Module 2: Task 4d - Literative Review 1

The first piece of literature I have been studying has been 'The Value of Performing Arts Education in Our Schools' by Cathy Hess Wright. It is an article from the National Association of Secondary School Principles bulletin from April 1994. It has already spawned a vast amount of developing thoughts and questions. I have picked out specific quotes that triggered a discussion in my mind which I noted down and am now transferring into this biog post.

'As a ten year veteran in a magnet arts high school, I have witnessed the positive affects of a performing arts education on students at the secondary level.'
It can be very difficult to iterate how much of a positive impact performing arts can have to those who have never experienced it first hand. This is why more investigations need to happen in order to have physical statistic proof of it's positivity, especially at a time when so many budget cuts are impacting performing arts departments within schools. If performing arts could make a real difference on the success of students, then it is something that needs to be discovered and proved in order to make changes happen as soon as possible to give more students the opportunity to succeed in their futures.

'A recent study (Barry 1992) concludes that "the inclusion and integration of arts activities into the curriculum offers a variable strategy for student motivation and success." '
Previous studies have already shown the integration of performing arts into the curriculum is having positive affects on students motivation and success. I can completely relate to this as I know the positive mental attitude that performing arts evokes. Performing arts is the most obvious example of practice and improvement. The other side of the argument that I often faced during my time as a student, was that too much of my time and effort was spent on performing arts and that it could affect my achievements in other areas of my education. Fortunately, this never became an issue for me personally, but I could and can see it's potential flaws. This is why it needs more clear investigation into how much performing arts is beneficial and how much is too much.

'I have had students who were having the most difficult time simply getting through high school. The performing arts courses they took directly influenced these students, giving them a sense of accomplishment and strong sense of self esteem.'
This supports my theories and ideas that performing arts promotes a 'Growth Mindset' which studies are beginning to show really aids children's achievements and success. It would be really interesting to discover further how performing arts and a growth mindset could be linked and the benefits of using these tools in school.

'One student overcame her parents' strong opposition to her studying dance in high school. She received a a scholarship in dance to a state university and used that scholarship to assist her studies in both dance and chemistry. She later wrote to inform me that she had entered graduate school on an academic scholarship. However, she credits the undergraduate dance scholarship with having given her the opportunity to attend college, to earn her bachelor's degree, and to grow as a person. Today her parents support the value of performing arts instruction in a young person's education.'
I do believe there is a stigma around performing arts and it's career prospects. I'm sure many of my performing arts associates will have had comments made about the instability of a performance career. I can agree with this in part as I wanted to be a performer initially but didn't enjoy the lifestyle that followed with it. However, I don't ever regret any of my involvement within performing arts, especially at school. It helped me gain confidence. I gained a group of friends who I am still in contact with today but it also gave me a sense of determination and drive towards a larger goal. I understood the importance of hard-work and perseverance and that reflected across the rest of my subjects at school. So even if involvement in performing arts isn't anything to do with a students future career, I think some of the skills gained from performing arts can be adapted to any subject. It is this that needs more emphasis and more investigation in order to persuade parents that by allowing their children to get involved in performing arts they are helping to improve other aspects of their education.

'The performing arts teach students to overcome obstacles and to appreciate the process of accomplishment, as well as the end product of achievement.'
Something that I am beginning to discover through my workplace and through the investigation in this module is that education bases the majority of it's importance on grades and levels. Performing arts does seem to hold more importance on the process and the practice which eventually leads to the end product. I think this is where students gain their self esteem as they can see their improvements as they go along and are praised for this. From this, they find a work ethic that involves working hard in order to keep improving. If more emphasis was based on the process of improving in English for example, this could have a positive impact on achievements automatically. If children are just faced with a good or bad grade, it can demotivate them. With a bad grade a child feels like a failure, so they give up. With a good grade a child feels like they don't need to try any more because they're already at the level they need to be. This is a generalisation of course, but it would be interesting to see if this is what growth mindset studies are starting to reveal.


There were many other points made in the article that reiterated the points I have made above. It has been really interesting to read this article and realise how much investigation has already gone into similar topics that I am looking to focus on for my inquiry. From my SIG's, I'm sure many of my fellow BAPP Arts students would benefit from reading this article also and how much importance performing arts could have on educational success.