Arts education belongs in every student’s curriculum — and not just because the arts can improve skills in other content areas.
As an instrumental music teacher, I am used to advocating that the arts are essential to all students even though they may not be classified as a core subject. Over the years, I’ve used research about how the arts increase math and reading comprehension to defend their existence in the public school curriculum. I’ve pointed out the social skills that band, orchestra and choir ensembles build. I’ve even made the case that for some students, a music, art, dance or drama class might be the only thing bringing them to school each day.
