen years, though, I spent most of my time at the dance studio I attended taking classes, performing, or teaching younger students. It shaped me into who I am today and nourished many of the qualities I now find most important in my daily life.
Meanwhile, one of our Wall of Fame staff writers, Kira, sees art as more than a job or professional opportunity. She majored in creative writing and minored in arts history in college. But the classes she carries with her most are the ones she took simply for fun, such as metal working, glassblowing, and woodworking. Through these experiences she found an enjoyment in having hobbies simply for the sake of it. “I am a more well-rounded person,” she explains. “I was encouraged to seek new interests and avenues of growth.” She gained the confidence that comes from stepping outside her comfort zone into unfamiliar territory and left with the knowledge she can become good at anything if she gives it a shot.
There is a simple pleasure in enjoying art for the sake of it. We often take for granted the staples of our lives born from the art world, such as the latest Netflix show we unwind with in the evening or the curated Spotify playlist we listen to in the background of our day. When we emphasize the importance of art in educational settings, we tell kids we value these passions. Whether they go on to pursue a career with their artistic interests or simply enjoy the process of experimenting with a new talent.
Echoing Kira’s sentiments, pursuing my degree in entrepreneurship gave me not only the skills to build creative solutions and products but the confidence to believe it matters. I credit those experiences and the place art has long held in my life with making me an empathic person with a passion for storytelling.
It’s not only my role as a Creative Director or author, though, where this benefits me – it’s also my relationships and my personal wellness. I have learned to find small joys and practice gratitude by mindfully grounding myself in my surroundings. Furthermore, my appreciation for art has brought with it a deep love for exploration. Even within the confines of my home, I can discover infinite realities and feel more connected to the world. As a young kid, I felt a deeper sense of belonging at dance than anywhere else and turned to it, along with music and writing, as an outlet for processing my emotions. Now as an adult, I still see how oftentimes art can speak to us in a way normal, everyday words fail.
Both Kira and I greatly appreciate the community we found through our love for various arts. For each of us, the art worlds we have surrounded ourselves with over the years have brought lifelong memories and friendships. It also has awarded us with chances to give back and keep the cycle going. As Kira put it, “I grew up in theater with the support of the arts community, so now I want to feed back into it.”
One of my favorite parts of high school was teaching at my studio – it sparked in me an interest in working with kids and helped me see dance in a new light. Similarly, Kira recently had the chance to return to her alma mater by co-writing an original play for the same theater department where she once performed as a student. When our artistic endeavors and growth are poured into and celebrated, we naturally want to turn around and help plant the same seeds for others.
The beauty of arts education is that it comes in many forms and leaves behind a much deeper mark than many realize. I am constantly finding new pieces of myself I would not have without those experiences. My entire view of the world and how I understand my place within it is formed on the foundation art helped me build.
Sources:
https://www.arts.gov/back-school-arts-education
https://www.arts.gov/stories/magazine/2022/2/original-threads-equity-and-access-arts-hispaniclatinx-communities/power-music
https://www.senecaacademy.org/10-reasons-why-integrating-art-is-important-in-school
https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/articles/the-benefits-of-arts-education-for-k-12-students
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