The following is a copy of the speech given by Thomas H. Waggoner, the keynote speaker at this summer's TETA K-12 SummerFest. JOURNEY to the Heart of Texas: Don’t Stop Believin’! Saturday, July 16, 2011, Baylor University
So why are we here this weekend at the Texas Educational Theatre Association SummerFest in Waco, and what is at stake? Students and theatre/fine arts education! Fine arts educators and advocates often refer to theatre and the arts as “the soul of humanity.” If this is true, what would happen if theatre and fine arts were removed from society and from our schools? Virtually no one could conceive of a world without fine arts – without theatre, without art, without dance, without music.
Ernest Boyer, one of the most influential figures in modern American education, once was quoted as saying “aesthetic literacy is as basic as linguistic literacy.” And, John Ruskin, English arts critic and social thinker, once said: “Great nations write their autobiographies in three manuscripts: the book of their deeds, the book of their words, and the book of their arts. Ruskin went on to say that of these three books, the only trustworthy book is the last book – the arts.
We believe that the study of theatre and the arts creates a better person. It does this because the really important qualities of the arts lie in the experiential side of the personality. These attributes exist in the right brain, and I will assume that everyone here today is familiar with the results of the past 40 years of brain research. This subject is accepted as basic knowledge today, and in these medical findings lie the evidence for the real importance of fine arts education in the public schools. Nearly all other school subjects deal only with the left brain, but the left brain is not the real us. Everything known in the left brain is secondhand, borrowed, spectator knowledge. In the left brain, we are not individuals. It is in the right brain where we are different from everyone else, where we are unique, where we are the real us.
We believe that theatre and the arts should be included within the fundamental curriculum of English Language Arts/Reading, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. Such an arts curriculum should be comprised of four basic aspects with the expectation that students will:
· create and perform the arts;
· understand the role and importance of the arts in culture and history;
· perceive and respond to the qualities of the arts; and
· make sound and informed judgments about the arts.
(Four strands of the Fine Arts TEKS.)
We believe that theatre and the arts are essential to the healthy development of children. The arts are at the very core of the meaning of education, and there are many reasons for this assertion:
· The arts should be studied for what they are and are to be valued in and of themselves.
· The arts must be viewed as important for both their intrinsic and educational value.
· The arts connect us to the past and help us imagine new possibilities for the future.
· The arts accomplish a variety of important tasks: to present topics and opinions; to instruct or influence; or to please or entertain.
· The arts are an integral part of the environment in that our personal, social, economic, and cultural surroundings are shaped by the arts.
· Theatre and the arts enable students to develop the attitudes, characteristics, and intellectual capacities required to participate effectively in today’s society and economy. Theatre and the arts teach self-discipline, reinforce self-esteem, and foster thinking skills and creativity so valued in the workplace. They teach the importance of teamwork and cooperation.
· There is a direct correlation between theatre and fine arts education and early childhood brain development, student achievement in other academic subjects, and higher scores on standardized tests. Theatre and the arts demonstrate the direct connection between study, hard work, and high levels of success. Brain research and multiple intelligences theories are providing evidence to support including the arts in a balanced curriculum. Research indicates that studying the arts may form critical neural pathways necessary for later development.
We believe that theatre and the arts benefit the student because they cultivate the whole child, gradually developing many types of literacy while enhancing intuition, reasoning, imagination, and dexterity into unique forms of expression and communication. An education in the arts is beneficial because students gain an understanding of human experiences, both past and present. Students learn to respect the ways of others and learn to make decisions in varied and difficult situations.
We believe that theatre and arts education can be helpful in teaching other academic disciplines. The arts can connect segments of the curriculum that are fundamentally compartmentalized. Although some arts educators cite a tension between integrating the arts into the curriculum and teaching the arts “for art’s sake,” I suggest that the two approaches are compatible. These are not mutually exclusive ideas since human activity is inherently interdisciplinary. We, as members of society, do not divide our day into disciplinary parts. To ensure that the arts are integrated into the curriculum in a meaningful and appropriate manner, however, the arts program must be based on regular instruction by qualified, certified teachers who collaborate with other teachers to create ideas for effective curriculum integration. We believe that theatre and the arts contribute to the overall school environment. They are an effective means of connecting children and enabling them to understand and coexist with others.
We believe that theatre and the arts contribute to the process of teaching and learning. They can transform the entire culture of a school, and they can create productive partnerships between the school and community. The ever-changing society makes the arts the most powerful tool to bridge cultural differences, and they are essential to an educational system that values diversity.
We believe that theatre and the arts help develop the necessary skills required to be successful in the world of work. For example, thinking creatively and analytically, solving problems, and envisioning are strongly incorporated in the arts. The arts often utilize complex technologies. The arts build capacities for teamwork and skills for leadership. The arts, therefore, contribute to the nation’s need for creative, skillful workers and for innovative leaders.
We believe that all students should have access to a deep and rich education in the arts, regardless of their background, talents, or disabilities. The arts should be an integral part of a program of general education for all students, particularly those who are “at-risk” or with disabilities. The arts can be a powerful, and sometimes best, vehicle for reaching, motivating, and teaching any given student. The idea that an education in the arts is just for the “talented” and not “regular” students is simply wrong.
We believe that the arts are curricular, not extracurricular or cocurriculuar. (Explanation of terms.) We need to change the view of the arts as “not basic.” When arts education is justified in terms of increasing competency rather than solely enjoyment, then, and only then, will schools and parents view the arts as a legitimate subject of instruction.
Finally, we believe that teachers will be the leaders in this process, but only with adequate allocation of resources, access to technology, appropriate class sizes, facilities that are suitable for practice and performance, and opportunities for professional growth.
Thank you for all that you do for children and theatre education, which are the real reasons why we are here at SummerFest today.
I think that the arts are so close to our psychological and biological core, so close to this biological identity, that rather than think of arts courses as sort of whipped cream or luxury, they must become basic experiences in education. Abraham Maslow