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Ask people who
their favorite artists are — those who create music, dance, drama, paintings
and drawings — and the answers will likely come from the roster of artistic
greats: Picasso, Georgia O’Keefe, Mikhail Barishnikov, Ella Fitzgerald,
Mozart. Yet is there a parent out there that hasn’t proudly displayed colorful
finger paintings or clapped with glee over an impromptu performance of Swan Lake
in the family living room done by none other than their own brilliantly artistic
kids?
Learning life
skills through art
Despite the high
status we often lend to famous artists, creativity in the arts is something that
everyone has the potential to achieve. And lucky are the individuals whose
budding attempts at artistic expression are nurtured and allowed to grow into
strong creative thinking abilities that last a lifetime.
Recent research
has added an exciting twist to what we know about children’s brain
development: though the first four years have long been touted as the time for
making important brain connections, we now understand that this type of
development continues on through adolescence. For this reason, the experiences
and information children are exposed to, particularly during the elementary
years, need to be as stimulating and meaningful as possible.
The arts are
wonderful for providing such stimulation. When children whisk a marker back and
forth across a big sheet of blank paper, push and pound a lump of clay or cut
with scissors, their brains are growing. Every time they move to a rousing Sousa
march, dance or act out a scene from a favorite book with friends or listen to a
favorite piece of music, their senses send signals to the brain about how things
work, how to work together and what feels good.
Creative people
invent, imagine, problem-solve and communicate in unique ways. These are skills
that help us make new friends, learn about topics that interest us and become
successful adults.
The arts also
nurture the types of skills needed in today’s workforce. Virtually all
businesses and professions, from nursing and science to management and sales,
require the ability to "think outside of the box."
And it all begins
in the early years. When children share art supplies and dress-up clothes for
pretend play, design and paint a mural or play in a school band, they are
learning to work as part of a team toward a common goal.
What the arts
look like during the
elementary years
Dance, music,
theater and the visual arts all play a very important part in the elementary
classroom curriculum. Here is a look at how the arts may be woven into your
children’s school day:
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Kindergarten:
The focus of the arts curriculum in the early elementary years is on
enjoyment and self-expression. In the average kindergarten classroom you are
likely to find children singing, dancing or playing rhythm instruments or
listening to a variety of music. Children use puppets, play dress up, put on
plays and may watch performances by other classes or professional artists.
They have lots of opportunity to experiment with art materials like paints,
crayons, pencils, markers and clay. Children will also be learning the
foundations of language and reading as they create poems, songs, stories and
plays that may be written down, collected into classroom books or performed.
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First
and second grade:
During first and second grade, the arts continue to be used to help children
develop their self-confidence and strengthen communication skills, as well
as for pleasure. During these years, children’s drawings and paintings
will likely become more detailed and colorful as they gain better control of
art tools and their hand-eye coordination improves. As
the curriculum becomes more structured, opportunities for artistic
expression will be woven into units of study, with children making up songs,
creating colorful collages or designing their own instruments. In-school
performances and field trips to museums, art exhibitions or musical and
dance performances are frequently built into the school year to provide
exposure to a variety of artists and performers.
-
Third
through fifth grade:
In the upper elementary grades, the arts remain important for
strengthening children’s confidence and communication skills. This is the
time when choral singing and instrumental lessons are introduced. At this
point, the arts are fully integrated into the curriculum. For example,
children may read biographies of musicians, dancers and painters as part of
their language arts work. They may compare traditional folk and contemporary
songs as part of their American history studies. Or they may stage a play as
a culmination of their elementary experience.
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For
permission to reprint this article, please contact the
Capital Region BOCES Communications Service at (518)
464-3960.
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