Running head: ARTS EDUCATION 1

Arts Education to Foster Creativity in Schools

Kelsey E. Stevenson

Grand Valley State University

ARTS EDUCATION 2

Arts Education to Foster Creativity in Schools

Tom Horne, the Arizona state superintendent of public instruction said, “When you think

about the purposes of education, there are three. We’re preparing kids for jobs. We’re preparing

them to be citizens. And we’re teaching them to be human beings who can enjoy the deeper

forms of beauty. The third is as important as the other two” (as cited in Smith, 2009, para 17).

Creativity and self-expression are vital parts of child development and should be

implemented in schools all over the country for that reason. This paper will discuss the

importance of creativity for child development, the ways in which the arts increase students’

success in core subjects, and the effects that the implementation of arts education has on

students.

The Importance of Creativity for Child Development

There are many roles that education plays and teachers, administrators, parents, and

students all interpret these roles in different ways. The overarching role of education that

encompasses most peoples’ opinions is to “prepare the students.” It may be preparing students

for a job, preparing them for life, or many other things. In order to prepare the students for such

things, you have to find a way to fully engage the students, particularly at an elementary level, so

that they have a similar goal and are “prepared” for whatever may come their way. According to

Dr. Rena Upitis (2011), many teachers, administrators, parents and even scholars agree that

“education in elementary school should be education for life” (p. 7).

One very important component in a child’s early years of development is creativity and

expression through the arts. Many who disagree argue that subjects like science and math should

take precedence over things like music and dance because they are more important to

development and success. However, many well-known scientists have a history in the arts and

ARTS EDUCATION 3

claim that their experiences in the arts have fostered their imagination in science. Physicist

Murray Gell-Mann is also a poet, physicist Victor Weisskopf is a pianist and even Johannes

Kepler was an artist and a musician. Science is not necessarily just facts, statistics, and logic, but

also imagination and exploration into the unknown, something that requires creativity. When

math and science education is pushed and other subjects are limited, the ability to raise

interesting questions and solve creative problems is also limited (Zweig, 1986). The arts

obviously play a key role in a child’s development, just as it did in many famous scientists’ lives.

Ellen Dissanayake, a scholarly writer in subjects such as philosophy and anthropology,

also believes in the essentiality of art in every person’s life. She believes that there are five

features that are natural in human development, all relating to the arts. The first is “art-making is

universal” because it is a way of communication that people of all cultures and societies can

participate in. The second is “the investment of resources in the arts” due to the fact that people

in ancient times invested a significant amount of time and resources into the arts. The third is

“biological importance” because many people’s daily rituals and routines are “artified” as she

calls it. The fourth is “arts are associated with pleasure” because we as human beings typically

strive for creative activities like music or dance. The fifth and final feature is “juvenile

predisposition to the arts” because children naturally are drawn to things such as rhythms,

singing, and stories (Upitis, 2011).

The Arts and Increased Success in Other Subjects

There is a strong focus in today’s education system on reading, mathematics, and science,

all of which are typically tested through standardized testing. The focus on these subjects often

minimizes the need for any arts related subjects, because of a general assumption that the arts are

less important. A study done by Webb and Rule (2013) showed the effects of integrating

ARTS EDUCATION 4

creativity into a health and nutrition class for second graders. It focused on their knowledge of

health and nutrition when using the creativity learning techniques and when using traditional

learning techniques. The teachers began classes by encouraging creativity and creating an

enthusiastic environment for the students. The study showed that when students participated in

the creative learning techniques, they not only revealed higher levels of creativity but also better

content knowledge and retention. The overall conclusion was that students in a creative arts-

related environment are still able to retain information, if not retain more information, while also

enhancing skills like originality, emotion, and storytelling (Webb & Rule, 2013).

In 1995, The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, CA established a Canadian artist-

teacher education approach called Learning Through the Arts. Learning Through the Arts is a

“proven transformative educational program that uses arts-based activities to teach the core

curriculum by providing teachers with creative tools to engage all students in math, science,

language arts, social studies, and more” (“Learning Through the Arts®,” n.d.). There has been a

significant amount of research done on this program over the years, majority of it proving the

success of the program.

