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Qotw: How Important Is It For Children/young People To Engage In The Arts?


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At NCECA 2015 I was so thrilled to see so many really good works made by the K12 children and young people. And I was (positively) stunned to see how much support they get in school.

 

Here in Switzerland school children have no possibility to learn about art in school, and all they do in clay is maybe a hotpad for aunt XYZ for Christmas.

 

I for one think it absolutely necessary to lead children and young people to art works (visits to museums and galleries for example) and encourage them to try to do "art" themselves.

 

What is your opinion?

 

Evelyne

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Unfortunately, in many places they don't get enough support. But, there are many excellent programs for children in the arts. I heard an interview on National Public Radio decades ago. The CEO of a major corporation said they looked for people in the arts because the arts are where people learn to create something from nothing. Ideas are born that way.

 

Marcia

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Don't even get an old Art educator started on the importance of Arts in the schools. I can give you stories of joy about working with materials, kids that come out of their shells in art classes, kids that learn to succeed where nothing else works, kids that go on to be artists in their own right and the kids that learn to think, and put things together to create in other ways. All in the arts. No, don't even get me started here.

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I think art and music is more important than the other subjects in school.  I started teaching art to my son when he was two and had him take organ lessons when he was four. He was born with some mouth problems  so we sent him to private school while he went through the years of therapy.  The school believed that theater was the only art needed so I volunteered to teach pottery when there was time in the schedule,  I only had one teacher turn me down.      Denice

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It is absolutely VITAL. No question. The arts have scientific evidence that shows it is beneficial to the development of the brain as a child, and slows the devastating effects of alzheimer's disease (see "I Remember Better When I Paint." That aside, my grandmother was essential in my development as an artist when I was very small. She's the reason why I'm the artist and musician I am today. ♥♥♥♥

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No question that art, especially 3 dimensional art, promotes creativity and spacial thinking.   critical for young minds. we have kids classes at our studio and its amazing what they make.  you can just see them becoming little engineers. plus they have a blast.  i love to sit and listen to the class chatter.  rakuku

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especially 3 dimensional art, promotes creativity and spacial thinking.   

rakukuku,

One of the reasons I taught computer animation with an open source 3D program was to get kids to be thinking early in conceptual 3D and to have the tools to do it. My course started with 2D animation and went to 3D. the 3 screen interface of top/side/front view was essential for them to understand, and doing it early got them to leave with lots of tools in their kit. At the same time animating the forms helped them to understand that in 3D all sides have to work!

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Thank you everybody for telling us your thoughts about the topic. I am happy that we all together are pro engaging children in art.

I had a discussion in the meantime with my niece and her husband (both teachers, she 1st and 2nd grade, he 5th and 6th grade) and also with my brother (kindergarten teacher) why here in Switzerland the schools do so little for children regarding art. They say they fight for art for children lessons already a long time but, alas, to no avail. Computer courses seems to be more important as a school subject.

 

And just now I've read Pres' post about "combining" computer and art schooling for children. Bravo Pres :)

 

I promised my niece, her husband and my brother to think about something I could do in future (with and in clay) for their school children...

 

Clay project for the year 2016!

 

Evelyne

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