Back when we had arts programs in school. Please allow me to brag.

This video is my son's band. He is the drummer and lead vocalist. They're up for an award tonight and we're keeping our fingers crossed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eWyuKyaYEQ&feature=player_embedded

This child went to an arts magnet school. We knew from his infancy he was an artist. He also had speech problems from an early age and a whole range of other 'disabilities'. So when we heard there was a public school that focused on the arts, it was a no brainer. In spite of what we were told when he was in preschool, he always did well in school. I know that music and arts classes were the reason he loved school from an early age.

He's 28 now and had an absolutely wonderful school experience. Started out playing violin in kindergarten. Taught himself piano at some point. His dad was a drummer so we always had drums in the basement and he just sat down and started playing one day.

This is what happens when kids have a well rounded education. In this current test focused educational environment, this kid would not succeed. (I am not sharing his test scores here. LOL)

This is why we need to keep fighting for the schools we know will work for our kids.

I went on to be a music major with a minor in fine arts in college. Then a masters in elementary education. Then a law degree.

Arts complement all the other discliplines and enhance your right brain (spatial relations, imagination, parts-to-whole relationships).

Our kids deserve a well rounded education.

Fine Arts education. At our school we have seven periods (where I grew up it was six). Five periods are immediately set aside for English, Science, Math, Social Studies and Foreign Language. Most students do PE which takes a sixth period. In most cases you need to double up on Science once or twice to stay with your peers for college (taking AP Biology and AP Chemistry for example).

I pushed my girls to get 9th grade Science done in 8th grade thus avoiding one of the double up requirements in Science. We also have early bird PE (which now makes it 8 periods instead of 7) to allow all 7 periods to be academic.

My youngest daughter wants to be a doctor, and I think it will be useful to get the Nursing Assistant certification available to High Schoolers (this takes another period).

I would like my girls to keep up both their Art and their Orchestra/Band through all four years of High School.

It seems like too many demands on time. The big change is the expectation now for four years of foreign language. When I was in school it was two years. Many BA/BS programs require at least three years or taking additional foreign languages in college. I do think learning a foreign language is very important as well though.

My oldest was a band student; in high school he did marching band, jazz band, and any other band offered. He also participated in a regional "advanced" band; as part of that one, he performed at the Rose Bowl during half time one year.

After high school, he and his friends put together a band and played local gigs for awhile. Then they went off in different directions for education and career. They still get together to play local gigs now and then. One is a lawyer, one a professor, and one on his way to being a professor. One has his own band on the side.

One went to a performing arts magnet in L.A.; he had grandparents living in the area. All of them used music as a vehicle for their adolescent energy, and did well in school.

They are 32 now.

I'm glad that there were strong music programs when they were in school.

He is also a musician.

said out loud. My youngest turns 31 next week.

Scary.

Congrats on the win!

Best Reggae band in the city. What a great honor.

So proud.

So many special needs students excel in the arts. I had the honor to teach two girls who were labeled "learning support", who became art teachers! :)

Kids and parents always come back to Open House to tell me how much they loved their art classes. I frequently say I have never heard of a student who displayed their math and science papers, but many of my alums still tell me that they have art work hanging in their rooms that they completed in middle school! It makes me very proud. :hi:

My oldest on spent all weekend working on another original piano composition.

After all, there is a multi-billion dollar sports industry we have to support. School sports is nothing but a free proving grounds for future college and pro athletes. Tax payers support all the sports training. Those unfortunate enough to suffer a debilitating injury or lifelong disability? Too bad. We have plenty of money to support the billion dollar sports team tv contracts. Who paid for the football stadium in your city? You guessed it. You did.

If there were billions to be made in playing the flute I'm sure we'd see a different "tune" from our school boards.

Crooked system from start to finish. Welcome to America.

I always felt the arts needed more money, especially since much of the funds directed towards athletics appeared to be wasted.

Here's an example--installing new turf on a field that already has a good artificial turf. There was nothing wrong with the old turf at all. The school figured they may as well replace it for no reason. The football team got new uniforms, the cheerleaders got new uniforms, and the band continued playing mellophones from the 1960s, half of which barely resembled mellophones and played like something you'd buy for two dollars on eBay from a guy who dropped a bowling ball on the bell.

I never played sports for my school. I was great at basketball, but the pressures the school and media place on student athletes would have been too much for me. I played for a youth league in the area instead. If my school would have offered intramural sports, I would have done that, but no, all the money was being spent on the small population of student athletes.

Arts are very important, especially, as some have mentioned, for children with disabilities. Some may have difficulty speaking, some may have anxiety and find it a good outlet for relieving that. Individuals with ADHD may be able to use an instrument to help them learn to focus better and music in particular works great for some with ASDs. The best sax player at my school had an ASD, and while his disability affected him in other ways of life, he was truly into his music and was simply amazing when you'd put that instrument in his hands. It helped him make friends and improve his social skills, as he was around other folks in the band.

There are also many who just aren't cut out to be an athlete, lawyer, businessman, doctor, computer guy, or teacher. However, they may have great gifts in art. I know at least one from my school who went on to be a tattoo artist. Obviously, art classes helped here.

Don't forget about wood shop, metalworking, sewing, cooking, TV, and auto tech. They also open doors.