Are arts and music important in today’s world anymore? Consider this: What if the marching band didn’t play at halftime? What if a gifted painter never reaches her full potential because art classes are sidelined? How are drama students supposed to develop performance skills if there are no school plays to perform?
For good reason, our arts and music programs are one of Howell Schools' top Points of Pride.
While some schools have reduced or eliminated art programs in the name of focusing on core literacy, math and science skills, Howell Public Schools knows that vibrant art and music programs go hand in hand with developing these vital competencies. Becoming a musician and learning to read music takes serious math skills. So does graphic design, where measurements are in hundredths of inches.
As anyone who's tried to play the piano or draw a picture can tell you, becoming proficient in music and the visual arts requires practice, a success habit that students carry forward the rest of their lives.
Creativity and out-of-the-box problem solving skills have never been in higher demand, no matter what career path a student may take. Navigating in today’s on-demand, visually dominant world requires more sophisticated ways of taking in and processing visual information—which is exactly what art study teaches.
There’s something magical about seeing students discover a sense of self in the arts. As painter Georgia O'Keeffe, considered the "mother of American modernism" puts it: "To create one’s world in any of the arts takes courage."