Advocate for the Arts in High School

Public high schools are tearing the hearts out of arts programs, and have been for a while, due to budgetary cuts and an emphasis on math and science. This, of course, you’ll certainly acknowledge as a God-damn shame if you have any sense at all. It’s not that I do not understand budgetary concerns or that I think math and science are not important, I just think maybe cutting the arts is the absolute wrong way to go about things - straight from the department of bad ideas, one might say.

There are about a zillion reasons why - but here are just a couple. First, the study of the arts provides the space for kids to express their individuality, sensitivity, and creativity. Further, art departments can be a spot for weirdos and misfits (I mean this in the most complimentary way…) to find themselves and each other and flourish in a comfortable setting.

But here’s something that you might not have considered along an academic line of thinking. I’ll use musical theater and my own personal story as an example - but this could apply to all sorts of artistic endeavors.

I was a big-time musical theater geek. I loved it: the performing, the camaraderie I built with fellow actors, and the friendships I made in the process….and the praise I received for a job well done helped me build confidence. In high school, I performed in some of the usual suspects: Oklahoma!, Grease (the Broadway version, not the movie revival version), The Music Man, Bye Bye Birdie (I played the title role!), and South Pacific. I continued performing both during and after high school - taking my shot at the music biz. And though I never achieved rock stardom, I certainly had a hell of a good time and honed my performing chops along the way. If you want to check me in action, circa 1985 - well here you go. ENJOY!

But here’s the thing. Whenever I played a part on stage, I always dug deep into the historical context of the characters. You might say I was practicing my craft, so to speak…kinda like the way Charlton Heston prepared for a role. And not incidentally, if you want to read a great book on that most celebrated actor, check THIS, from my friends at Savas Beatie. But back to musical theater…I got into it - learning about such topics as teenage counter culture in the 1950s, the range wars of the Western Frontier, and WWII sailors stationed in the Pacific. I loved the process of learning…not only about the sweeping events that served as a backdrop for the story, but the ordinary people who lived during the time - how they dressed, what they ate, and how they carried themselves. Trust me, I was no Brando. Seriously, my acting chops weren’t that outstanding. But I connected what I enjoyed to what I loved to read about anyway - and thus turned the whole endeavor into an intellectual exercise. Admittedly, I would not have thought of it that way at the time, but looking back, this is precisely how I went about rehearsing, going over my lines, and practicing songs.

In short, I learned something…I mean really learned it. And…the performance piece (which carried in the music biz) had a lasting effect. Performing helped me become a better teacher. I mean, let’s be honest, there is a performative aspect to teaching - and having the ability to keep kids simultaneously engaged with the class material and entertained benefits everyone involved.

So, while the arts may seem like superfluous activity filling time away from the rigors of academic work in high school, I would suggest that the arts actually enhance it. Students learn to think about problem solving in unique ways, they build confidence and the ability to speak (or even sing) in front of their classmates, and they learn how to express themselves in ways that illuminate sophisticated ideas.

I honestly think it will be the creative types who wind up finding solutions to all of the world’s woes. So - if you hear that your local school is considering eliminating all or parts of their arts program, I believe a letter to the board would be an appropriate response.

With compliments,

Keith