art makes us better human beings
Art is all at once tangible and intangible.
It can be taught, practiced, measured, reproduced and at the same time we can't explain why a certain painting, piece of music, a dance, a play can affect us so deeply. It is a uniquely human pursuit; to create paintings, music, theater, dance. None of these things are necessary for our physical survival, yet we crave it. We crave the beauty, the connections, the feelings that we get by participating and sharing in the arts. Our collaborations with each other in the arts foster connections. The teamwork it takes for a group of people to put on a play, an opera, a symphony, a band performance, and art show brings us together in a unique way. We would not be human without the arts.
It can be taught, practiced, measured, reproduced and at the same time we can't explain why a certain painting, piece of music, a dance, a play can affect us so deeply. It is a uniquely human pursuit; to create paintings, music, theater, dance. None of these things are necessary for our physical survival, yet we crave it. We crave the beauty, the connections, the feelings that we get by participating and sharing in the arts. Our collaborations with each other in the arts foster connections. The teamwork it takes for a group of people to put on a play, an opera, a symphony, a band performance, and art show brings us together in a unique way. We would not be human without the arts.
Compassion & Empathy
"Using the Arts to Build Empathy, the Ultimate 21st Century Skill" from an article by Deirdre Moore
By integrating the arts in our classrooms and allowing our students to be both creators and thoughtful perceivers of art, we help each student develop her/his capacity to empathize and one by one help make this world a better place."
What will the world look like when our students leave school?While we educators may not know exactly, we can see the direction the world is taking. Thus, we can make an educated guess as to what our students will need to be able to do. Hence, the creation of the 21st Century Skills. When I look at those skills like collaboration, cooperation, communication, problem-solving, and creativity what I see is empathy. Without empathy any one of those skills would be nearly, if not entirely, impossible to attain. And what has a great capacity to help people develop empathy?
You guessed it – the arts!Successful collaboration, cooperation and communication involves is the ability to understand the perspective of those we work with. Anne Murphy Paul in “The Brilliant Report” quotes Dr. Keith Oatley, explaining how fiction helps readers develop this skill to empathize.
Fiction, Dr. Oatley notes, “is a particularly useful simulation because negotiating the social world effectively is extremely tricky, requiring us to weigh up myriad interacting instances of cause and effect. Just as computer simulations can help us get to grips with complex problems such as flying a plane or forecasting the weather, so novels, stories and dramas can help us understand the complexities of social life.”
Dr. Oatley found, through brain scans, the part of the brain we use to understand narrative stories, overlaps with the part of the brain used when exercising “theory-of-mind” or empathy. If reading fiction activates this theory-of-mind, imagine what level of empathy an actor must reach to portray a character! If an issue of bullying arises in the classroom, try designing a dramatization of an analogous situation casting the bully as “victim” and the target as “bully.” By striving to understand one another’s feelings and motivations, students can begin to work out their differences and eliminate the need for bullying. What we human beings deem as problems are the result of us not getting our needs met in some way. Through empathy we can better articulate the problem and be inspired to create a solution.
You guessed it – the arts!Successful collaboration, cooperation and communication involves is the ability to understand the perspective of those we work with. Anne Murphy Paul in “The Brilliant Report” quotes Dr. Keith Oatley, explaining how fiction helps readers develop this skill to empathize.
Fiction, Dr. Oatley notes, “is a particularly useful simulation because negotiating the social world effectively is extremely tricky, requiring us to weigh up myriad interacting instances of cause and effect. Just as computer simulations can help us get to grips with complex problems such as flying a plane or forecasting the weather, so novels, stories and dramas can help us understand the complexities of social life.”
Dr. Oatley found, through brain scans, the part of the brain we use to understand narrative stories, overlaps with the part of the brain used when exercising “theory-of-mind” or empathy. If reading fiction activates this theory-of-mind, imagine what level of empathy an actor must reach to portray a character! If an issue of bullying arises in the classroom, try designing a dramatization of an analogous situation casting the bully as “victim” and the target as “bully.” By striving to understand one another’s feelings and motivations, students can begin to work out their differences and eliminate the need for bullying. What we human beings deem as problems are the result of us not getting our needs met in some way. Through empathy we can better articulate the problem and be inspired to create a solution.
Creativity
"Why Creativity is the Most Important Skill in the World" from an article by Paul Petrone
When many people think of creativity, they think of artists, graphic designers, writers, painters, etc.
