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#1. Full implementation of the APS Fine Arts Plan is three years behind schedule. As a result, APS Elementary students receive one 6-7 hours of art or 6-7 hours of music every year
by certified specialists. Are you in support of the Fine Arts Plan? If not, why? If so, what is your strategy for implementation?
I support the plan. On one hand, it appears reasonable, with well-developed objectives, identified resource requirements, and established partnerships within the community (orchestras, art galleries,
etc.). I applaud the business community's continuing support and contributions to arts programs, both in the schools and community at large. On the other hand, if we agree that fine arts are critical to
our overall social well-being (and economic / business success), I would say the plan is not ambitious enough. What would potential employers say about a math program that provided only 6-7 hours contact
yearly?
I presume the delay in implementing the plan is a real (or perceived) lack of money to fully implement it. Until I have a better understanding of the APS budget and have heard from APS about their reasons
for the delay, it would be premature to offer an approach for implementing the plan. (An engineering credo: Understand the problem before offering a solution.)
#2. Describe the role of fine arts including visual art, music, drama and dance, in your general philosophy of education.
Fine arts are a crucial element of the public (as well as private) education system, because I see the primary "customer" of the public schools as being our community at large. This is a departure
from the view that the "business of education is educating for business," which I see as a narrow, short-term focus that will hurt our communities in the long run. While artistic expression is often
an essential element of successfully conducting business (for example, packaging, advertising, etc.), art also addresses the emotional and spiritual aspects that are frequently missing from our personal lives,
family circles, and civic affairs. Early and sustained exposure to a variety of fine arts helps "round" the student as a citizen and provides an opportunity to discover what he/she really values in
life. Contrary to the current belief that we should "get back to the basics," I would advocate putting fine arts on an equal basis with the "three R's" in curricula, provided that
fine arts curricula integrate reading, writing, and math. (I'm a mathematician and my wife teaches math at Del Norte H.S., and I know it can be done.) Finally, fine arts programs are often the
"carrot" that entices at-risk students to stay in school; we cannot afford NOT to support arts in the curriculum.
#3. How do you see fine arts fitting in with the district's Performance Counts initiatives?
As I said in response to question #2, I would advocate putting fine arts on an equal footing with the traditional "3 R's" subjects, provided that reading, writing, and math are solidly integrated into
the arts curricula. There are already innovative programs doing this (that is, integrating the disciplines) in our schools, for example, the gifted language/literature program at Hayes M.S. The
difficulty in seeing the relationship of fine arts to Performance Counts initiatives is that we haven't grappled with appropriate measure(s) of success for creative processes that aren't easily defined. While
the traditional school achievement tests would presumably show that artistically motivated students excel in the non-artistic disciplines as well, it may be necessary to develop new indicators of success. This
would require ongoing public dialogue about the values that fine arts support in our community.
My guess, without any solid research to back up my assertion, is that arts help develop balanced, well-adjusted students who perform acceptably in areas that we are currently focused on.
#4. What is your view concerning the role of arts education in addressing the needs of at-risk students and reducing the dropout rate?
I rely on my wife's current experience teaching math (for most students, a very boring and scary subject) at Del Norte to provide a "window" for observing the positive impact of electives such as art,
cheerleading, and athletics on student success. Fine arts can be both a "carrot" and a "stick" for getting students to participate in subjects they either don't like or think they are no
good at. Some students come to school only for one class -- it might be art or music (the "carrot") -- and participate in the other classes (somewhat grudgingly) because they know they
may lose the opportunity to take that one enjoyable class (hence, the "stick"). Arts excite a lot of people, especially young people who frequently complain that school is BORING, so we need to find
more effective ways to leverage the motivation that arts programs can provide for both the students and their teachers. (It certainly doesn't hurt for parents to find positive ways to use art to motivate their
children, too, and schools can help in that regard as well.)
#5. In your opinion, how might arts education be beneficial to preparing students for the workplace?
The most obvious, tangible benefit is that arts education helps prepare students for high paying jobs. Like it or not, the communications media and entertainment industries are "big business", and
they pay well for people who have the solid artistic skills that they need. If our schools do not encourage the promising artists among our students, the students lose a significant economic opportunity (as
well as the opportunity to work at a job that may be immensely more satisfying on a personal level). Likewise, our communities will suffer because of a lower tax base (lost income tax revenues) as well as
losses of related businesses (movies, Internet, music) to other cities with a stronger arts foundation.
On a less tangible level, there is the creative aspect of arts education that is so sorely needed for finding innovative solutions to long-standing or looming business and social problems. Thinking as an
artist is different from thinking as an engineer: they are creative in different ways, and sometimes "thinking outside the box" is necessary for solving what seems like a straight-forward
"technical" problem. Additionally, art is essentially about communication, frequently about personal and social values, which is something our society desperately needs to improve. (What would
the newspaper's editorial page be without the political cartoon?)
Art in the workplace? Pictures and music make my workplace(s) significantly more enjoyable, and help make me more productive.
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