An Artless
World
By Allison
Skiple
Visit any school and walk down the
fine arts hallway; there is music being played, children performing, and art
being made. Choir, band, orchestra, theatre, dance, and art programs are now
left to fend on their own financially. This leads aspiring artists to become
discouraged about pursuing a career in the fine arts. Fine arts programs all
across the US should be respected just as much as any other department. It’s not asking too much.
Statistically,
students involved in a fine art do better in school in many aspects. Children
learn how to work diligently both on their own and in a group. Their efforts at
home and at school affect their whole entire group. Students learn how to
connect, and affect others by the art that they make. As a student heavily involved
in the fine arts, I know first hand on how the arts can change a person as they
truly changed my life; they has built up my confidence and changed my
perspective. I would be questioning my purpose because I wouldn't have anything
to do or anything to live for. Why should dedicated artists have to suffer the
cut?
If colleges
offer majors in the fine arts, then why don’t they offer more scholarships?
Fine arts improve confidence and public speaking, which is crucial in any job.
It might not be as easy to acquire a job, but people in the arts tend to be
more hardworking over a person who is not. According to Princeton University in
2001 there were “2,511,000” people in a fine art profession out of “7.1 million
employed workers” recorded by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics . There are
ample jobs for a person wanting to pursue a career in the fine arts.
Some argue
that arts are a waste of time because they can’t get you anywhere in life. Yes,
stereotypically, more athletes get scholarships than artists of any field. USA
Today reports the average sports scholarship is about “$10,000” while a fine
arts scholarship for music majors found on a website dedicated to music
scholarships is about on average “$1,000 to $1,200”. Being the star athlete in
comparison is more important than being the principal actor in a show. Both an
athlete and a musician have to work incredibly hard to get to where they are;
so why are people saying that one is better than the other? A professional
athlete has work only in the prime of their body while artists, actors,
dancers, and musicians have work for life.
We, as a
country, can learn to put the fine arts higher up on our lists. We need to
support local fine art programs of all sorts and plug them into schools.
Professionals try their best to inspire up and coming artists, but we need the
support from the school to show children that they can succeed in doing what
they love. Schools should put money where it is deserved and give equal credit
to athletes and artists- “The “earth” without “art” is just eh.”
Works Cited
“Center
for Arts and Cultural Policy Studies.” Princeton University, The Trustees of
Princeton
“Employment
Situation: 2001.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,
O'Shaughnessy,
Lynn. “7 Things You Need to Know About Sports Scholarships.” USA Today,
“Scholarships
for Music Majors.” Music Major - Majoring in Music,
majoringinmusic.com/scholarships-for-music-majors/.
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