But that’s not what it means to be creative, because creativity doesn’t mean artistry. Yes, an artist could be creative, but so could a software engineer, a mathematician, a salesperson or a CEO.
What does it actually mean to be creative? LinkedIn Learning Instructor Stefan Mumaw, who has authored six books on creativity, has this definition: “Creativity is problem-solving with relevance and novelty.”
Let’s break that definition down into its two parts:
Mumaw also believes creativity isn’t strictly innate. Yes, like anything, some people are naturally more creative than others. But, by putting the time in, you can learn how to be more creative.
“Creativity is a skill and any skill that you can undertake, the byproduct to it being a skill, is that you can get better at it,” Mumaw said in his course, Creativity Bootcamp. “And we've never really thought of creativity as being something that we can get better at. But you can.”
But that’s not what it means to be creative, because creativity doesn’t mean artistry. Yes, an artist could be creative, but so could a software engineer, a mathematician, a salesperson or a CEO.
What does it actually mean to be creative? LinkedIn Learning Instructor Stefan Mumaw, who has authored six books on creativity, has this definition: “Creativity is problem-solving with relevance and novelty.”
Let’s break that definition down into its two parts:
- Relevancy: Relevancy means actually solving the problem. As in, it was relevant to the problem at hand, and provided an actual solution to it. A solution without relevancy is no solution at all.
- Novelty: Novelty is harder to judge, but it’s when you are able to solve a problem in an original way. A way that isn’t what’s expected or has been done before.
Mumaw also believes creativity isn’t strictly innate. Yes, like anything, some people are naturally more creative than others. But, by putting the time in, you can learn how to be more creative.
“Creativity is a skill and any skill that you can undertake, the byproduct to it being a skill, is that you can get better at it,” Mumaw said in his course, Creativity Bootcamp. “And we've never really thought of creativity as being something that we can get better at. But you can.”
Music Education
"Music and Young Minds" from the Children's Music Workshop
"Music is academic. For some people, this is the primary reason for providing music lessons to their children. A recent study from the University of California found that music trains the brain for higher forms of thinking. Second graders who were given music lessons scored 27% higher on proportional math and fractions tests than children who received no special instruction. Research indicates that musical training permanently wires a young mind for enhanced performance.
Music is physical. Music can be described as a sport. Learning to sing and keep rhythm develops coordination. The air and wind power necessary to blow a flute, trumpet or saxophone promotes a healthy body.
Music is emotional. Music is an art form. We are emotional beings and every child requires an artistic outlet. Music may be your child’s vehicle of expression.
Music is for life. Most people can’t play soccer, or football at 70 or 80 years of age but they can sing. And they can play piano or some other instrument. Music is a gift you can give your child that will last their entire lives."
Music is physical. Music can be described as a sport. Learning to sing and keep rhythm develops coordination. The air and wind power necessary to blow a flute, trumpet or saxophone promotes a healthy body.
Music is emotional. Music is an art form. We are emotional beings and every child requires an artistic outlet. Music may be your child’s vehicle of expression.
Music is for life. Most people can’t play soccer, or football at 70 or 80 years of age but they can sing. And they can play piano or some other instrument. Music is a gift you can give your child that will last their entire lives."
Theater
"5 Reasons Why Theater is Important" from the Acting Studio Chicago
- Theatre helps us to see a different perspective from our own. We’re shown humanity, psychology, motivations, conflict and resolution. We as the audience get to witness the trajectory of persons other than ourselves. As artists, we put ourselves into emotional and intellectual situations that may never arise in our personal lives. Theatre promotes us to give power to truth, to take risks and to advocate for new and diverse voices.
- Theatre reminds us that we are not alone. Not only are we sharing space and an experience with the artists who are performing, we are sharing the experience with fellow audience members. Movies and television don’t have the same intimacy or sense of participation. Sharing an experience with live actors and live audience members is not only valuable, it’s necessary for human connection.
- Theatre is immediate, evolving and always different. Although the script may be the same every night, the performance is unique, each and every time it happens. No two performances are ever the same. In this way, everyone involved has a distinct and unique experience that can never be replicated.
- Live theatre helps to promote social discourse, dialogue and potential social change. Theatre is a cultural phenomenon that demands that society examines itself in the mirror. We can study societal problems and attempt to find solutions. Coming together as a community to listen to opposing points of view is necessary.
- Theatre promotes education and literacy. Studies have shown that students who participate in theatre do better in school.