In defense of the arts: They're not just a frill

Like many other art and music teachers, Arthur Coleman Jr. is constantly justifying the existence of his program. His students, however, don't need convincing.

Their passion is evident not only while the Hamilton Middle School jazz band is performing, but also afterward when the eighth-graders talk about what the arts mean to them. They may be young, but they are able to describe something that is larger than the band or the sum of its parts. Music, they say, gives their lives meaning and excitement. It also gives them a sense of harmony and belonging in the universe.

"This program is important to us," says La Princess Chappell. "It allows us to express how we feel through music. It challenges us to learn new things."

"People like Mr. Coleman rock!" says Aaron Roider. "People like Mr. Coleman bring the whole world to us."

"It's music, but it's more than music," says Merissa Magdael-Lauron. "He pushes us past our limits. He makes us want to learn more. He makes us want to come to school and excel."

One of California's Teachers of the Year last year and a member of the Stockton Teachers Association, Coleman says most of the students in the jazz and marching bands are minority students from disadvantaged families, reflective of the Stockton district as a whole. While in most cases they haven't had access to the after-school enrichment programs or private music lessons available to students in more affluent areas, they are showing plenty of talent that deserves nurturing.

The same is true at Franklin High School in Stockton, where Ana Frenes' Student Activities Dance Club keeps students focused on their goals and helps them resist the temptation to get into trouble after school.

A physical education teacher whose specialty is dance, Frenes is constantly defending arts education as a necessity, not a frill. "The arts are a valid part of education," she says. "They set up a learning experience that kids can't get anywhere else. Kids learn to work in cooperative groups and be creative. They learn discipline from rehearsals that can be painful. It's definitely not a frill."

When cutbacks occur, they have a disproportionate impact on disadvantaged students. "They are hit the hardest — and it's the worst population to hit."

If schools want to raise academic achievement, they should increase funding for the arts, not cut it back, says band teacher Fred Lee at Mar Vista Middle School in San Diego. "If they beefed up existing programs and got more kids involved, you'd see a huge difference in the success rate in language arts and mathematics."

"Of course, they shouldn't do it just to raise test scores," adds Lee, a member of the Sweetwater Education Association. "There is more to life than just getting high scores."

As arts education withers and dies, so does student motivation and interest in school. "It's turning kids off to school," he says. "And it's turning off teachers, too. Unfortunately, it's forcing a lot of really good educators to look twice at their careers and make some hard decisions."

The big question, he says, is, "If we give up arts education, what will the cost be? Over time, people will see the negative impact it's going to have on schools, students and the community. And they will be wondering why they ever did it in the first place."

"Kids need music because it gives them a connection to school and to each other," says CTA Board member Paula Caplinger, a music teacher at Will C. Wood Middle School in Sacramento for the last 30 years.

"It doesn't matter whether you are limited English proficient, gifted, in special education or a so-called middle-of-the-road student. I once had a student who couldn't read or write, but he could play anything on the drum that you asked for."

Another of her students made All-City Band with her trumpet even though she was autistic. Yet another student lost the use of the right side of his body, and although he could no longer march with the band, he became the band captain and played baritone horn in concerts.

"Everyone can do something to feel good about themselves," says Caplinger. "Everyone has a strength and everyone can contribute."

"Kids love the arts because it offers them a different way of expressing themselves," says Martha Gutierrez, who teaches dance, music and theater for third-graders at Riverside's Monroe Elementary. "It's helpful to English language learners, because so much vocabulary is learned during our dance period — like shapes, lines and how the body moves. It's a motivator, it's fun and it's good exercise. And it helps them to become a little more well-rounded."

Gutierrez, a first-year teacher and a member of the Riverside City Teachers Association, wishes she could work with each group of students more than just once a week. "I can't go into depth in such a short amount of time, but at least the seeds have been planted."

"The arts are important because they teach kids problem-solving, risk-taking and how to have respect for others," says Peggy DePue, a middle school teacher in Georgetown and a member of the Black Oak Mine Teachers Association. "It gives them focus and discipline, teaches them how to persevere and stresses the importance of following through. But most of all, it teaches the importance of creative expression. How many companies are looking for a cookie-cutter person? Most want creative people who can think outside the box."

"It's one of those things that kids are really excited about doing," says NEA Board member Anthony Parreira, who's taught band at Los Banos Junior High School for 28 years. "Lots of kids say that they come to school because they can be in the band."

He considers himself lucky to live in a community that's supportive of the arts. Because Los Banos is an extremely fast-growing community, it's been able to expand its program while surrounding districts are facing cutbacks.

Another high-growth district that's expanding its visual and performing arts offerings is Madera Unified. "We have a superintendent who strongly believes that test scores are increased by music instruction," says Dan Okamura, who teaches music at the middle school and two K-8 sites. "Last year all of the schools scored well, and I'd like to think that music played a part in that."

But Okamura, a member of the Madera Unified Teachers Association, believes that the benefits of the arts extend beyond testing.The arts give "students a positive in their day that they might otherwise not have." Some recent graduates "told me that without music, they would have dropped out a long time ago."

While other school districts are cutting back on the arts to save money, Madera's music program is viewed as a money saver. The high school band has 250 students taught by two teachers. "Without music, they would have to find other classes for them at a ratio of 30 or 40 to one, which means they would have to hire more teachers. Administration says they can't afford to cut it."

The arts are a "vehicle to a child's spirit," says Linda Chittle, a visual arts teacher at Newark Memorial High School and a Newark Teachers Association member. "Whether they are innately talented or not, it gives them a chance to discover their true selves and take down their defenses. It's a connection that no other discipline can really touch upon."

She has students who have never had success anywhere else in life, "and suddenly they see the tangible results of their own work and learn to trust in themselves. They channel that into academic areas, too."

Drama is good for the soul because it gives students a "natural high" that they won't get from drugs or alcohol, says Carol Mathews, a drama teacher at Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach. "There's nothing like performing in front of an audience. Students receive instant gratification and confidence. They can walk a mile in somebody else's shoes."

Unfortunately, says the incoming Manhattan Beach Unified Teachers Association president, pressure is sometimes put on students to take other classes besides drama so they can get into a top college. In her opinion, drama has plenty of "real life" value. "It prepares students to make presentations in front of an audience, and it can help them make a good first impression when they interview for jobs."

Ricki Pedersen is the last full-time music teacher in the Chula Vista elementary schools. The Chula Vista Educators Association member has already been told that she won't be replaced when she retires.

The day the music dies will be a "disaster" for children, she believes. "The biggest loss won't be to this generation," she says. It will be to future generations who won't understand the role of the arts in their lives.

"We are going to lose this knowledge if we don't change. It's already happening little by little. And once something is gone, the sad thing is that you don't know what you've lost."