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Derek E. Gordon, Executive Director, Jazz at Lincoln Center and former senior vice president for the Kennedy Center, discusses the place of the arts in a comprehensive education.
Q: The Kennedy Center's Arts Education Vision Statement asserts, "The arts are a critical and essential part of the education of every young person in America." Why is this true?
A: The arts are an essential part of American culture as a whole. It is very important that every young person comes into direct contact with the arts—not only as a passive observer, but also as an active participant.
The arts are also a great equalizer in terms of economic and social discrepancies. They have a way of leveling the playing field, allowing individuals to progress in life more effectively. There is also a lot of research that addresses the impact that the arts have on cognitive learning skills. For example, learning to play the piano can aid in developing mathematical skills. Visual arts and dance can affect the spatial perception of students—particularly young students.
Q: What value does arts-based learning provide to students?
A: The arts encourage learning as a process of discovery. We want every student to be a researcher who is asking probing questions—not only demonstrating their knowledge, but also testing and defending the assumptions that they are making. This is something that artists do all the time.
Also, when you look at early education practices, you see that they are filled with arts activities, because they offer the most basic and immediate ways to connect to a young mind. The arts challenge students of all ages, and engage them in a way that is often more kinesthetic, and perhaps more emotionally satisfying, than the "traditional" approach to teaching a text.
Q: How can one defend the role of arts in education when so much emphasis is placed on standardized test scores?
A: It's always interesting to look at the schools that have the highest test scores on standardized tests. Generally you will find that the arts are a part of their curriculum. Now, is that just a coincidence? Or is it part of the environment that makes the students more successful in their efforts to learn and compete on standardized tests?
A publication called Critical Links contains empirical data on a variety of tests and research initiatives looking at the impact of the arts on academic achievement—not in the domain of the arts, but in other academic areas. This material has made very compelling statements about the effectiveness of using the arts to teach other subjects.
Q: What is the classroom teacher's role in advocating for the place of the arts in education?
A: First, professional development is extremely important. Teachers from all disciplines can participate in programs to learn the techniques of an arts-integrated approach to education. The Kennedy Center offers a wide array of professional development opportunities and experiences that demonstrate this sort of integrated approach to learning. Educators can incorporate these techniques into just about any text or topic that they are teaching.
Second, teachers should look to the leadership in the school, as well as the general community, to discover available resources. If there is an arts specialist in your school, look at him or her as a collaborator in expanding your students' experience. Look to community cultural organizations that might present productions or have teaching artists willing to come in and teach a hands-on activity.
Third, teachers can talk to their school boards, PTAs, and decision-makers in their community to make sure that their schools have access to cultural resources, and that artists or teaching artists are on the faculties of their schools.
Q: If you could implement one initiative to improve American students' education in the arts, what would it be?
A: I think that I would create an initiative mandating that all of the arts would be available at every school, and that every student had regular opportunities to receive instruction and participate actively in a variety of art forms. I would like to see schools implement arts programs that give students the opportunity to develop fully in all of the artistic disciplines. Students should have ample opportunity to view, create, and critique all of the arts.
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