As the world slowly progresses and technology becomes more integrated into our everyday lives, educators and colleges seem to forget about the Arts.
But it’s an inherent part of our species we should not overlook, especially not in a world where everything is automated. Students need to reconnect with their artistic side to not only mature and find themselves, but also to become better learners.
This article by do-my-essay aims to highlight why it’s important for everyone, including and especially students, to engage in creative and artistic activities. It’s about time that we stop renouncing them — Even those who get into tech and STEM fields need to connect with that human part. Let’s see why.
Reasons Why the Arts Should be Part of Every Major
1. Art Makes Us Human
Art allows us, humans, to experience life in a way that other animals cannot. We express our thoughts through beautiful verses, paint and recreate what our eyes see, play instruments and accompany them with our vocal cords, and much more.
It connects us regardless of gender, age, race, country, or even time. We cry and laugh and feel even with artworks from another era. Human emotions, fear, and desires remain the same throughout history, and art is the perfect channel for expressing them.
To quote a line from one of Fredrik Backman’s books: “People have to tell their stories […] Or they suffocate.”
2. Art Equals Creativity
Art is hands down one of the best ways to boost creativity, a highly demanded skill in the workforce. The sooner a child immerses themselves in the artistic world, the more flexible and creative their brain will become.
It helps us understand space, colors, rhythms, words, and much more. The richer our perspective is, especially when mixing different fields, the more easily we’ll come up with solutions to obstacles.
3. More Engagement
Artistic activities are hands-on, which boosts engagement and motivation. Most people are tired of repetitive and boring lessons at college and days at the office. The Arts, on the other hand, encourage us to join and be part of something.
We create something, and that makes us feel accomplished, even if it’s playing a small partiture in our flutes. Students are no exception — And more often than not, true and deep learning comes from doing rather than observing or listening.
4. Art Helps Understand Technical Fields
Though it may sound counterintuitive, disciplines like Music that have patterns and rhythms, help students succeed in technical subjects like Mathematics.
It’s similar to other fields, such as technical drawing, which helps develop visual and spatial patterns; or three-dimensional activities such as pottery, which is good for understanding geometric relationships.
We tend to separate technical and artistic subjects — We, as a society, even ask students to segregate into engineers, mathematics, physics and philologists, historians, or philosophers.
But everything comes together because everything makes us human, as stated in the initial point. Students can’t understand Math without a language, and they can’t become great economists or politicians without understanding History.
5. A Fun Environment
Even when our Educational System doesn’t follow this rule, learning should be fun. It should arise from inner curiosity to understand the world around us. Arts provide students with visual and tangible materials that create a fun exploring environment.
Growing up and maturing is about exploring the world — That’s why children play and interact with everything that comes across them. However, growing up doesn’t equal losing curiosity. Art helps us maintain that curiosity by imitating reality and discovering our inner and external world.
6. Collective Work
Art doesn’t often come from within an individual just because. It requires discovering and learning from previous geniuses, whether painters, writers, musicians, etc. As writers often say: One must read before one writes.
Students paint because they know that paintings exist. They read because they want to know what others had to say centuries ago. They play instruments because they know how beautifully that violin or piano sounds in their idol’s hands.
Motivating pupils to engage in the arts by discovering previous works and finding inspiration is key at any education level. It helps them create and innovate on a foundation established by others. As the popular wisdom goes: We stand on the shoulders of giants.
