The Fine Arts

Experiences in the arts – dance, dramatic arts, yearbook (applied design), media arts, music, and the visual arts – play a valuable role in the education of all students. The arts nourish the imagination, develop emotional honesty and provide unique ways for students to gain insights into the world around them. All of the arts communicate through complex symbols – verbal, visual, auditory – and help students understand aspects of life in different ways. Students gain insights into the human condition through exposure to works of art. They can imagine what it would be like to be in the same situation as a character in a play, an opera, or a painting, and try to understand that character’s point of view. They identify common values, both aesthetic and human, in various works of art and in doing so, increase their understanding of others and learn that the arts have a civilizing influence on society. In producing their own art works, they communicate their insights while developing artistic skills and aesthetic judgement. Since artistic activities are closely connected to play and human interaction, students develop social and communication skills as well as their sense of joy when engaged in the arts. The arts motivates students to participate more fully in cultural life and in other educational opportunities.

In studying the arts, students learn about artistic principles and elements that are common to all the arts. Dance and drama share techniques in preparation and presentation, and require similar interpretive and movement skills. Music, like dance, communicates through rhythm, phrase structure, and dynamic variation; also, both have classical, traditional, and contemporary compositional features. The visual arts, dance, and drama all share elements of visual design, interpretation, and presentation – making connections among movement, space, texture, and environment. Media arts make use of aspects of various arts, such as sound, movement, and visual effects. All the arts reflect historical periods and cultural values.

Participation in arts courses help students develop their ability to listen and observe, and enables them to become more self-aware and self confident. It encourages them to take risks, to solve problems in creative ways, and to draw on their resourcefulness. In short, the knowledge and skills developed in the study of the arts can be applied to all subject areas and in most life situations.