A research study done by Smithrim and Upitis (2005) showed that students who are

heavily involved in the arts at school had generally more engagement in school. The most vital

finding in the study was that the students’ involvement in the arts did not decrease their

involvement or success in math and language arts. The Learning Through the Arts program

actually had showed greater student achievement in mathematics specifically, mostly because the

students were so heavily engaged in the arts related learning styles. Many of the learning

techniques used in this program also involvement physical movement, and 78% of students

wanted more physical education in school after being in this program. Many parents also valued

ARTS EDUCATION 5

the social benefits that came from the program, saying that their children were making new

friends, staying out of trouble, and becoming more interested in school and in things and

activities outside of school (Smithrim & Upitis, 2005). Some teacher testimonials from the

program said that they were consciously making efforts to use the arts more frequently at school,

they regretted that they did not realize how important the arts were at the beginning of their

teaching careers, and that their students that typically struggled in school or seemed “hopeless”

were excelling in the Learning Through the Arts program (Elster, 2001).

Arts Education in Schools to Foster Creativity

Even if teachers today do not appreciate the arts or have backgrounds in music, dance, or

drama, there is an enormous value in encouraging students to be creative, especially at an

elementary level. At such a young age, children are developing academically, socially,

emotionally and spiritually. Incorporating the arts into classrooms can give children the

opportunity to thrive in all these areas. Not only do the arts promote development in many other

subjects for the average child, but they also have been proven to help those children who struggle

in different ways. For example, there have been studies that have shown that English Language

Learners, or ELLs, are able to learn English faster through the use of music (Paquette & Rieg,

2008). In the early years when a child’s brain is still developing, environments that incorporate

the arts help children to be more creative, become more engaged and interested, and to learn in a

positive environment.

Teachers play a huge role in the incorporation of the arts into the classroom. They have to

be supportive and on board with arts education programs in order for students to feel as though

they are in a safe, open environment. Teachers lay down the foundation for students to be

creative. When teachers teach in a creative way, students are able to express themselves and be

ARTS EDUCATION 6

vulnerable. Being creative doesn’t necessarily mean painting or singing, but rather redefining

problem-solving, developing feelings and emotions for the world around you, or daring to take

creative risks (Tanggaard, 2011). Because the arts can play such a vital role in child

development, requiring it in schools makes it available to all students. Many children that come

from wealthy families have the opportunity to be enrolled in ballet or visit the art museum, while

low-income children do not. Eric Cooper, founder of the National Urban Alliance for Effective

Education, said, “Arts education enables those children from a financially challenged

background to have a more level playing field with children who have had those enrichment

experiences” (as citied in Smith, 2009, para 2).

Conclusion

This paper discussed the importance of creativity for child development, the ways in

which the arts increase students’ success in core subjects, and the effects that the implementation

of arts education has on students. Arts education should be implemented in schools, especially

at the elementary level because creativity and self-expression are vital to child

development. Plato once said, “Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the

mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything” (as cited in

Paquette & Rieg, 2008, p. 231).

ARTS EDUCATION 7

References

Elster, A. (2001). Learning Through the Arts™ Program goals, features, and pilot results.

International Journal of Education & the Arts, 2, 7-24.

Learning Through the Arts®. (n.d.). The Royal Conservatory Web site. Retrieved October 23,

2015 from http://learning.rcmusic.ca/learning-through-arts.

Paquette, K. R. & Rieg, S. A. (2008). Using music to support the literacy development of young

English Language Learners. Early Childhood Education Journal, 36, 227-232.

Smith, F. (2009). Why arts education is crucial, and who’s doing it best. Retrieved October 10,

2015 from http://www.edutopia.org/arts-music-curriculum-child-development

Smithrim, K. & Upitis, R. (2005). Learning through the arts: Lessons of engagement. Canadian

Journal of Education, 28, 109-127.

Tanggaard, L. (2011). Stories about creative teaching and productive learning. European Journal

of Teacher Education, 34, 219-232.

Upitis, R. (2011). Arts education for the development of the whole child (Unpublished doctoral

dissertation). Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, Toronto, ON.

Webb, A. N. & Rule, A. C. (2013). Effects of teacher lesson introduction on second graders’

creativity in a science/literacy integrated unit on health and nutrition. Early Childhood

Education Journal, 42, 351-360.

Zweig, C. (1986). Exploring the link between arts and sciences: ‘Artistic creativity enhances

scientific imagination,’ L.A. Biochemist claims. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from

http://articles.latimes.com/1986-02-07/news/vw-5457_1_artistic-creativity

ARTS EDUCATION 8