The Value of Integrating Fine Arts into the Curriculum

The Value of Integrating Fine Arts into the CurriculumUntitled part

While most schools have taught academic subjects, such as Math, English, the Social Sciences, and so on, for a long time and since inception, it is only now that schools have understood the value of integrating fine arts into their curriculum.

So, what are the fine arts? These include drawing, sculpting, painting, music, dance, literature, architecture and theatre. While earlier, teaching these was considered a waste of time, today schools and parents have done a complete pivot where the fine arts are concerned and have realized the importance of teaching fine arts in schools.

There are certain inherent advantages of integrating arts education in the curriculum. Some of them are:

The Arts make content more accessible, easy to understand, and easy to process: By integrating drawing, painting, music, and other fine arts into the curriculum, students can use all of their learning styles – visual, auditory, and kinaesthetic to learn other subjects. For example, if in kindergarten we are teaching students the alphabet, we can ask them to draw the letter "m" for example, or a student can act out a story before reading it out loud.The Arts enable joyful, active learning: The fine arts can be used to make learning of all subjects come alive. For example, if students in K-12 are learning about the ocean and all of the creatures that live in it, they can express this through theatre, by acting out how a shark swims or how a dolphin leaps. Theatre games can also be used to study history, current events, literature, or even the systems of the body and the process of photosynthesis.The Arts help students make personal connections to learning content: Most children are reluctant to learn something in which they have little interest. Which is why schools are increasingly allowing students to learn in a highly personal and enjoyable way. For example, if students are taught about the environment with words such as "environment", "tolerate" and "organism", they are then encouraged to write poetry using these words in a way that makes sense to them. This ensures that students understand their own personal connect to the environment.The Arts help students understand and express abstract concepts: Abstract concepts such as math problems and formulae can be difficult to process and understand. Many teachers help their students understand difficult math concepts by using stories to solve math problems. So, for example if the problem is 10+2 = 12, students are taught this in a story format, with Uncle Albert walking ten steps, Aunt Alva walking 2 steps, which totals 12 steps. When children are taught in this way, they understand the concept better and are able to solve the problem.The Arts stimulate higher-level thinking: When learning and expressing concepts using the fine arts, students employ three kinds of thinking – attending, discerning, and inventing. So, if there is a geography class in which the world's food distribution problem is being discussed, teachers can help students understand the problem and come up with solutions better by using a map of the world to understand world hunger and the unequal distribution of food. This helps students come up with innovative ideas about the problem.The Arts build community: Students are often taught about other communities that inhabit the Earth through theatre and dance. In this way, they understand that we are all part of a larger community. Working together, students and teachers understand that working together in a group helps everyone learn better, rather than if they were working and studying alone.The Arts help children develop collaborative work skills: Research has shown that students learn best when they are working together with others in a collaborative way. The fine arts can very easily be a collaborative venture, whether it is a dance, an art class, or a sculpting class. Doing creative things together helps children think, intuit, and understand the subject better. For example, music provides wonderful opportunities for collaboration with harmonies, songs, and chants.

A study in the United States has found that studying fine arts at school led to fewer disciplinary infractions and a higher attendance rate, higher graduation rates, and higher test scores. These are only some of the advantages of integrating fine arts into the school curriculum and providing art integrated learning. At the , we have integrated fine arts into the curriculum in a truly holistic way. Epistemo organizes music, art, and dance lessons to foster creativity in students and allowing them to grow socially, mentally, and emotionally.

The fine arts at Epistemo are completely integrated into the curriculum and are considered a vital part of the education imparted to children. The studying of the fine arts encourages lateral thinking, critical thinking skills, and complex analysis and Epistemo understands this completely. We also understand that students use the fine arts as an outlet to express their ideas and creativity.

So, if you want your child to have a complete, holistic education with the fine arts being an integral part of their school curriculum, look no further than the Epistemo Vikas Leadership School.

Epistemo, An endeavor to kindle the spark of inquisitiveness in a child and shine the light of Knowledge bright. Visit https://epistemo.in/ for more information #Epistemo #BestCBSEschool #Epistemovikasleadershipschool #bestcambridgeschoolhyderabad #Hyderabad #InternationalSchool #cambridgeSchoolHyderabad #CBSEschool