The ARTS? It’s Time to Be Creative!

The Arts are an integral part of students learning and using skills that they will need to navigate the future. During the past few months we have seen how plans can change – Every. Day. Teaching students to adapt through change will play a major role in their success. The many aspects of the Arts can show an individual how their abilities and strengths can be used to be successful. And in the everyday life, our students can contribute to this world in a creative way when they are given the opportunity to grow through the Arts.

The #1 benefit to young people of being involved in the Arts is the ability to use their imagination and create their own style with the music they learn, the art they create or the theater experience they are involved in. Each one of us are unique and the Arts gives everyone the ability to share our uniqueness with others and together it brings a sense of accomplishment and value to each person participating. It’s their choice to participate and learn all they can which will impact them for the rest of their life.

In 1999 – a response to a study published at that time, Education Secretary Richard Riley said, “If young Americans are to succeed and to contribute to our “economy of ideas”, they will need an education that develops imaginative, flexible and tough-minded thinking. The arts powerfully nurture the ability to think in this manner”. Additional studies have been done since then and they continue to prove that the Arts can help our youth learn the core subjects better by processing the information differently. It is a matter of how they think. It all starts with their thinking and what is influencing their thoughts. Will the ideas be stifled or built upon for a future accomplishment?

The top 10 skills that our foundation has found to be a result of a students’ involvement in the Arts are: Creativeness, Responsibility, Focus, Participation, Confidence, Expressiveness, Dependability, Determination, Collaboration and Excellence. The. Real. World. These same 10 skills are what it takes to be progressive and accomplished in which avenue they choose for the future. Finding a place where you belong and thrive is realized through building relationships, and the Arts builds a special community with people where they can share their love Music, Writing, Theater, Drawing and so much more over an entire lifetime. A great read, “The Artistic Edge” by Lisa Phillips will help you learn more about how some of these skills impact the future of our children.

What do we want our future to look like? Through this time of challenge, change and new crossroads, we need to support and guide our youth and the best way is helping them be creative each day and think about how they can implement these skills into their tasks, homework, projects, hobbies, etc. An encouraging word is always important. Speaking LIFE into students, recognized by their instructor, has been the foundation of our local program. Recognition has given the youth a sense of value and the willingness to try harder because their efforts were noticed.

Let’s rethink how we want to move forward, what we need to leave behind and Embrace the Arts for a more creative future!

For more information contact Ann from SITA Foundation at studentsinthearts@gmail.com