Fine+Arts+Education

=**__Fine Arts Education in Urban Schools__ **=

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The fine arts are used to help people express themselves through art, music, and acting, to show people's creative skill. Fine art is defined as the use of intellectual knowledge and expertise in a creative manner to create something with an aesthetic value, which can be experienced by others. Art can be expressed in mainly visual and auditory means through various forms of mediums including literature (drama, poetry, creative writing), visual art (drawing, painting, sculpture), graphic arts (lithography, printmaking, photography), performing art (music, dance, theater), and modern mediums (video art, digital art, virtual reality) (Mullen, 2010).

__The Effects of Fine Arts Education On Students In Urban Schools__
S tudents in urban schools face many hardships, and as a result, many will not go on to graduate high school and go to college. The major problems include low government funding, not enough teachers, under qualified teachers, and a neglectful family environment. Many students in the urban school environment face these problems and loose motivation (Barry, Taylor, Walls, Wood, 1990). This neglect they experience in school makes them think that going to school is not important. All students, especially students in failing urban schools need a bridge to link education with success. This link that brings excitement to learning, and will keep students in schools is art (drawing, painting, sculpture, music, theater, and dance). In a study conducted in several high schools in Florida, students agreed with their school administrators on the fact that the fine arts program tested at their school was successful in giving the students a reason to continue attending school (Barry, Taylor, Walls, Wood, 1990).



**__The Youth And Expression__**
The youth enjoy expressing themselves through art. Most often kids and teenagers find it difficult to express themselves in words, so they resort to other, more abstract ways like drawing or playing a musical instrument. This expression is even more important for students who have learning disabilities or those students who have little motivation in school (Barry, Taylor, Walls, Wood, 1990). The fine arts give kids an outlet to let out their emotions that are suppressed within them. It is conductor of these negative emotions that results in a positive outcome—a creation of their own. This creation through various art mediums is a communication of an idea through the visual language of art. Art is especially important for the youth because they are in a stage of learning and development. They are trying to discover themselves, and by creating art this learning is enhanced because the making of art requires the use of several senses at one time. It requires he full attention of the artist by actively engaging them in the project by means of hand-eye coordination, and full focus of the mind. As a result, the arts express the full scope of the individual artist (Oesterreich, Flores, 2009).

Creativity is a requirement for most careers. In order to run a business, one needs to have a detailed plan in place and strategies to fulfill goals. Scientists need to devise theories and experiments to test their theories. A detective needs to find clues and evidence to link a crime to the criminal. To be able to have a successful career a person needs to be able to think outside of the box. The fine arts teach creativity, which give students experience in a universal skill that will be useful throughout their lives. A creative effort results in satisfaction of a basic human desire to express individuality. Furthermore, these unique individual creations in various forms—drawings, paintings, sculptures, theater performances, musical performances, dance performances—all receive public attention from peers, teachers, and parents. They bring light towards the abilities of their creator (the student), and as a result, raise the students self-confidence (Barry, Taylor, Walls, Wood, 1990). media type="youtube" key="VYo-CD3wKoI" height="344" width="425" Retrieved from: []

**__The Need For Discipline__**
Discipline issues are a major concern for faculty and teachers in the urban school environment. Students regularly do not attend class, and lack interest in the material and motivation to complete assignments. Many students who are in danger of dropping out also struggle to keep their lives in order. They have scattered ideas and they are unable to focus their mind on a single task and develop it (Barry, Taylor, Walls, Wood, 1990). The arts can provide better disciplinary skills because of the fact that art lessons are engaging to the student and they require the student’s complete attention. For example, to make a successful drawing it must have a broad range of tones (darks, lights, and all the grays in between). To achieve this, students must concentrate fully and use their problem solving skills to be able to end up with a completed balanced drawing. A study on the effects of fine arts education on high school students in Florida conducted by the Florida Department of Education reveals that in fact the students who normally misbehaved were in complete focus in their fine arts classes and attentive to the art they were making. Making something requires the students to focus their mind on all aspects of their creation. It requires constant repetition of a learned technique. Lastly, art requires a person to be patient and organized. All of these characteristics are also requirements for learning and becoming a disciplined individual. One student in this study was quoted when saying “It [dance] gave me self discipline, responsibility, self confidence and also how to budget my time” (Barry, Taylor, Walls, Wood, 1990). Fine arts education also helps juveniles get back on track. The study “Learning to C: Visual Arts Education as Strength Based Practice In Juvenile Correction Facilities,” reveals how the fine arts helped juveniles make connections between their struggles and the struggles of other famous artists. This realization helps the juveniles contemplate their shortcomings and encourages growth and change. Furthermore, the group art projects the juveniles completed gave them a community to interact with and belong to. These positive social relations with other group members will also help them to learn cooperation, which further develops the discipline of the juveniles. According to the study, juveniles from different gangs worked together without any incidents of violence, and they considered the work they made together as “ours.” Through art, the juveniles were able to gain knowledge that they can put to use in any career after their release.  (Oesterreich, Flores, 2009).

**__A Community With Art__**
The fine arts give students a sense of belonging to a community because in many cases the art created is dependent upon a team or a group effort. All the members of the group, like a school band, must practically deal with each other’s strengths and weaknesses in positive ways. If the students want to make a great performance will learn to deal with these issues positively, and as a result, the students will learn to accept each other’s unique personalities and abilities. One of the high school students in the study of the effects of fine arts education in the schools of Florida said “you meet new people with different perspectives on music or playing…Taught me a whole lot of respect for other people (Barry, Taylor, Walls, Wood, 1990). It can be inferred that the art lessons teach students diversity and how to respect one another’s unique qualities. Art provides them with positive social environments.

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**__Conclusion__**
There are high levels of consensus on the positive effects of fine arts education on students. The arts provide an environment in school that is inspiring, engaging, and exciting. These qualities allow students become more motivated and achieve higher grades (Platz, Collins, 2007). Furthermore, the arts promote students to talk and accept each other’s unique personalities, therefore, giving them positive interactions and maturity. Finally art lessons teach students skills they will need for the rest of their life including creativity, discipline, concentration, organization, and ability to solve problems. Creativity cultural knowledge that is extremely valuable in modern times(Sheridan Rabideau, 2009). Therefore, art is derived from the various cultures of the world. It is depictions, expressions, and interpretations of historical events, ideologies, concepts, and emotions in a creative way.

Barry, N.; Taylor, J.; Walls, K.; Wood, J. (1990). The Role of Fine and Performing Arts in High School Dropout Prevention.
 * __References__**

Mullen, Carol A. (2006). //Encyclopedia of Educational Leadership and Administration//. SAGE Publications. 27 Apr. 2010. Retrieved from []

Oesterreich, Heather A., Flores, Sara McNie. (2009). Learning to C: Visual Strength-Based Practice In Juvenile Correction Facilities, 60 (2), 146-162. Retrieved from  @http://proxy-tu.researchport.umd.edu/login?ins=tu&url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=43365577&site=ehost-live

Platz, Joan; Collins, Donna. (2007). What Does The Research Say About Music And Arts Education? 75 (1), 19-27. Retrieved from http://proxy-tu.researchport. umd.edu/login?ins=tu&url=http: //search.ebscohost.com/login. aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN= 26768546&site=ehost-live

Sheridan-Rabideau, Mark. (2009). Creativity Repositioned. 111, 54-58. Retrieved from http://proxy-tu.researchport. umd.edu/login?ins=tu&url=http: //search.ebscohost.com/login. aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN= 47602321&site=ehost-live 10.1080/10632910903455876.